Check in- Canada - YouLookFab Forum

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Anniversary Sale

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Check in- Canada

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Hi, all -- and happy long weekend to the Canadians! Not sure you have a long weekend in the US as we do here?

I wanted to update you all on the progress of my Canada-side NAS. I also hope that a few more of you check in to report again on your own! Smittie has showed us her beautiful items but it seems my appetite for NAS FAB is insatiable.

So, here was my method to shop the sale in Canada:

Read Angie's blog post on how to shop the sale and composed a tentative list of items I needed/ was hoping for.
Used my Nordstrom's card to access presale on the website in the US.
Filled up a shopping cart with items under consideration.
Checked with the forum and with Angie to see what looked most promising and get recommendations.
Chose a few higher end items that were HEWIS or on my list plus one wildcard amazing special purchase (the gilet).
Phoned Ottawa store before official sale to ask if they would be carrying these items.
Ordered those they would be carrying, and asked sales associate to order the others from the Vancouver or Calgary store.
Sales associate did so -- but two items arrived not at sale price.
Spoke with sales associate -- she did an immediate price adjustment.

I am still waiting on one item (espresso Vince t-neck) which yes -- IS on sale and is available in Canada in my size, apparently. They cancelled the order at first but then located the item later on when the SA hunted it down.

In some ways, I'd say shopping in Canada by phone (at least with pre-sale visibility and Angie's and forum's help) has been easier and probably cheaper than doing the whole cross border thing. The customer service has been excellent, and I've received items that were already reading out of stock in the US.

Prices were the CAD equivalent (or a bit LESS!!) than US sale prices. Of course I had to pay HST. But I did not pay extra duties, I did not have to travel for a couple of hours and try things on in a dirty lumber supply building, and I did not have to pay for delivery or returns. It came right to my door as promised.

However, I only ordered my higher end choices this way. I have also ordered smaller items (bras, undies, denim culottes, etc.) through the US site online because I had some US only Nordstrom Notes to use up and I also felt it might get complicated trying to order from different departments when I don't have a pre-existing relationship with any sales associates at Nordstrom's in Ottawa. These items have not arrived yet but I should get them in a week or so.

Do any of you know if the sales associates are working on commission? Does my SA get some commission for the order? If so, it really was a breeze for her -- I knew just what I wanted, gave her the order in a minute, and wrote back to say everything was fantastic and I was keeping it all.

I'd love to hear your reports about how things have gone and how it compares to previous sales you may have shopped.

Rag & Bone 'Faye' Longline Double Breasted Wool Blend Vest

$575.00 $229.98

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Rag & Bone JEAN 'The Dre' Slim Boyfriend Pants

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25

Aquatalia 'Taylor' Weatherproof Bootie (Women) (Nordstrom Exclusive)

$475.00 $299.25

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42

Rebecca Minkoff 'Bryn' Double Zip Hobo

$295.00 $117.97

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Vince Jersey Turtleneck

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21

Anniversary Sale

27 replies

Latest reply was from Roxanna

Anonymous

Suz - it looks like your organizational skills and methodical approach worked very well. I'm glad you had such success! I may take a page from your book this time next year

Joyce B

Veteran

You have a good shopping method going! Your SA lucked out with you as a customer. They do get a commission on their sales and when there are returns they deduct the SA's commission.
Enjoy your fab purchases, you worked hard for them in every respect.

deb

Veteran

You are really organized, lady! You also have a nice start on your winter wardrobe.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Thanks, Joyce. Good to know. Then in future I might order the rest of the stuff from her also if it is available in Canada. (Not everything would be). Now that I have done this, I can check in with her on the first day of the pre-sale with a "wish list" the way Kerry did and see which items it's possible to order.

Thanks, Lisa. I would say if there is a higher end item that interests you in the sale that you can't obtain locally, then this is a really good way to go. So if you go in know that you want a new bag, or a certain type of boot, or a Burberry coat (or whatever) then you are likely to come out with a genuine bargain in Canadian terms. And if it doesn't work out it is free to return. And easy. They supply a return label and you just drop at the post office.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Excellent work Suz! I think these items will all be workhorses, and now you have built a great relationship with a lucky SA.

Joy

Veteran

Your sales approach and skills are inspiring. I wait for Angie's recommendations and comments on fit. This year I didn't order anything as my address is changing and not sure when shipping would be. I will be stalking some items later and hope to find them in my size.
Does anyone buy household items?

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Yes, I bought sheets and a duvet cover last year and was happy with the purchases. I'm thinking about getting the Ugg throw in this year's sale.

