Ok, let me level with you. There was a time in my life where I didn’t believe in shopping at sales. I moved to Boston straight out of college for my first full-time job and got drunk on expensive bottle service and Nordstrom reward cards.
Spending full price at Nordstrom and Saks was my thing – waiting for things to go on sale was, somehow, beneath me and my new income-producing, business casual-wearing status. Then student loans came due, rent was raised, and I was mortified to realize how little buying power my checks actually had in Boston. My British coworker explained the fine art of sale shopping to me and let me tell you, guys…it changed my wardrobe game.
But before I get too far into my personal tale of sale mastery, I want to explain exactly what we’re dealing with when we talk about shopping sales in the UK. Back in London for a business trip with our British clients, I was schooled by my dear flatmate Sarah on how to tackle Next’s unpredictable sales cycle.
Shopping sales at Next is an Anglo-American rite of passage, and Sarah planned her attacks with military precision.
When you first walk into Next, however, you won’t find that those beloved brands are actually sold there. Next stocks a lot of other brands, often at better discounts than you’ll find shopping directly from the designers’ websites. Whistles dresses?
Check. Phase Eight blazers? You bet.
I even found designer copy dresses from obscure Scandinavian brands I can’t pronounce that were virtually full price on their websites but half off at Next. My favorite purchase was a trendy (actual brand unknown) floral wrap dress that I later found out was Y.A.S., a brand owned by the same parent company as &Other Stories. It was originally £89, marked down to £25 because they needed to clear it in my size.
Classic-cut pair of straight-leg jeans will get you through spring, fall, winter, and summer in London. Their tailoring is awesome, so buy things that need a little alteration with confidence. Just remember that skinnies won’t have the same skinny-leg fit as your high street favorites, so keep that in mind depending on what’s your style.
Their men’s department is also amazing, and I honestly think their suits are even better than Hackett London’s, which is saying a lot considering how cheap their suits are even at full price. My brother bought a charcoal wool suit from there that was £399 and he got in the sale for £119. He wears it to court all the time (he’s an attorney in Atlanta) and people always comment on it because it looks more expensive than it actually is.
Right. Actual sale shopping. Prepare yourself.
If you do things correctly (ie, follow Sarah’s tips and go super prepared), it can be a lot of fun. But the sales truly are next level. The whole store becomes this frenzy of women grabbing at clothes off the racks, trying them on and holding them up to themselves instead of using the (many) mirrors provided.
I ended up going to the Oxford Circus flagship for my first real experience with a Next sale, and it was madness. I showed up right when they opened at 7 AM and was immediately overwhelmed by the women around me discussing their “strategies” for tackling the sale and trying to “see everything” before things ran out. Had I known what I was walking into, I probably would’ve adjusted my timeline to account for insane lines and kept shopping at Bloomingdales.
But no, I wanted to live life on the wild side, and the wild side lives at Next during a sale. Flash sales are random and unnannounced sales that usually occur during non-sale days. They literally put out a list of items that are on sale that day, and they only last for about 6 hours.
When I was living in London, I vowed I would never be caught unaware by a flash sale again. I had been hunting this beautiful cream wool blazer for months, watching it sit at full price for what felt like eternity. I assumed it would be discounted heavily in the July sale, so I didn’t bother purchasing it at full price.
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Three weeks later, it was gone…discounted 50% off for about 6 hours on a Tuesday morning. NEVER AGAIN. This saved my sanity more than anything.
When I’m in London for work (often, these days, thanks to clients in Europe), I’ll take a trip to my local Next about two weeks before a sale and “recon shop” the store. Now, “recon shopping” is where you basically walk around, take note of where things are located, and see what’s available in your size. You’re not there to buy anything.
Personally, I use this time to screenshot potential purchases and map out where in the store I can find them come sale day. Next almost never moves items around ahead of sales, they just discount the prices overnight. The thing about sale shopping is you have to let go of your expectations of “normal” store hours.
The big four sales kick off online at something like 2:30 AM UK time. Store openings are typically between 5-6 AM. I have no idea why they do this.
I originally thought it was to stagger online vs in-store shoppers or prevent people from buying out the entire store online before anyone else got their hands on those browser-refreshing elbows. But after talking to Brits about it, it sounds like a whole tradition of battling against the clock to snag the best deals. When I first attempted to shop the July sale online, I set my alarm for 2: 15 AM London time (9:15 PM Boston time for those of you wondering) so that I’d have plenty of time to nab cute dresses and shorts before they sold out.
The website was inaccessible for the first 30 minutes due to traffic, and by the time it came back up and running so could I, half the things on my wishlist were already gone. VIP access is basically Next’s way of rewarding their best customers with the ability to shop during normal hours. In order to be eligible for VIP status, you need to have a Next store card AND spend a minimum amount of money with them annually.
I’ve never asked Sarah what that magic number is, but from what I’ve seen it hovers around £500-600 per year. VIP gives you access to the sale three days early online at 7 PM, when the website actually works and you can calmly peruse the selections without fear of your favorite pair of shorts selling out in the five minutes it takes you to decide you want them. Ok, pop quiz.
Where should you start when tackling a Next sale? Sarah’s always hated when people flip straight to the women’s clothing department when the sales start. She makes me start in Homewares, which honestly is usually where I find the best deals (their bedding especially).
I’ve scored Egyptian cotton sheet sets for £30 that would be £150+ stateside. My best advice? Stick to basics and neutral colors.
Solid whites, creams, and light grays will go on sale much more deeply than trendy prints and bright colors. I learned that the hard way when I saw this adorable navy and white stripe duvet cover I knew my boyfriend would love as a Housewarming gift.
It sat at never-been-on-sale prices when the cream version of the exact same material would dip to 60% off multiple times throughout the year.
Oh, and leave your kids at home. Or lock them in the car. Kidding.
Unless you’re gonna’ make a day of it. Next sales are not for the faint of heart or those with families. I’ll be flying into London next month for work during what should be the perfect summer sale weather, and I’m already looking forward to picking up a linen blazer and some lightweight knit dresses to combat our insanely air-conditioned office spaces.
Wish me luck! Ok but this actually applies to shopping sales anywhere, tbh. Once you know how to weed through sale pricing to find truly steep discounts on high-quality pieces, you can apply these same rules to shopping sales at department stores back home!
I think the biggest thing sale shopping taught me was how to quickly identify quality without trying things on, and that will honestly help you build your wardrobe anywhere. You’ll also be prepared the next time your British clients want to take you out sale shopping.
