J.Crew Madness

How can I not have shared about this yet?! So you all know by now I love J.Crew, yes? And Madewell, yes?

Okay, so…there’s this secret sale that won’t be so secretive once I post this, but I just have to talk about it because it’s simply amazing. How amazing you ask? I’ll tell you.

I spent $105 at this sale–and you’re probably thinking, “what did you get, a tee shirt and a bracelet, because that’s all you can get at J.Crew for $100”. But you’d be wrong. I got…

1. 3 Tee Shirts (2 short sleeve crew neck, one long sleeve boat neck)
2. 1 Sweater
3. 1 Necklace
4. 1 Silk Top
5. 1 Pair of Leather (!!) Boots
6. 1 Clutch
7. 1 Bathing Suit Bottom

All of which retails for a total of about $700. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! Yes. I’m not kidding. I went and looked everything up when I got home. The boots alone are like $270. That’s like 85% off. In fact, my husband and his brother came along as well and did equal damage, so boys reading, there is stuff for you too!  It was amazing. And stressful. And so now here’s the details (which I shouldn’t even share because you’re now my competition).

There’s a J.Crew distribution center in Arden, North Carolina.  About 5-10 miles out of Asheville. Here’s the address:

1 Clifford Way
Arden, NC 28704

They have a clearance center store with regular hours:

Sunday 11-6pm
Monday – Sat 10-8pm

It’s pretty great.  Not a huge selection, but about 50% off retail.

This is not what I’m talking about, though.  The Warehouse Sale is insane.  Once a month they have a huge, crazy discounts, digging-through-boxes-on-the-floor kind of sale. You have to call to see when it is. Madness I tell you…boxes and boxes of J.Crew and Madewell goodies. And here’s the kicker–its not old stuff! And they restock all day, so if you wait in line, you could still get some good stuff. **I’ll get to the part about the line, but be advised, you HAVE to get there early with the E-Bay Jerks (that’s what I call them, they aren’t stealing or anything, but I wanted what they bought to sell online, so I was mad).

**Let’s talk about the line. Ahhh the line. We were first time Warehouse Saler’s, okay. We didn’t know the tricks. I read online to get there at least 2 hours early, doors open at 9, so we got there at 7am. And there was a long line. And people were PREPARED. They had blankets and chairs, and the folks closest to the building (who would be the first let in) had tents. We asked when they arrived and they came around 5-6pm the DAY BEFORE. What?!??! Yep.

So they open the doors and let what looks like around 500 people in. If you aren’t in that 500, or you aren’t close to the door, I’d say, pack it up and try again next time. I can’t tell you how many people were around us that waited 5-6 hours then had to leave for work or something. So depressing. But we were determined to at least see it, so we stood in line. For EIGHT hours. Insane, yes. Worth it, definitely (but I’ll be more prepared next time). We kept leaving line (and after 8 hours you become pretty friendly with your neighbors so you let them leave line too) to charge our phones in the car or to go grab lunch, so come prepared to wait.

Now let’s talk about once you get in. You get a trash bag and a price sheet (keep this). I’d suggest you wear a dress or something you can try on jeans/pants under (a lot of people in yoga pants and tank tops). And then just start digging. There are a TON of basics. Jeans. Shorts. Tees. Sweaters. So if you find something special (purse, clutch, jewelry, patterned top, etc.) hang on to it if you THINK you want it. Throw it in the bag and move on.  You”ll have an employee inventory everything in your bag and mark it on your price list, then you’ll take your price list to a cashier. Pay and leave.

Here is my price list. Winter coats, $60. All swimwear, $5. Amazing.

The shoes I got. Not kidding.

And the shirt and necklace.

Told you! It’s good stuff! So next time I’ll get there REALLY early with a chair and Starbucks. And breakfast bars and snacks. And an umbrella.