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

A very methodical and efficient approach, Suz. Nicely done.

Style Fan

Veteran

Thank you Suz for all your information. Next year when the Toronto store opens I will get involved in the NAS. You did really well this year.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Style Fan --- yes, I got some beautiful items that I otherwise would not have considered. They are still on the pricey range for me but I think this is a good way to make use of the sale -- for basics that you know you need (e.g. undies) and for special purchases and wardrobe essentials.

It will be fun to meet up in Toronto!

Anonymous

I'm confused about the turtleneck (again!). Didn't we establish it was going to be $200+ ?

It was fun to hear about your cross-border lumber yard tryon sessions, and your new phone call method. You have taken a pan-American approach this year, rounding up items from Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and the US, and have documented your successes and gotchas.

All I can say is: You Are A Trooper.

I ended up taking a similar approach: Calling ahead and actually buying things over the phone to "reserve" them because they go so fast.

The key for me this NAS, my first, was looking at others' WIWs and Angie's picks. I'm not much of an online shopper, and I don't like crowds, so having a few things to focus on allowed me to actually enjoy myself.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

WOW, Suz. You HAVE THIS DOWN, and I'm sooo impressed. Thanks for leading the Canadian NAS contingent so beautifully. I appreciate your help more than you know, and am thrilled that you had a good sale.

LOVE YOUR STUFF. Sooo, you got the T-neck after all! And are keeping the bag. Wonderful!

(All Nordies SAs work on commission).

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Thanks, Angie! Without your recommendations this method would not work. It really helps that I have shopped the sale before as well, and know store brands, etc. And that I have a Nordstrom's card so have early access to the website.

Smittie, the t-neck has not yet arrived but if it does, it will be on sale for $163 which is still a huge amount but not $200 plus. They had charged me the regular price by mistake. I will have to evaluate whether it is worth the high CAD price tag that it costs even on sale -- it just depends. Luckily, I can return if it does not work out.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Suz, you've been on such a roller coaster following your path to receiving the items you want. I'm glad you've tracked them all down, and hopefully the last item will be there soon. You look really good in your picks. It was fun to hear about your previous cross border trips, but this sounds easier and cleaner. But not as great a story.

It was also great to follow your process. And thank you for asking about the SA's compensation.

Lisa

Veteran

I have no idea about if the SA are commission or not, I'll have to read through the replies here for that. For the sale, I'm actually outlining my process on my blog but to shorten it:
1. Look at online catalog before the sale is public and create wish list
2. Go through closet and modify wish list
3. Review Angie's picks and modify wish list again
4. Order a whole lotta stuff when the sale is public (this year was 35, yikes!)
5. Quickly return anything that I don't like or doesn't fit (I don't want someone to miss out on something because it's still in my clutches and I know I don't want it)
6. Pair up potential keepers with my wish list, keep anything that met a need
7. Try out non-wish list items (because I know I get distracted my all the new stuff) and see if I can easily incorporate the non-wish list stuff with my current wardrobe
8. Revisit my budget and see how many non-wish list items can squeak into my closet.

I find the one tough thing for me is, I want to shop to fill my wardrobe holes, but I also want to refresh my style some years and shopping only for list items is boring. Knowing where to draw the line is a challenge.

kerry

Veteran

Gorgeous choices Suz! You've had a great NAS.

I think I had about 14 items on my wish list. I was able to get an early access sneak peek with the Nordstrom app (I don't have a card). After I created my wish list, I sent it to my SA and he sourced 7 of my 14 items. Six of them came from the Ottawa store and one from Calgary.

I've received all of the items. I'm keeping two. I've been very picky. The two pairs of leggings didn't fit my needs. The Burberry sweater is gorgeous but too big. The halogen cardigan was too long in the sleeves and the nice stripe detail was somewhat lost in the bunching. I ordered two very similar faux leather sleeved jackets and chose one. I'm also keeping the Halogen tunic that was an Angie top pick. I love it!

Halogen Textured Elbow Sleeve Tunic (Regular & Petite)

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KUT from the Kloth 'Ana' Faux Leather Drape Front Jacket (Regular & Petite)

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Eliza

Veteran

You did brilliantly, Suz. The bag and the gilet are such strong wardrobe "up lifters", and being in a cold climate also, I am especially happy when NAS yields a great pair of Aquatalia's. The pants (jeans?) are your color, too.

