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Fashion Friday: Off Price Shopping

I’ll admit it. I’m not a big off-price shopper. I don’t like to paw through racks of junk to find the buried treasure. I like to see pretty mannequins all dressed in coordinated outfits, and I like having sales staff make suggestions and give feedback and bring me new sizes when I guess wrong. But you pay a price for that kind of service, and sometimes the budget calls for a little off-price shopping.

I’m a huge fan of Marshalls when it comes to shoes.  The Marshalls near me has a fantabulous shoe department, and it’s the first place I go when the seasons are in flux and I’m in need of new shoes.  A representative from Marshalls/TJMaxx offered to send me gift cards to go shopping for spring fashions, so last week when the weather turned warm and I had a few hours to myself, I decided it was time to go shopping for summer shoes.  My old flip-flops were beat, and I’ve been keeping an eye out for a really cute pair of wedge sandals to wear with jeans for the summer so I went into the store with those in mind.  And I came out with not one, not two, but FOUR pair of summer sandals.  (Yes, I went WAY over my allotted gift card amount; now that’s some good marketing, let. me. tell. YOU.)

Remember the sandals I mentioned in this post?  Well, I found something quite similar for half the price, same brand and everything.  I wore them all day at the Invisalign event I attended recently and they are SO COMFY.  Seriously, you want some comfy sandals — Born is your brand.

I also found a replacement for my old flip-flops.  My new ones are very similar to the old, but fresh and new.  Yes, Born again.  What can I say?  They make cute and comfy shoes and at Marshalls, they were around $45 compared to $80 and up elsewhere.

The one thing about off price shopping is, you can’t find their stuff online.  They get new inventory daily and turnover is quick.  They also carry different merchandise in every store because their business model allows them to buy the leftovers from other stores and they don’t have to carry a certain amount of each piece.  This is how they manage to stock up-to-date styles at such great prices.  (I learned all that at the TJMaxx/Marshalls event I attended last summer.  Cool, huh?)

Then I wandered into the children’s department and found a huge assortment of sandals and flip flops.  I left with two pair of these:

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Isn’t that the most precious little model you’ve ever seen?  (Don’t be fooled.  I had to bribe her with chocolate chips to get her to cooperate.)  My girls have worn those flip flops at every opportunity for the past two weeks.  I think they’re darling.

THEN.  One day this past week I decided to take a swing by Nordstrom Rack.  I’m still on the look out for white jeans, and Big Mama always talks about finding treasures at Nordstrom Rack so I thought perhaps I was missing something.

First of all. It is NOT Nordstroms Rack.  It is Nordstrom Rack.  IT IS NOT PLURAL.  Every time I hear someone talk about going to Nordstroms, it makes me itch.

Upon arrival, I honed in on the rack of designer jeans, but I noticed right away that white jeans were slim pickins.  However, the gray jeans caught my eye.  I’ve been a fan of the gray jeans trend since I first saw the look, but I hadn’t participated yet, mainly because I hadn’t come across just the right pair, and I never took the time to seek them out.  But this time of year, stores are getting rid of their wintry styles so it’s the perfect time to find good deals on end-of-season fashions.

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Gray jeans because they have an edgy vibe that I love.  Plus gray jeans go as well with black as they do with bright colors like rust, magenta, and coral.  I took a few pair back to the dressing room, and I struck gold with the 2nd pair I tried on.  A pair of Paige Premium jeans usually goes for $180 at Nordstrom but at The Rack I snagged these for $60.

Disclosure: TJMaxx/Marshalls sent me two gift cards to shop for spring fashions, and I spent way more than my allotment.  Just doing my part to keep the economy moving. I am not affiliated in any way with Nordstrom Rack;I just felt the need to share.

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17 Responses

  1. First, I LOVE the ruffle sweater. Next, I too hate it when people add an *s* to stores that don’t have a *S*!! We have a Belk here…Everyone calls it Belks. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. I love that sweater! I am a ruffly kind of girl, but the bodacious boobies usually mean that I can’t wear anything ruffly on the front. But since is that is open I could make it work. Very cute.

  3. Love love love those sandals, and that cardigan…and gray jeans? I’ll have to give that one a try….I struggle so with finding the right pair of jeans!!
    Great job!!!

  4. Wow, those Born sandals are really nice! I love the ones with the heel–very summer 2010 and comfy-looking! I think a trip to Marshall is in order. Yes, Marshall. With no s. Because I have excellent reading comprehension. And no common sense. 😉

  5. I am chuckling over the Nordstrom’S’. That drives me crazy, too. Almost as crazy as when people say, “I have to go to The Wal-Marts. No, you don’t. You have to go to Wal-Mart. Period. No “the.” NO “s.”

    I don’t like picking through racks either, except for in one place. A great vintage shop about 30 minutes away from me. There and only there will I pick. 🙂

  6. Great finds – I find I really need to be in the mood for rummaging through TK Maxx (Yes – we have a k in ours, and they have a great sense of humor – did you see their sign on my blog recently?!) and have the energy too.

    When shopping if I don’t start with shoes, my feet hurt too much to try on shoes, so I end up skipping them.

    Your daughter is the perfect model – I am sure all supermodels are bribed with chocolate chips too!

  7. Love the first pair of sandals!
    I snagged a fun pair of grey skinny jeans over the winter & I get so much wear out of them. Loved them tucked into boots, and also wearing them with my converse all-stars for a super casual look.

  8. Love that cardigan!

    I’m hoping Husband sells a whole lot of loans between now and Baby’s arrival, because I always want to shop when I have a baby, and the warm weather also gives me the shopping itch.

  9. I totally need new sandals soon. It’s undeniably spring here and we’ve been spending hours and hours outdoors. I may have to plan a shopping trip to TJMaxx, Marshalls, or Nordstroms (Just kidding! I meant Nordstrom, of course!). 😉

    P.S. I love the Rack. I always find the best things there. If only it weren’t 2.5 hours away…!

  10. Did I ever tell you that right after you posted this I was able to get to a TJMaxx and I found a pair of Born flip flops very very similar to the 2nd pair (picture) you have on? I LOVE them. They were $39.95. I was pretty psyched.

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