More deep thoughts on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
(from a former employee)
The times, they are a changin'. And when Nordstrom started the Anniversary Sale in the 1960s, the world was a drastically different place and Nordstrom was still a family run business, selling mostly shoes, based in Seattle with their eyes set on expanding in the PNW.
I didn’t grow up with a Nordstrom in my humble, rust belt town. I had to drive 75 miles up to Somerset Mall (exit 69, Big Beaver Road - that never got old, btw) to shop at the “good mall” and Nordstrom was always my favorite. Before school started, I would trek up there with my girlfriends, in my grey Honda Accord and get deals on designer jeans, Diesel shoes, and whatever else my local mall couldn’t provide.
Shopping is just a wee bit different now; it’s basically magic now if you think about it. Need new jeans? Great, snap your fingers…or order them through this link and they’ll arrive on your doorstep in two days. And while the Nordstrom Sale has evolved, the value add for me seemed to peak in the 2010s.
I ended up working for a few years because Nordstrom because they acquired the company where I worked (Trunk Club, employee #20). They bought us in 2014; I came back from maternity leave (baby #1) and my dad dying (simultaneous happenings—do not recommend) to a major acquisition of a company I had helped build since 2011. I ended up starting the women’s business and working closely with the Nordstrom team. And I also learned a LOT about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale during this time.
And BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS:
Our shopping habits have evolved tremendously. There was a time when people would go shopping for clothes every season—at a physical store. I realize this used to be a big deal for back to school shopping (that’s what I used it for!) but I think it’s become way bigger than that—the back to school aspect seems overshadowed. Now that we click a button and buy a dress for an event tomorrow, do we really need to be buying fall stuff in July? That stuff just sits there until we can wear it in four months. And guess what—it usually comes back in returns form and goes on sale again in October, for the same discount. (What if we did the Anniversary Sale fashion edition…later? When fall fashion really comes out? Would it perform better?)
Influencers totally changed the landscape of the sale. They saw so many “best sellers” just kill it year after year so why wouldn’t they keep making that product for the sale. Thus became the start of mass production meets Anniversary Sale. Instead of low units of high priced special, designer exclusives, they saw massive sales of lower priced, more generic product. BTW, back in the day, influencers made BANK during the Anniversary Sale. During the true hey day of the sale, I heard rumors of the big LTK influencers making hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission during a 3 week sale—damn, it’s impressive. Nordstrom gave influencers an amazing commission rate on platforms like LTK—I honestly think it was somewhere around 20% during the early influencer years (think 2015). Slowly but surely those commission rates dropped and so did an influencer’s interest. Plus, the number of influencers out there have increased 100-fold making their chance of commission dwindle substantially. Of course, they’re still covering the sale (me included!) but I imagine it’s hard to compete with Prime Day and all the other sales going happening—they’re going to cover whatever resonates with their audience.
Beauty and private label have the best margins. If it’s a Nordstrom label, they are going to make a lot more on the bottom line vs. a brand they sell. And beauty has amazing margins, so if they can get brands to create exclusive product, it’s a win-win. You might also notice a lot of underwear at the sale, too; also a safe bet because it’s not seasonal, can go back on the shelves at full price without anyone blinking an eye, and has a low return rate.
There are special items and designer exclusives—I just wish there were more from cool and emerging brands. One of my most treasured pieces is a Veda burgundy suede moto jacket I got during the sale. I wear the hell out of that and still have it. I felt like it was SUCH a score and it was exclusive to Nordstrom (and the quality is fantastic). Back when I’d go to buying appointments with the Nordstrom team, the contemporary brands (e.g. Joie, Vince, rag & bone) were SO EXCITED about the Nordstrom sale because they’d move so much product but they were also excited about the exclusive product they’d create just for the sale. As a consumer, it was exciting to know it was exclusive and not readily available at other major retailers.
As a consumer, the current Anniversary Sale has Prime Day vibes and I would approach it as such, meaning: there are definitely deals to be had but there are also several “Prime Days” a year. Make a list of what you want and if you find something 30% off (or more), then snag it. If you don’t, I’m sure you’ll be able to find it on sale in a few months.
Beauty and baby are where the deals are happening. There are so many beauty exclusives (wah, what about fashion exclusives) that are serious deals. And baby stuff is EXPENSIVE so if you can snag what you need during the Anniversary Sale, then I would recommend that. I’m out of the game a bit but my personal favorites from 2014-2021 were the UppaBaby Vista (loved that stroller), Baby Bjorn bouncer, and the MaxiCosa Pria car seat (I had two and just gave away my last one!).
Again, I say all this out of love for Nordstrom. Just because I have feedback on the sale doesn’t mean I don’t think they’re a great retailer. I’ve always admired their ability to pivot (ahem, they just bought back their company) and I want them to win! Apparel and retail is just tough right now but I think they can win this game; it wouldn’t hurt to revamp the sale a bit. I actually have noticed that they’re trying to get back into
And because I’m a sale shopper just like everyone else, I do have a few picks from the sale (nothing overwhelming, promise).
Ok, I think I’ve given up all my NDA influencer and Nordstrom employee secrets (jk jk) for now but if I can shed any more light, let me know in the comments!
Oh, and I guess it’s also Prime Day (Week?) and I have a storefront with my personal faves here.
Great piece! I appreciate this peek into that world.
I used to LOVE that sale. It was a ceremony of sorts. I think it was the early 2000s when I bought a grey, wool blazer with shoulder wings (seriously, the shoulders have wings), from Elizabeth & James (Olsen girls before The Row) along with super, big wide leg denim trousers. They were edgy, cool and I felt like it was FASHION! I still have and wear both pieces btw. Anyhow the NSale now…it’s a money grab. And why would we want to be lemmings and wear the same sweater, bag, whatever?
I will, however, get the Osea body oil 😉