Don't Ever Pay Retail

In my former life, pre-children, I was an assistant buyer for a large department store chain.  I know what retailers pay for clothes, and their markup is huge.   I remember purchasing bathing suits for $2.00 that hit the sales floor for $70.00 or more.  Knowing this, I can never bring myself to pay retail for anything.

I do love to shop.  Going to the outlet mall and browsing for hours is my idea of a great time. However, lately I haven't had the opportunity to go out and look for the best bargains. Instead, I've found some great websites to satisfy my shopping urge while staying in my budget.  

Hautelook is my number one favorite online store.  This site is owned by Nordstrom, so you can use your store card for purchases, and returns can be made to any Nordstrom Rack location. Hautelook carries Women's, Men's and Children's apparel, shoes and accessories, as well as Home and Beauty items.  New sales start every day at 9am, and feature prices up to 80% off retail.  For example, I found these Bucco Riding Boots recently for $25.00, regularly $110.00. Score.

MyHabit is very similar to Hautelook, but it is run by Amazon.com.  Their prices are actually a little bit better, but they tend to run out of sizes sooner, so you've got to shop them in the morning for the best deals.  This Faux Leather Jacket would be a great addition to a fall wardrobe, and MyHabit has it for $69.00, regularly $242.00.

If you love to shop thrift stores or have some items in your closet that you don't wear anymore, then ThredUp is the online site for you.  There are thousands of like-new clothing items for women and children here, and you can filter what you are shopping for by size, style, or brand. Their CleanOut program is so easy if you have clothes you'd like to sell.  Simply order a bag through their site, fill it up and mail it back to them for free. ThredUp processes your items and pays you for the clothes they can resell.  The rest are donated to charity.  Love it!

It seems that everyone is in full "back to school shopping" mode, but neither of my boys are interested in shopping with me.  C wears a uniform everyday, and T only cares about running apparel and shoes.  Sigh.  Guess I'll just have to hit up my favorite online sites and get some "back to fall" items for myself.  I can promise I will not be paying retail!

Do you have a favorite online site I should be checking out?