Sales Events to Plan For

Giving her a great gift does not mean you always have to pay full price. If you are buying quality products from well-known brands, you will give her the same level of quality, no matter the price.

To help you plan ahead and keep track of when and where the best sales are, here's a list of sales events at quality department stores. Some of these sales are just for women.

A few pointers...

Nearly all stores have at least two deeply discounted sales per year. The first comes in late spring/summer (May, June or July) and another after the holiday season in (December 26th to mid-January).

Many stores in the United States also have sales connected with national holidays. These are:

President's Day Sales - February

Memorial Day Sales - May

Thanksgiving Sales - November"Black Friday" is the name for the Friday in November following Thanksgiving Day in late November and officially starts the Christmas shopping season.

If you organize your shopping and budget around sales, you can get incredible bargains year after year.

To find great gifts during these sales, choose "one-size-fits-all" type of items that she won't need to take back.

If it is her birthday, look at accessories such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, scarves, or handbags. In a national marketing survey, women stated that accessories are their second favorite choice for gifts.

At larger department stores, look for gifts for the home, which women said was their favorite gift to receive during the holidays. Unique soaps, handtowels or kitchen towel sets, home fragrance, or Christmas-themed items like ornaments are an excellent choice.

Listings are in alphabetical order.

Ann Taylor

I got my very first business suit at Ann Taylor and it is still a fantastic place to find well-made contemporary clothes, shoes, and jewelry. Especially great for petite women and for finding the classic pieces every woman needs (the little black dress, sweater set, etc.) Ann Taylor Loft is usually found in outlet as all the items are discounted.

Semi-Annual Sale - Held in mid-June to early July when you can find up to 40% off original prices on everything in the store.

After Christmas sale starts December 26th, and you can find up to 70% off.

Anthropologie

Anthropologie has two big sales events a year, one in mid-May and an after-Christmas sale of 50% or more off.

Fans of this fanciful store love the romantic, impeccable dresses so if you are looking to buy a dress, do go when the store opens!

Bloomingdale's

January - Bloomingdale's holds the Semi-Annual Handbag Sale: 30%-50% off select designer handbags.

February - Semi-Annual Intimates (Lingerie) Event + Big Brown Bag Sale. Held the week of Valentine's Day, around the 11th - 15th.

Chico's

Shop at Chico's for sophisticated clothing and accessories. A favorite for colorful professional clothing with a funky twist.

Their summer sale starts in late June and has up to 75% off, and their after-Christmas clearance has super bargains as well.

Macy's

An American institute of shopping, Macy's department store has been around since 1858 on New York’s 6th Avenue.

Macy's was the first department store to have an in-store Santa at Christmas time.

Macy's also made headlines in 1866 when he promoted a female retail executive to the position of store manager. We like that.

Macy's always has extensive coupon offers in local newspapers and online so take advantage.

Nordstrom

May, July, November

The biggest sale of the year, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, is held in July. This event is where you can buy the new Fall merchandise before the season starts.

In-Store and Online Sale Dates

• Half-Yearly Sale for Women starts Wednesday, May 26
• Anniversary Sale starts Friday, July 16 and ends Sunday, August 1
• Half-Yearly Sale for Women starts Wednesday, November 3

Soma Intimates

Very high-end beautiful underwear, bras and sleepwear. Semi-annual 50% sale at the beginning of June, and you can also catch their after Christmas sale in December.

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret the first semi-annual sale in late Spring. It starts online first in May, and then begins in mid-June in the stores. Catch the second sale and get all the undies and bras you need by shopping the traditional after-Christmas sale which starts in late December and runs all the way into late January.