I was at Nordstrom (Skokie IL) yesterday to browse NAS. I thought the amount of sale items in-store was very small. The only item they had on my wish list was the Sam Edelman Lex boot. I tried it on in black in my usual size. I found it to be true to size and a fairly light weight boot in case anyone is interested in that boot. I thought it was a good price for a substantial leather boot. I'm not getting it because I just didn't love the look on me and I do have other boots.
My take-away on the sale (in my area) is that it's primarily on-line.