Nordstrom Clearance Guide: Overview of Sales Promotions and Shopping Tips
Nordstrom is renowned for its wide selection of high-quality fashion, beauty, and home goods. While its offerings often come with a premium price tag, their extensive clearance events and promotions provide excellent opportunities for savvy shoppers to acquire desired items at significantly reduced costs. This guide offers an overview of Nordstrom's sales landscape, detailing key promotions and providing actionable tips to navigate the clearance racks effectively, both in-store and online.
1. Understanding Nordstrom Clearance Events
Nordstrom's clearance system is a dynamic process where merchandise is marked down to clear inventory. These reductions typically occur as items move out of season or when specific styles are no longer being carried. Clearance items are often identified by red tags, signifying a permanent markdown, and can be found in dedicated sections within physical stores and on the "Sale" section of their website. Regular price reductions happen, but significant savings are typically found during major promotional periods.
2. Key Nordstrom Sales and Promotions
Nordstrom hosts several prominent sales events throughout the year, offering substantial discounts beyond standard clearance markdowns.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
This unique event, usually in July/August, features new fall merchandise at discounted prices for a limited time before returning to full price. It's an opportunity to save on upcoming season items, including designer collections, rather than just end-of-season clearance.
Half-Yearly Sales
Occurring typically in late December/early January and late May/early June, these sales offer significant price reductions across various departments as Nordstrom clears out current-season inventory to make way for the next.
Seasonal Clearance Events
Major end-of-season clearances often follow holidays such as winter after Christmas, spring after Easter, and summer after Labor Day, marking down seasonal apparel and accessories.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday
The post-Thanksgiving sales period brings widespread discounts across many categories, including special clearance promotions.
3. Optimal Times for Clearance Shopping
Timing is crucial when seeking the best deals at Nordstrom clearance.
Early Access
For events like the Anniversary Sale, Nordstrom cardholders often receive early access, allowing them to shop before the general public and secure popular items before they sell out.
Mid-Season Check-ins
Regularly checking the sale sections mid-season can reveal new additions to clearance as inventory changes. Tuesdays or Wednesdays are sometimes cited as days when new markdowns may appear.
End of Season
The periods immediately following major seasons (e.g., late summer for summer apparel, late winter for winter coats) are prime times for the deepest discounts as stores aim to clear remaining stock.
4. EssentialNordstrom Clearance Shopping Strategies
Effective planning and execution can enhance your clearance shopping success.
Create a Wishlist
Before a sale, identify specific items or categories you are interested in. This helps maintain focus and prevents impulse purchases.
Monitor Online and In-Store
Clearance stock can vary between physical stores and the website. Regularly checking both channels increases your chances of finding desired items. Items often appear online first, or unique inventory might be available locally.
Know Nordstrom's Pricing Policy
Understand how Nordstrom prices clearance items. Often, items may undergo multiple markdowns, so tracking an item's price can sometimes lead to greater savings if you are not in a rush.
5. Maximizing Your Nordstrom Clearance Savings
Beyond just finding clearance items, several methods can help you further reduce costs.
Join the Nordy Club
Nordstrom's loyalty program, the Nordy Club, allows members to earn points on purchases, which convert into Nordstrom Notes (store credit). Higher tiers offer additional benefits like personal stylists and early access to sales.
Consider the Nordstrom Credit Card
Cardholders earn points faster and often receive exclusive perks, including early access to the Anniversary Sale and special bonus points events, which can be particularly advantageous during clearance.
Utilize Price Adjustments
If a full-price item you purchased goes on sale within a specified timeframe (typically 10-14 days), Nordstrom generally offers a price adjustment. This policy also sometimes applies to already reduced clearance items if they receive a further markdown within a short window.
6. Navigating Online Versus In-Store Clearance
Both online and in-store shopping offer distinct advantages for clearance hunters.
Online Advantages
The Nordstrom website provides a broader inventory selection, allowing shoppers to filter by size, brand, and price more easily. It's convenient for comparing items and checking stock across multiple locations. Online-exclusive markdowns can also occur.
In-Store Advantages
Shopping in person allows for trying on items, assessing quality firsthand, and discovering unique hidden gems that may not be available online or quickly picked up. Store associates can also provide assistance with inventory checks and styling. Checking dedicated "Nordstrom Rack" locations is also an option for even deeper discounts, though Rack has its own distinct inventory system.
Summary
Navigating Nordstrom clearance sales requires understanding key promotional periods, employing smart shopping strategies, and utilizing available loyalty programs. By staying informed about the Anniversary Sale, Half-Yearly Sales, and seasonal markdowns, creating wishlists, and leveraging the Nordy Club, shoppers can significantly maximize their savings. Whether shopping online or in-store, a strategic approach to Nordstrom's clearance section can lead to discovering premium fashion and home goods at exceptional values.