34: Everything You Need to Know About the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

This podcast was transcribed using Descript. Please forgive any typos or errors.

Brittany: Hi friends. Welcome to Life with Loverly I'm your host, Brittany Sjogren. I'm excited to share my heart with you beyond the 15 seconds we get on Instagram, grab an iced coffee and let's do life together. 

Hey friends. Welcome back to Life with Loverly I just want to let you guys know that I made an at home iced coffee, that's actually not terrible. 

Nichelle: Really?

Brittany: Yeah, so I brewed the coffee, it's a k cup. I brewed it into a plastic cup and I covered the cup with something to hold the scent and taste in.

Nichelle: Yeah.

Brittany: And then I put it in the freezer for like 30 minutes. So it would cool it down. And then I put a little ice in it and then I used the cold frother from our coffee machine and added that on top, and I'm actually enjoying it.

Nichelle: I honestly think it has everything to do with the coffee.

Brittany: I think so too.

Nichelle: We did that same thing with the veranda blend and we didn't like it. It was too bitter. So what do you think the difference is?

 Is it because you held the taste and the smell in?

Brittany: Okay, I'm not kidding, sometimes when you put something in the fridge, the fridge smells get into it. 

Nichelle: No, no. Okay. Lain understands you.

Brittany: Anyway.

Nichelle: This is a problem of mine though. I don't do leftovers and stuff like that. I don't know, maybe that's why I don't really recognize that.

Brittany: Yeah. I don't know. Anyway, moving on, this has nothing to do with today's episode. Which is way more exciting, but since I tried it out, I figured I would let you guys know. 

Nichelle: Let the people know.

Brittany: Today we are going to talk about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I personally love shopping, and love sharing a fun time of year for me. I've been covering the sale for the last six years. 

Nichelle: It's kind of like Christmas for this industry. 

Brittany: It really is. It kicks off the gifting season.

Nichelle: It does. 

Brittany: So we wanted to just walk you guys through the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

Last year, I did a live video and answered questions and went over details about the sale. And I wanted to do another version of that on the podcast. That way you guys can know what's coming and how to shop it, and how to prepare. So we just wanted to share a little bit about everything you can expect to see on Loverly Grey and how we will be covering the sale. Before we get started though, last year was Nichelle's first year covering the sale with me. Did you ever shop the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale before that?

Nichelle: I did. I was the one that had the six to eight days with the very end, because I didn't go crazy throughout the year. It was so much fun to sit there and have all this stuff in my cart. I had to hang tight, and then you get these really great deals on some of these staples.

It was so much fun though. Seeing behind the scenes. That's where I got a lot of my ideas from and knowing what to shop for. Obviously you've covered it every year and it's been such a great resource, so going and seeing behind the scenes and being a part of your team, it was pretty new.

Brittany: Yeah. I think that you were only like four months in or so.

Nichelle: Yeah, but I think I had a whole different perspective of the sale. I was just, oh, what can I get my hands on. I didn't really have any rhyme or reason to it personally, it was just like, what do I need? I need the booties. I need this. Everybody else is getting this. I have to get it. But it was so insightful, being around you 24 /7 around that time, seeing that you don't have to get it all.

Brittany: No.

Nichelle: What you do, is you plan it out. Brittany's going to cover this because she has some really great tips on this.

But knowing that you get your staple pieces or you plan for Christmas gifts, there's so much in this sale. Anything from home appliances, to baby, to beauty, and so on and so forth. So it was really cool to see it come together behind the scenes. 

Brittany: Yeah, it is. I just love it. So basically what the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is, is it is a preview of the fall collection for, a handful of brands that Nordstrom partners with. About half of them are Nordstrom made brands.

So brands that are sold exclusively at Nordstrom and then other brands that have specific product for Nordstrom. Steve Madden makes shoes that go specifically to Nordstrom and they're not sold anywhere else. There might be a variation of the shoes sold somewhere else. It's going to be like your Nikes, some of these bigger brands, but then there's also product that goes on sale or that gets made into creative bundles that are exclusive to Nordstrom. So it's a fall preview of what is to come in once we get into fall clothes. But it happens early, and it's kind of like a reverse sale. Most of the time when things go on sale at retailers, it's like, oh, it's been on the floor for a little while. Now we're going to put it on sale and this is the opposite. It goes on sale first, and then after a certain timeframe, it's is back on the website at full price.

Nichelle: Because it's a reward.

Brittany: Right, so the whole point and where the like Nordstrom Anniversary Sale started was a way to reward their card holders.

