On Tuesday I got a postcard from Crate & Barrel announcing its summer sale. That's great, but an employee told me last Saturday that items would start being marked down on Tuesday this week. Sure enough almost all items were marked down by then. By Wednesday, everything was marked down adn stuff was flying out of the store.
Why do retailers do these early markdowns? It's great if you happen to be there before the sale starts officially to get first crack at the merchandise, but if not, you feel a little late to the party.
Retail analyst Britt Beemer from America's Research Group suggested that I'm probably not a good enough customer to merit an email or postcard announcing the sale preview. Many stores such as Macy's and Neiman Marcus do that. In fact, Neiman's Last Call sale sale starts officially July 13, but if my name were Candy Gingrich, I bet I'd be notified that I could pre-shop before the 13th. (Just a hunch that she spends more at Neiman's than I do.)
Anyone else special enough to be invited to a retailer's sale before the rest of us? Come on, share it.
Here's mine: You can catch Crate & Barrel's summer sale today. Avoid the Friday rush when the sale officially starts. Here' another tip: Shop the clearance section online for a larger selection. Then go to the store and order it there to save on shipping (larger furniture items might not qualify).
