Yesterday, I shared with you, my wish list for the 2017 Vera Bradley Annual Outlet Sale. I always make a wish list before shopping at the sale. The sale is always chaotic and the ticketed sessions are limited to two and a half hours, which means making the most of your time on the sales floor is imperative. I find that having a list helps me to focus on the items that I am most interested in purchasing first. Then, I have time to wander the sale to find more items I'd like.
Today I'd like to share with you some tips for making a helpful wish list for the sale. The first thing I usually do is identify the big ticket items I'd like to get that year. My budget for the sale is limited, so I need to make the most of it. I do research on items on the Vera Bradley website. I like that they have dimensions of the products as well as lots of photos.
I also add to my list any smaller items I'd like to look at while I'm at the sale. Even though I always look at the Mini Notebooks and the Colorful Hair Clips, I make sure to put them on my list so I don't forget about them in the chaos. Even if I'm not sure I'll actually purchase something, I add it to my list if I'm interested because I don't want to forget about it.
I always write down my wish list or type it up and print it out. I don't want to rely on cell service or risk draining my phone battery. (And just being in the Coliseum will drain your battery, believe me.)
But my wish list is more than just a list of items I want. I also include information that I find helpful for decision making. I like to include the regular price and the current online sale price for each item as well as the price at the outlet if known. I find this helpful for deciding if something is a good deal or not. I also have access to a Vera Bradley outlet store, so I keep in mind that they frequently have sales with 20% off on top of 50% the regular price. This is why I opted to wait to purchase a beach towel last year. I got it at the outlet store for cheaper than the outlet sale.
I also include on my list the location of the items if known. Since I go on Thursday, the map of the sale is usually already been shared on social media. As soon as I see it, I'll be sure to share it, so make sure you're following me! The map is very helpful to make my plan of attack for the sale. I try to plan a path around the sale that will help me get the items I want first.
You can see my wish list from last year in the above picture. I used a spreadsheet to keep it organized and as you can see, I also color coded the locations. I handwrote those since the locations are last-minute information. I also prioritize the items on my list. My must-haves are at the top and items I'm not as interested in go at the bottom.
You will notice that I do not have patterns on my wish list. While I do have an idea of what patterns will be at the sale, I try not to get my hopes up that I will be able to get an item in a certain pattern. Instead, I know what patterns that I prefer and I try to look over all that are available to find the one I like the best, or if I don't like any, then I don't purchase the item.
This year, I'm going to try to organize my list by row. After looking over the maps from previous years, I noticed that the order of the colors of the rows remains the same every year, however, the product does change locations over the years. This does mean I will have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to make my list, but since I've already identified the items I'm interested in, I think it will work just fine.
While I'm waiting in line to get into the sale, I go over my list again to remind myself of my plan. Otherwise, once I get in the sale I get excited and start looking at everything. I keep my list handy in one of the outer pockets on my Hipster so I can quickly consult it whenever necessary. And when I'm sorting what I've picked up, I consult my list again to make sure I've gotten everything I wanted. Having the prices on the list helps when the price scanners are down or far away and I can't remember them. Don't forget to consult my price chart!
I hope this post has helped you make your own list for the sale and don't forget to also read my tips for shopping the sale.
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