So the Nordstrom card holders, if you have their credit card, they used to offer a debit card. I don't think they do anymore, but this is an actual credit card that you use that's like a store credit card. And if you are one of their credit card holders, depending on how much you spend with Nordstrom each year, there's different levels that your card falls under. This sale is a way to reward those shoppers and give them the opportunity to shop at a sale price first, before everybody else gets access to the sale.

So it's about, 10 to 12 days where all of the card holders get to shop and then it's opened up for another 10 or so days. And anybody who doesn't have a Nordstrom card can shop at that point too. So it's really a perk of having a Nordstrom Anniversary card. By no means am I encouraging you to, go sign up for a credit card just to shop this sale, please hear me out. You do not need the stuff. It is not a necessity, if you're not in a financial place to open up another credit card, please do not do that. There will be other similar items that come later. But I feel like this sale, really gives an idea of what is to come for fall.

Nichelle: It was so insightful seeing the trends that were coming because I had no idea, but a lot of the cutout sweaters last year and the different styles of what was it, booties that were making the chunky heels and platforms stuff. 

Brittany: Some of the combat style was coming back last year. 

Nichelle: It was very insightful to see, okay, wow this is the trend this year. 

Brittany: And then we saw those trends throughout the fall from other brands

One thing I feel like I always buy at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is a pair of tan, suede, knee high boots. Those are the boots that I wear throughout the whole season. They're usually by Vince Camuto. Sam Edelman does a great pair. It's always funny because every year I'm like guys get the knee high boots and then they usually sell out, and then people throughout the fall are like, where are the boots from? I'm like I told you guys to get it then. There's always going to be similar options. Kind of going back, this sale is intended to be a reward for the people who have their card. So knowing that going into it I feel like kind of helps because there's going to be a lot of coverage.

This is a huge event that influencers cover and I feel like it really became a huge influencer coverage event within the last, three to four years. The first two years I did it, it wasn't everywhere, and so now I feel like a lot more influencers cover this. But I feel like you need to have your blinders on and follow the people who provide value and aren't trying to push every product that's on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale website. 

Nichelle: Yeah. It's going to get overwhelming.

Brittany: For sure. Yeah. It's overwhelming. You don't have to have everything. If you're not ready to shop fall yet, that is totally okay. 

Nichelle: Yep.

Brittany: But just know it is coming. There's going to be like a chunk of July that is dedicated to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. We try to cover other brands as well throughout the time because I know that not everybody is shopping this sale, but it is a fun sale for me to shop and for me to cover. So we will continue to do that again this year. I feel like every year we evaluate, and sometimes I'm like, do I want to cover it like I did last year? And then I'm like, yes, it's so fun. 

Nichelle: It's so fun. Yeah. 

Brittany: It's just like a tradition. 

Nichelle: The reason why you continue the coverage throughout and just for all of your followers to kind of understand. There is going to be some sellout, 

Brittany: Right.

Nichelle: Maybe they just didn't purchase enough at the beginning or maybe it's just a limited quantity, but the things that she shares at the beginning may even change a little bit because she loves to change the outfits around so you can see how you can use all the pieces in different ways. And then she'll cover the things that are on sale. So if something sells out, she substitutes it with something else. Or she'll show you a different way to style whatever, went with it with another piece. So I thought that was really cool. 

Brittany: Yeah. I want to make sure it's worth it. Some of the pieces are more investment pieces. There was this awesome cashmere coat that I got last year that I wore the heck out of. So great. I think that one was on sale for 400, and I remember thinking, this is kind of a pricier, for what it was. But I wore it so often that the cost per wear was definitely worth it.

Nichelle: Yes. 

Brittany: So when you think about it like that, I think that also helps. But one thing I would encourage you to do is to go through an inventory of what fall items you have, or what you really need. Go through your jackets and see, do I need a new black pea coat or black north face style parka? If the answer is no, what I have from last year is great. Okay. Then that's not on your list. If you need a new pair of designer jeans, several of the brands go on sale anywhere from 50 to a hundred dollars off. 

Nichelle: For sure. 

Brittany: So you can definitely get some really good jeans, at a lower price, but if you don't need any jeans, then don't feel obligated to buy that. Really go through your closet and see what do I want to invest in? If that's a new pair of booties, if that's like a new. My straightener and hair dryer always goes on sale during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. So that would be a great thing to grab. And then I always love stocking up on gifts. 

Nichelle: Yes. There's an insane amount.

Brittany: Yes. And they do really cool bundles too.

Nichelle: Yes.

Brittany: Especially in the beauty department. My one thing I have on the list this year, that I actually need to get more of is my Chloe nomad perfume. 

Nichelle: Yes.

Brittany: I was looking at it this morning and it's almost out. 

Nichelle: Perfect timing.

