Hello from Rhode Island! Not only is this a great week because I’m still on vacation, but also because the Nordstrom Anniversary sale begins!! Here’s all the info you need to know + my hot tip to get early access without being a cardholder.

What is the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? 

Simply, one of the best sales of the year. It’s great because everything in the sale is NEW merchandise for the Fall/Winter season. This is the debut of exclusive Fall/Winter clothing, at a deep discount, which makes it extra special and unlike any other sale.

What is offered? 

Almost anything your heart desires. Truly! The sale includes men and women’s clothing, shoes, beauty, home, and kids stuff.

When does the sale start? 

This is where things get tricky. IF you’re a Nordstrom credit or debit cardholder, the sale begins for you during early-access on Thursday, July 13 (this Thursday) and the “doors open” at 12 a.m. pacific time. If you’re on east coast time like me, that means you can begin shopping the sale at 3 a.m. on Thursday morning. If you want to sign up for a Nordstrom credit card, you can do so here and get immediate access to the sale when it opens.

If you’re not a cardholder, the regular access sale begins on Friday, July 20.

The sale ends on Sunday, August 5.

You promised a hot tip for shopping early-access without being a cardholder – what is it?

If you have a friend, family member, co-worker, random Facebook friend etc. who is a cardholder, ask them for their Nordstrom website login. This is not the same login as their credit card account. This is simply their email address and the password they use to login to the Nordstrom site to shop. If they share it with you – then you’re in! You can shop early access.

This works because although you need to be a cardholder to get early access (both in-store and online) Nordstrom does not require you to pay with your Nordstrom card. That means if you use someone else’s Nordstrom login, once you add things to your cart, you’re free to pay with your own form of payment and ship to your own address, not the cardholder’s address. It’s the same thing if you want to shop early-access in the store, visit the store with a cardholder to get in, then get whatever you want and pay however you want.

I do this every year, I know it works both online and in-store!

How should I prepare for shopping the sale? 

This sale is overwhelming and to be effective and not blow all of your money, you should have a plan of how you’re going to shop the sale. So, here are my tips for you.

Do an inventory of your clothes/beauty/home things now, like today! Then, decide what you need based on that.

Shop the essentials first in the sale. So, things like basic wardrobe staples, boots, coats, bags and any essential beauty products you know you’ll use a lot. Some of my favorite brands to stock up on the essentials, which will be included in the sale are these:

Caslon – great for easy, basic, everyday wardrobe items. I think I’m going to grab this jacket.

Barefoot Dreams – get a blanket, it will change your life. While you’re at it, get a robe too. I have both and live in them. This year I’m planning to get a cardigan and maybe a sweater for Jack (I mean, how can you resist this?!)

Leith – this is the brand that makes the most flattering dress on the planet that you see every blogger wearing haha. It also makes lots of other basic wardrobe staples that can be dressed up or down at great price points.

Sam Edelman – this is one of my favorite brands for boots because they always have great riding boots that come in wide and regular calf.

Tory Burch – do I even need to explain why I love this brand? If you’re looking for a new bag or new boots/shoes, be sure to shop this sale and shop it early. A lot of Tory Burch items sell out fast.

Then, move into more of the splurges. I typically splurge on beauty and home items. For example, I love Diptique candles and usually, a variety pack of five votives is offered so I always snag it. Voluspa candles are usually offered in a trio too.

I also try beauty products I’ve been eyeing but didn’t want to pay full price for and/or pick up a few gift sets for myself like Deborah Lippmann nail polish sets (this gel base and top coat is a MUST), and gift sets for others. This year, I’m hoping to get a GloPro face roller. 

What else do I need to know about the sale? 

A few final things to note. Things sell out fast, BUT, Nordstrom does several re-stocks during the sale and sometimes adds new items, especially between the early-access and regular access. So you’ll want to keep a steady eye on the site.

Online offers so many more items on sale than the stores do, however, the stores sometimes carry items that are hard to find online. If you really want to maximize your opportunities, it’s best to shop both in-store and online.

As always, there’s free shipping and free returns, and you can also shop online and pick up in-store, it’s dangerous though! 😉

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I’m going to be covering the sale a lot, and once early-access starts, I’ll share a little haul of what I’m immediately shopping. Then, I’ll also do posts including a men’s shopping guide, beauty guide, home stuff, and items under $100.