Feature
Snag a Bag
Samantha Cabrera
Shopping the ‘Department’ Department store shopping is usually the safest, if you’re unsure about the handbag or aren’t very familiar with the high end handbag world. One of the saddest things is a woman who gets insane with the handbag hunt, lands her bag, and opens the box only to realize that, yep, $1100 is a lot to spend on a bag…even if it was on sale. Do this with a boutique store purchase and you can pretty much hope to get half of what you spent after the whole eBay process, or buy from Nordstrom and know you’re home free. All a department store asks is that you hold on to your receipt! I know this may seem like such a hassle to some, but once you get in the groove of doing it, you realize it makes your life so much less hectic. Keep your receipts in your wallet and at the end of each shopping trip put them in an envelope or Ziploc. So if you decide that bright turquoise Tory Burch clutch works with nothing in your closet, you’re able to head back to the store and get your money back (or, find something that does work!).
Building a relationship with a department store SA is just as important as building one with a boutique SA, so don’t neglect to leave your name and number with someone who gives you particularly good service. Now that designer handbag sales are at an all-time high, sales associates know that going above and beyond only once can make a client for life. The relationship with a department store SA is beneficial because not only can they notify you of sales, allow you to pre-order sale items, and do store transfers, they are also (sometimes) knowledgeable on multiple brands. This comes in handy when choosing certain bags (yes, Balenciaga we’re talking to you) due to the variations in leather and color. When you begin to delve into the world of high end handbags, you quickly realize that a bag is not a bag is not a bag.
Shopping department store sales is great if you know when to shop. The prime sale seasons are late spring/summer, and right at Christmas approaches. Many retailers do first markdowns just two or three days before Christmas to get an early start on moving inventory after the holidays. During the first days of holiday sales, expect extra savings during early hours.
What I like about shopping department store sales is that the sale bags are usually pretty identifiable, even during the season. Styles that are specific to a designer’s current season will be marked down, as well fashion/seasonal colors in classic styles. By this I mean, you may not find a black Stam on sale at Saks, but you will find its beige sister with bright yellow python trim. If the seasonal colors aren’t your thing and you’re plunking down big bucks only once for your big hurrah bag, try shopping during gift card events at Neiman Marcus or Saks. In some cases, you have to shop with the house credit card, but other times you’re required to spend a certain amount in order to quality for gift card to use on a future purchases. I know this isn’t quite the same as cash in your pocket, but it does take some of the sting away.
Landing a designer handbag on a budget isn’t impossible, but as laid out, it does take some work. If you’re reluctant to go on the hunt, look into authentic resellers like realdealcollection.com, a New Mexico-based online resale shop that specializes on gently used and new Balenciaga handbags and accessories. Realdealcollection.com even offers a layaway program encouraging clients to put 30% down to “hold” a bag, and pay the remainder within the next month. Heck, you can even hire a personal shopper to find your dream bag for you with services like luxurypersonalshoppers.com. Handbag lover Mona El Rafie will hunt far and wide to land your bag at a discount, and she only asks for 10% of the discount price as a fee.
Regardless of your budget, there’s a designer purse out there for you, you just have to look. And having patience and this guide in your corner won’t hurt either.
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