Brittany: I think it'll make it to the sale, and then I can get the bundle box that they have with the different sizes. Last year they had it, but I didn't buy it because I didn't need the perfume at the time. 

Nichelle: Right.

Brittany: So if you're smart about what you want to shop, you can make this sale, really worth it for you. One thing I always grab and gift to people are the barefoot dreams blankets. They are like $80 off usually. And that's something that I use pretty much every time I sit on the couch and watch television or sit on the podcast room and record a podcast like currently. For those of you watching on YouTube, you can see that I'm holding up my blanket right now. So that's always something that I go for. And then sometimes baby gear, like strollers or car seats.

Nichelle: Those were great deals. 

Brittany: Things go on sale during this sale. So you can really shop smart. One thing that they have started to do is open up a preview so everybody can look on the website and see what is going to be on sale and what the sale price is. You can save things in your wish list. So at the time that you're able to shop based on your card status, you can then immediately add to your cart and check out. One thing I would say is like to check out quick because things do tend to sell out. So if there's something that you want, like, if you're like, I want other things, but I must have this baby car seat. Just go ahead, on the day you can shop, add that to your cart. Check out immediately. Nordstrom has free shipping and free returns. So you don't have to worry about shipping minimums and you can make as many purchases as you want.

Nichelle: I know that's how you did it because there were certain items you were like, I need this tonight at 3:00 AM.

Brittany: Yes. So it's definitely worth doing, especially if it's like a piece that you absolutely need. The dates for the preview, I think it starts on June 29th. So later this month, you will be able to view everything. That's going to be part of the sale. So that will be really fun because we will start creating mood boards and we will start putting outfit ideas together and giving you content.

And inspiring you to look in your closet and see, what do I need? There's a dress that I think is going to be great for the fall wedding. Like, I'm definitely going to add that to my cart So we will start doing that on June 29th and then starting July 6th is when icon level will be able to start shopping. That is when I will go through and place my first order and then start sharing products from there. We usually do like a fun trip to Atlanta and go into the store and spend a whole day just going through items and trying things on. And kind of inventorying what we feel like is going to be a really good fit for our followers. The ambassador level gets to start shopping on July 7th, so just the next day. The influencer level gets starts shopping on July 9th. And then I think the influencer level, but influencer level is just everybody with a Nordstrom Anniversary card. 

Nichelle: Right.

Brittany: So if you were to hear this and be like, you know what, I'm actually interested, I want to open up a Nordstrom Anniversary card, you would fall under the influencer level. So you would be able to start shopping on July 9th and then you can shop through July 14th before it's open up to everybody. And then from July 15th through the 31st. That's when the prices stay at the sale, but then August is when it goes back up to the full price, for the items that are left. So it's, kind of just like a fun, little rush of what happens throughout this time.

Nichelle: It definitely felt like Christmas last year, just because it was the anticipation, the dates and seeing what you got, to actually go in and pick out and then seeing it in person because there's so much available on the website. 

Brittany: Right. Everything is on the website, but not everything is available in stores. Mm-hmm . And even like in Atlanta, there's two different Nordstorm locations.

And one store has some items. The other store has other items and it can completely vary. I know. So don't go into the store thinking, oh, I'm going to get everything on my list. Because they might not have the inventory 

Nichelle: and you may see something that you overlooked online. It's something so simple last year. And , I think we talked about this yesterday. It was the St. Tropez self Tanner. Yes. It was like double the size. I didn't even think to look for that in the sale. And whenever we saw it, I was like, what is this? And it's the same price as the regular size bottle. So I think I used it up until January. So six full months. Where I was applying it probably twice a week. And then into January. 

Brittany: If you don't have a store close by and you're not able to go into the store and shop, that's the kind of stuff that I feel like following, like your favorite influencers who cover the sale to see that type of thing. Because there were some things that I was like, I didn't see that at all, but that is so cool. Thank you X, Y, Z for sharing that, right. I'm actually checking out, let me use your link, you know but you also mentioned yesterday in prep for this podcast about, when you go in the store and how it's specifically blocked off for card holders. So when you shop in the store, it does feel very exclusive. This is a card holder event. It's not taking over the entire store. Whereas the website, it kind of feels like anybody can shop it. Because when you're on a website you can usually access all of the pages. You just wouldn't be able to add the items to your cart. But I thought that was kind of interesting because when you are in store, it does feel very exclusive and things are roped off.

Nichelle: And this is the way that I think of it, coming from the retail industry. I know a lot of people are like, oh, that stinks. I can't shop it. It's the people who do shop there frequently and are loyal customers, not meaning that in any negative way, but they are loyal customers to that brand because they're spending X amount of money to get to the status that they are. They're being rewarded for spending money with that brand. If you think about it, a lot of places let's say grocery stores, that's just a very great example is they have reward cards. The more you use that reward card, the more coupons or, you know, percentages offer rewards, you're going to get, it's the same thing. It's just with the credit card. So it felt really cool going in there and seeing these people who have spent the year, dedicated to spending with this company, Have this reward of like going through the tape, going through and being able to shop before anybody else.

