Gymboree Sale alert

I'm constantly asked how I find great sales and get brand name clothes for less than used prices. I really like Gap and Gymboree for kids clothes because they're durable, have minimal wash wear, a higher resale value, and can last multiple children. I literally cringe at the thought of going into Goodwill or Once Upon a Child (OUAC) and having to pay their prices for clothing when I pick up brand new clothing for the same price or less. Don't get me wrong...there's nothing wrong with buying used and I buy used all the time from various online sites when they're in like new condition and cheaper than what I would pay in the stores.

I was in OUAC last week looking for preemie clothes to buy for the girls dolls and they wanted $6 for a used sleeper?!? $7 for jeans and $12 for a Gymboree dress. Seriously, you can buy it cheaper brand new!

I sign up for the store emails and scower the Internet for online coupons. You can usually stack a coupon with a store sale, so it's double the savings at a fraction of the price.

Right now Gymboree is having a great sale and you can earn Gymbucks too; 25% off the already reduced price (including clearance and deep mark-downs) and there's always a 20% off coupon to be found. Parents magazine has one almost every other month and if you visit gymbore.com/tvoff you can sign up to receive a 20% email coupon that's good until Dec 24. You can also use that coupon to stack with the current sale as well as with the Black Friday sales taking place next week (and yes, the Canadian Gymboree stores will be having Black Friday sales).

I've scored $60 suede boots for $14, $26 gymmies for $5, and sweaters and dresses for under $10. I never pay full price for anything and like to stack a coupon on clearance items. It takes some work to figure out the sales but if you ask your local friendly sales associate they can let you know what's coming up.

Tips for scoring deals:

1. Sign up for the stores emails.
2. Keep an eye out for coupons. They can be found online, on the receipts, and given out in store.a
3. Find out the sale cycle of a store. If you know they're getting a new line in they will be marking down their current stock. Each new line forces a mark-down of previous lines. So what was full price in August would be on it's 3rd or 4th markdown around now and could be as cheap as 60%-80% off the original price.
4. Use your coupons wisely and only stack them on your "must have" items if you have to pay full price (items you think will sell out before they are marked down) but try to save them for sale prices.
5. Get to know the sales associates. They will keep you in the know and inform you of sales and new lines (which indicates markdowns).
6. Get on their call lists. Last winter I was invited to an invite-only after-hours shopping blitz. I was box diving at Gymboree and scored $150 outfits for under $10 each and that included matching socks, jeans, tops and hair accessories.

Buddy Spotting:
Buddy was on the loose again last night. He found his way to the dining room.