If you’ve felt underwhelmed by Anthropologie’s recent markdown weeks, take heart: the semi-annual tag sale is coming next week! On Tuesday, May 17th the tag sale will be upon us once again.
What is the tag sale you ask? Twice a year Anthropologie does a massive stock clearout to make room for the next season’s items. For the May Tag Sale this means resort, pre-spring and some spring clothing will see price cuts to make room for summer and (eep!) pre-fall. It’s called the tag sale because Anthropologie used to tag everything on sale with different colored flags so you’d know what the price was, i.e. everything with a red tag was $30, everything with a blue tag was $40, etc. Some stores still do this. Some stores will pull the sale stock forward to the front entrance. Your local experience will vary depending on the store, but this is a bigger deal than your normal sale.
Don’t expect to see the newest items on-sale. You can expect markdowns across all of Anthro’s categories, from clothing to shoes to jewelry to home. The difference between the tag sale and a normal sale week is the sheer number of items marked down. So if there are holdouts that you’ve been waiting forever to see marked down (Take Action Dress, anyone?) those should finally be marked down come Tuesday.
One other exciting note: my Anthropologie sources are telling me HQ is discussing an additional percent off promotion like we saw in December. I don’t know if this will be a x% off all sale items like we saw in the winter, or a targeted % off like 25% of all bags. My peeps also aren’t sure if the % off will kick in right away on Tuesday or later in the sale; apparently this is still being discussed over at Anthropologie’s HQ too. I’ll be waiting with bated breath on May 17! Be wary of making your sale purchases overnight from Monday into Tuesday: last winter the markdowns came overnight but the additional % off didn’t kick in until later in the morning.
My plan as always is to set a budget and stick to it. While I’m as excited as ever about the sale itself, I haven’t been very excited about Anthropologie’s pre-spring or spring clothing so I don’t expect to bowled over by the sale. I loved the winter tag sale, but last spring’s tag sale was underwhelming for me. I hope to see better markdowns this time around! You’ll find a FAQ below, and links to my previous tag sale prep posts at the bottom of this post.
Is the tag sale in-store only or online too?
The tag sale is both in-store and online. However there are sometimes price differences, with items being lower-priced in stores.
Is the tag sale clothing only? Or will home wares be marked down too?
Expect to see items from every department except furniture marked down. (Historically, furniture is marked down in late spring and late fall. Subject to change of course.)
When does the tag sale begin?
Tuesday, May 17. Update: some stores are starting their Tag Sale tomorrow (5/13)!!!
Will I be able to get price adjustments during the tag sale?
For normal markdowns, yes. By normal markdown I mean items receiving a first, second, third, etc. cut. Any “promotional” cuts, for example take 20% off all sale items, may not be eligible for PAs. Your experience will likely vary depending on your local store or the customer service rep you speak with. (Lame, I know.)
Will my store open early on tag sale day?
Possibly. I have seen the NYC Anthros open early, on-time, or late. So it’s worth calling your local store ahead of time to see.
What about Canada?? And London??
My sources tell me that our international friends will each get in-store tag sales of their own — but probably not until a few days after the USA. Online, the tag sale should start at the same time for everyone.
Any tips for a successful tag sale??
Read through my tips in the this tag sale prep post. Beyond those tips, if you’re doing a store search try to call right around store opening hours or about 30 minutes after a store closes. Don’t call during high peak times which are lunch time and between 5:30-7 PM local time. Remember to be polite with SAs even if they don’t give you the answer you want! This time of year is very busy in-store and items will get shuffled around in ways you can’t even imagine. And lastly remember your budget!! It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the excitement. Nothing is more important than sticking to your budget. Have fun but be careful. And as always, happy hunting!
Previously:
Prepping for Anthropologie’s Big Tag Sale
The Biggest Sale of the Year is Coming!
