Free Shipping Day

07Dec09

Worried you missed out on all the post-Thanksgiving deals? Fear not! Retailers are still clamoring for your dollars and more than 450 retailers are participating in FreeShipping.org’s 2nd annual Free Shipping Day on December 17th (the goal is to hit at least 500 by this time). Currently, there are 98 clothing retailers in the mix, from Seven For All Mankind to Macy’s to Ralph Lauren’s Rugby. The best part? All orders made on this day are guaranteed to arrive by December 24th.

Another e-commerce company Istobe gives you a list of almost 600 retailers and tells you whether or not they offer free shipping, and if they do, whether it’s on all orders or if there’s a minimum purchase required — sweet deal.

Also the New York Times just posted a story about how sample sales are moving online:

The business model is simple: the sites buy mostly overstocked clothing and accessories from brand-name designers, then discount them deeply. Adrenaline-pumped shoppers rush to get the deals because the items are often gone in a few hours.

The sites try to recreate the rush of a warehouse sample sale, minus the trampling and shoving, but they borrow as much from the Home Shopping Network as they do from Saks Fifth Avenue. After shoppers add an item to their cart at Gilt, for example, they get a 10-minute countdown before they lose the item.

Psssh, civility is overrated. Without crazy, cutthroat people, where would our entertainment industry find its material?

When I first moved to New York I was completely enamored by sample sales. I once bought 9 French Connection dresses, once $200+ each, for just $40 each — to be fair, half of them were for a friend. Other than the pain of having to go through thousands of pieces of clothing, it was generally pretty fun once you got in. No overeager customer service people to bother you and the rules are less strict — you can try on a shirt in the middle of the floor; or, if you’re feeling awk, go to the back corner behind a haphazardly hung sheet where the rest of the girls are trying on mounds of clothing they’ve plopped onto the floor.

Not being able to try on the pieces is the only thing I’m reluctant about — even if it’s cheap, I still want it to fit (Incidentally, this logic was not applied when I recently bought a $10 dress from Armani Exchange. Oh, the dress is a size 14, and I’m a size 4. I’ll just belt it! was the consolation). Then again, there’s always eBay.

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Tags: Armani Exchange, Confessions of a Shopaholic, eBay, FCUK, Free Shipping Day, FreeShipping.org, Home Shopping Network, Istobe, New York Times, Saks Fifth Avenue