Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

July 5, 2018

Preparing for the 2018 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

     Can you believe it's already that time of year again?! No- it's not the holidays.... it's Nordstrom Anniversary Sale time yet again!! (Aka most fashion bloggers' craziest time of the year.) If you've been reading my blog for awhile or other fashion bloggers' blogs, you know that this sale is BIG in the blogging world. Most years I try not to go too crazy and really stick to just buying items that I really need in my closet or know I'll wear frequently, but a lot of bloggers do seem to go absolutely nuts with buying tons of stuff during the NSale. Early Access for the Nordstrom Sale begins one week from today, so I wanted to share some thoughts about the Sale, general tips, and what I'll be looking for in this year's sale!


Nordstrom Sale 2018 info!



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     Nordstrom Sale FAQ: 


    If you shop the NSale annually, you'll probably want to skip this part of the blog post! But if you're new to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, this info might be helpful to you:


    *What is the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? Each summer, Nordstrom hosts their biggest sale of the year, officially called the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, also known as the NSale. Items in almost all categories of the store (Men's and Women's fashion, Kids fashion, Shoes, Home, Jewelry, Cosmetics, etc) are discounted for a few weeks, before prices increase following the end of the NSale. The unique thing about the NSale is that the discounted merchandise is all new merchandise! While most retailers host summer sales to get rid of spring/summer items, Nordstrom discounts their brand new fall merchandise, so you can get great deals on things you'll need or want before the season even starts!


     *When is the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? It begins (for Nordstrom cardholders) one week from today- yay! The 2018 NSale runs from July 12th-August 5th. On July 12th, the sale opens online at midnight PST (that's 3 am EST) for Early Access for cardholders, but with each year that goes by I've gotten used to setting an alarm for 2:30 am and being one of the first to shop the sale! I definitely recommend doing this if you're going for one of the hot-ticket items this year.


     *How do I shop the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? You can shop both in-store and online! Even though I'm generally more of an in-person shopper, I do actually prefer to shop the NSale online. Nordstrom offers free shipping and free returns- so why not?! If you'd like to shop the NSale right when it opens, you have to be a Nordstrom credit card holder. The NSale opens to the general public on July 20th


    *Is a Nordstrom credit card worth it? I think so! This is actually the only store that I have a credit card for. The Nordstrom credit card has an easy rewards system (you receive Nordstrom Notes certificates after reaching a certain number of points), and best of all you get Early Access each year to the NSale with your card! It's not too late to apply for one if you don't have it- more info here!


     *Why do my favorite bloggers talk about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale so much? Time to get transparent! A few reasons. For one, it is a really great sale. The fact that Nordstrom discounts their brand new fall merchandise is very different than how other retailers do their large sales. Nordstrom also carries a wide array of brands- from affordable house brands to designer labels, and all of that and more is included in the sale! Back when I was in high school, I remember thinking that only very wealthy people could afford to shop at Nordstrom. Not the case! They have plenty of affordable house brands- BP is a favorite of mine.
     To talk about the financial side of blogging for a second- most fashion bloggers (like myself) use affiliate links in our posts. If you're unfamiliar, this means that if you click on one of my links and then end up making a purchase from that website, I'll make commission. The Nordstrom Sale is one of the highest earnings times of the year for bloggers like myself that use affiliate links! So that's why you often see it "over promoted" on some people's blogs and Instagram accounts.
     I do shop and promote the Nordstrom Sale on my blog- but this will NOT be the only thing I'm posting about during the three weeks of the sale!! I try and balance out regular content with NSale content so no one feels overwhelmed. 



     Nordstrom Sale Tips + How I Shop the Sale:


     My biggest tip for shopping the NSale, or any sale, is KNOW YOUR BUDGET! As I wrote above, some bloggers do "over promote" the sale a little bit, and reading blog post after blog post like that can make you want to overspend. Yes- the Nordstrom Sale is awesome, but it is NOT a reason to go into debt or overspend for your monthly budget!! No sale is ever worth that. Remember that!


     This week and next are great times to analyze your fall wardrobe and see what you need. If you're planning to make a designer purchase in the sale, make sure you have the funds to accommodate that! Pro tip: the Nordstrom Sale is also a great time to purchase gifts for occasions you have coming up: birthdays, wedding showers, even getting a head start on holiday shopping for your friends and family! Nordstrom does release a sale preview catalogue each year, but FYI I've found the best items usually aren't in the catalogue!


     For the past few years, I've woken up in the middle of the night when the sale goes live at 3 am EST on Early Access day to get my first pick of merchandise. After I'm done shopping online, I usually write my first couple blog posts for the NSale to get that out of the way! It might sound crazy to wake up in the middle of the night for a sale, but there have been past years that I've been going for hot ticket items (like Tory Burch riding boots or Kendra Scott jewelry), and I want my first pick! It's my annual tradition now to wake up at a crazy time and shop online with fellow blogger friends! 🙂



     What I'll Be Buying This Year:



     This is the first year in a few that I don't plan to make any "large purchases" in the sale! (Of course that could change if I see something I love, but right now I'm not planning to.) The number one thing I'll be looking for is casual and cute fall tops for work! I also might be purchasing birthday gifts for a couple friends with upcoming birthdays if anything catches my eye for them. Although this year's catalogue didn't feature these things, I'm interested to see if any Kendra Scott or Gal Meets Glam dresses will be in the sale! 




     I hope this post was helpful to you in preparing for this year's Nordstrom Sale! I'd love to hear what you're planning to buy this year. Or do you sit out the NSale? Either way- share in the comments!



     Have a great weekend! I have friends from Charlotte who came up yesterday for the 4th, and they're staying with me through the weekend. We have a fun day trip planned Saturday!!




     God Bless,



      xoxo Annaliese      







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14 comments

  1. oh thanks for breaking it down! and interesting about the bloggers who use affiliates haha i do wonder why it suddenly gets blown up xD thanks for being so transparent <3

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  2. Knowing your budget it's so important! It can be so hard to stick to it hahaha

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  3. I've never shopped the NSale but I'm always curious what people buy. I hope you get what you gave your eye on! It's like Christmas in July :)

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  4. I'm hoping some of the GMG dresses are on sale too! Most of the time all the things I want are sold out early on in the cardholder sale though!

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  5. I hope you snag everything on your wishlist! I never usually shop the sale, but seeing what other people get it always fun!

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  6. I love sales! Especially on new items. Which actually never take place. I haven't heard of this sale thingy before (maybe because I live in Europe), but I'd love to check Nordstrom once I visit the USA! :)

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  7. Oh wow! I've never shopped during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale but it sounds like a ton of fun. I didn't know that there was an online shopping option - how cool! I hope you score some amazing deals, Annaliese! :)

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  8. Love the Nordstrom sale!!! Thanks for all the tips :)

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  9. I love the Nordstrom sale, it's a great way to really get my fall clothes in order. This year especially since I'll be traveling to New Orleans and Europe in fall/winter so I'll need some good clothes.

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  10. So excited for this sale, I always find some awesome deals!

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  11. Great tips! I will definitely have to prepare for this sale next time around, I honestly didn't know it existed, I love Nordstrom clothes too.

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  12. hard to believe it's that time again!

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  13. Talk about the ultimate guide! You thought of everything!

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