Brittany: It's just a fun sale. We are going to be creating try on we usually do a big try on when the sale goes live. We'll be creating reels so you guys can see the flow of outfits and multiple ways to style them. We always do a really big blog post that has all sorts of information on the fit, the brands, all the details that you need to know.

Every year on the blog post we put out actual photos in the items is a great place to start. If you're wanting to see some items that you might potentially be interested in buying. So make sure that you're signed up for the Loverly Grey newsletter. Becasue we'll send out first looks there and then we'll send out the blog post there. So you guys can have easy access into your email. So we'll make sure to add the link to sign up in the show notes. You don't want to miss that. 

I think some staples that I've invested in year over year, are always shoes. I usually get a pair of running shoes. Last year, they had on clouds on sale. Which was awesome. because I love their running shoes. Sometimes they'll do the Nike air max on sale. So if that happens again, it's always a great one to grab. And some basic workout pieces. The Zella leggings are awesome. The maternity leggings, for those of you who are expecting, I highly recommend the maternity Zella live-in leggings. Those usually go on sale. 

Nichelle: Sweaty, Betty. That was a great one. 

Brittany: We had some great pieces from Sweaty Betty, like sets, workout sets. And I don't know about you guys, but, I feel like more motivated to go workout when I'm in a cute workout set.

Nichelle: Exactly.

Brittany: And they always have a lot of really great options, and colors and things like that. I think Free People had some really good pieces. They always have that awesome henley shirt. There's just a few things that some of the brands bring back year over year. So I'm excited to see what some of that is. 

Nichelle: The, the denim guys. It it's, there's such a great selection. There's so many brands brands that never go on sale and you can catch them on, like she said, great deals anywhere from 50 to a hundred plus dollars off. 

Brittany: Yeah, we got those Good American jeans last year. The fit was really good. 

Nichelle: You can move around very easily in them. 

Brittany: Yes. Like I said, going back and inventorying your closet. If you know in the fall, you really want a good pair of non-distressed blue jeans. Then this would be a great place to look for an investment piece that you're going to wear forever. Shoes, like I said. Makeup. There's a lot of great makeup. My silk pillow case, the Slip pillow case. Those always go on sale. Men's clothes go on sale. Chris got this really awesome leather jacket last year. And then I think a plaid blazer that he wears a lot. He got that on the Nordstrom Anniversary sale.

And he will help us cover the men's side. It's really fun 

Nichelle: He enjoys a lot to get into it.

Brittany: Yeah. So he will be helping there as well, but I feel like I just want you guys to know that, there will be a lot of stuff that's covered, but we are only going to cover what we are truly passionate about. Like there might be some stuff we skip over because we're just like, it's still a little higher price than what we think we'll be able to find in a few months when more fall stuff is available. So just keep that in mind. It's going to be really fun. I was talking with, one of my friends who works at the Nordstrom we usually go to and she was just getting me so hyped up for coming into the store and shopping and what the whole process was going to be like this year.

So I'm excited to get over there and just see what they, what the brands are going to be offering. 

Nichelle: I'm so excited about the giftables.

Brittany: I think that's the one thing you took advantage of this last year. And I usually try to as well, but the items that you can gift to people later. And they make it easy because they make some things in gift sets. So, it's ready to go. All you have to do is hide it. 

Nichelle: Exactly. 

Brittany: Wrap it later. Don't forget where you hide it. 

Nichelle: Yes, don't do what I did and leave something in a suitcase or in a closet. I actually found an Nordstrom item that I had hidden in a suitcase when Madison was pulling out suitcases the other day, she was like, I think you forgot some Christmas stuff in this one.

Brittany: Well, here you go, Merry Christmas. 

Nichelle: Christmas in July. 

Brittany: That's too funny. But if you guys have any questions about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, if there's something we missed here, please let us know. Feel free to email us on the Life with Loverly account. We love to make sure we answer any questions and then we will share so much more information over on Loverly Grey . Make sure you're following along there, so you can get a sneak peek at all of the sales and everything that we're sharing. It's going to be a really good year, and I think this sale has a lot of potential, so I'm excited to see what we come up with. 

Nichelle: Happy shopping guys.

Brittany: And until next time.

Thanks for listening to today's episode. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate and review on the platform you listen on. It truly means the world to me. And don't forget to follow along on Instagram at Life with Loverly until next time.