Thanks for sharing your strategy and enjoy all the zest these pieces bring to your lovely wardrobe.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Kerry, thanks for updating, I was wondering how the items turned out! It's interesting to me that they could source only 7 of your 14 items. Was there any pattern to that, that you could recognize? I.e. does it seem like they aren't stocking specific brands in Canada or a certain line of goods? That would be useful information for subsequent sales for us all.

Lisa, you're even more methodical and organized and reflective about the process than I am. I hear you on the dilemma of what to do when you need a style re-set. You're inevitably going to buy more in that situation, I guess. I'm going through that exact thing now with my new haircut/ colour and have ordered more (and some more expensive items, too) than I would usually do, as a result. I don't know what I'm keeping of the smaller items (and some are basics like underwear, so I guess they don't count) but I'm sure I will have a shock when it's time to pay my bill at the end of this month!

Barbara Diane, thank you. I kind of miss those lumber supply store days...and maybe they're not over, if what Kerry says is true. Also, if the CAD ever comes closer to par with the US dollar again, you can be sure I will be doing more cross border shopping because it becomes a relative bargain for us in that case.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Eliza, thank you. You're so right that a couple of special items can really elevate everything else. And yay for waterproof booties!!

K2

In the past I have just watched Angie's picks and those that bought pre-sale put them on my wish list and thought about them. Some got sold old, but many came back, so I just ordered from the US site. This year, I need less, but essentially followed the same strategy, however made use of phoning the Canadian stores once I honed in on my list. As it turned out, I was able to get an item from Vancouver that was sold out in the US and ordered 2items from US that weren't available in Canada. I'm on the fence on 1 item that is available in Calgary, but is still fairly pricey in Cdn $ (I did the comparison with US site and with duty/tax is actually more there) and a bit of a wildcard and memorable (the boho Free People tunic) so not sure how much I'll wear it. May order it since I can try and return or stalk the Bay to see if they get it and then wait for a sale there later in season. I appreciated reading about how you and other fabbers were using Cdn stores to track things down, very helpful.

kerry

Veteran

I couldn't make heads or tails of why some items were available in Canada and not others. I'd have thought all Halogen and Caslon merch would be available since it's their house brand but that wasn't the case. I can't be sure if it was the item entirely or certain colour ways. I'm also not sure if an item was just not part of NAS. All of the items I got had the NAS promo discount applied.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

K2, thank you for weighing in. It sounds like you used a somewhat similar process to mine, with some things coming from the US and some here. It would be great if we could see the Canadian sale prices in advance so we could do comparisons ahead of ordering things. I guess if you are in store and the store has the item, then that is possible. But since it's two plus hours to the closest store for me, that's not happening this year!

I do think it's worth ordering the Free People since you can return. And, as you say, the Bay may get it in and you can price compare then if you can hold off on cutting the tags.

Kerry, that's what I was wondering. Would Caslon, Halogen, BP be available across the board, or not. And would they stock all sizes, etc. It seems there is little rhyme or reason; I'd love to talk to the people in charge of stocking for the sale in Canada.

DonnaF

Veteran

Suz, I am beyond impressed with your shopping strategies. It really makes me appreciate how spoiled I am: I merrily press my order button, mostly ordering everything in two sizes and sometimes two colors and haul what I don't want to a store a couple of weeks later. (My NAS Longchamp bag is stuffed to the gills right now!) On my next visit, I will pick up my Topshop dress that I left there for alterations. After I wash them, I will drop off my NAS ponte pants for shortening, and maybe my NAS gray Kut jeans if I keep them.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Thanks, Donna. Yes, it is quite the adventure to shop Nordstrom's from Canada. To tell the truth it probably wouldn't be worth it for me except:

I get to participate in all the fun here and benefit from Angie's advice -- YAY!!
I live so far away from decent shopping in Canada, let alone the US.
It suits my shopping style. I tend to like to do one or two big shops per season and then forget about shopping until it's time to update for the next season -- so looking ahead and buying a lot at once makes sense for me.

shedev

Veteran

I'm glad NAS got easier for you to shop.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

In a shocking twist, the last leather jacket I ordered just shipped... from Ontario. Apparently, the merchandise funnel goes both ways!

Roxanna

Veteran

@Suz - those are very important insights. Yes, it definitely works for you. But it wuldn't work for me for the opposite reasons: I live in a metropolitan centre with lots of shopping; I like to shop throughout the year; I am not nearly as analytical as you (sadly) and usually have no idea what my fall wardrobe holes are in July. Though this year may have got me hooked - it may be my first stop when I go to the conference!