What NOT to Buy from the 2019 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

If you haven’t heard, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is here! There are TONS of posts about what to buy. Things you NEED in your life. Products you absolutely can’t live without. Honestly, they’re boring. There are only so many products in my market, the under $100 range, and the industry is oversaturated with the same skinny blondes promoting the same cardigan that you might die if you don’t own. I don’t want to be that girl, so…

in addition to my many posts on what I did purchase and what I do love, I also love to share what I don’t like, and what I think you should NOT buy from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

Every year people get upset or have an overwhelming feeling of FOMO because as regular people, you can’t possibly purchase ALL THE THINGS. I never want anyone to feel bad after reading my blog or seeing my Instagram posts, so this year I made a change. I’m purchasing from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale only things I want, need and will wear. How is this different from previous years? I used to buy things that I thought my audience wanted, needed, and would wear. Of course, I’m sharing posts with you in mind, so I still tried on what felt like everything in the store and took notes so I could give my recommendation for or against. I really hope this post helps both shoppers and non-shoppers. I want to show that everything isn’t totally amazing, and you don’t absolutely need everything from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

Let me also say that I love Nordstrom, many of the brands it carries, and the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and do obviously shop there a ton.

This post is in no way intended to be disrespectful to the store or named brands, but it’s to give my honest opinion.

With every collection or new launch, inevitably, everything won’t be a hit. I tried all of these items because I truly thought that I would love them, but some just didn’t work out! Others are items I’ve purchased in the past and personally feel are not worth it. I do want to touch on another point that has become prevalent in recent years: quality.

The Question of Quality

Nordstrom is a high-end department store, selling a myriad of high-quality brands. With basic math, we can all understand that when Nordstrom has to put an item on sale, both they and the brand instantly loose profits they could have otherwise had if they sold the item at full price. Of course, this sale provides a ton of profit for both the brands and Nordstrom between the short supply, quick timeline and sense of urgency created by bloggers and early shoppers.

There is an interesting question now about whether some brands provide a lesser quality item for the sale masquerading it as the same product. I’ve wondered this for a while now because I have had to return several supposedly high quality, and expectedly so because of their price point, due to a malfunction or product error. I’m not sure this is something I could ever prove, nor do I want to go on a witch hunt to find out, but I do think this is a great reminder that in all cases caveat emptor or buyer beware, that applies to all of our purchases.

In reality, it makes sense, right? If brands sold their same product that they sell year-round at a discount first during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, with the intention to sell out, they would be losing out on their profit margin, even with the heavy influx of sales. Sales are typically meant to run through products that are either out of season or have been replaced with a newer version, so with this sale, being that items are discounted first, it stands to reason that they would provide a product that cost them less to make to replace that profit margin. Again, I have no proof, but the logic makes sense.

The great thing about Nordstrom is that they have an amazing return policy. I brought back some items that malfunctioned, tore, broke, etc and they were accepted with no questions asked.

What NOT to Buy from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

This year I did a better job of narrowing my search, so I didn’t go too crazy in the dressing room. I was surprised by a couple of items, but overall I was happy with my choices which makes this post pretty short and sweet!

First up, is this skirt. I mentioned already in this post that I fell in love with it on the hanger and was overly disappointed when it didn’t work out. I found this same issue with several skirts in the sale, and maybe it’s me, but the waistband, which is the only means of getting the skirt on and off, barely stretches. I am not a big person, but this skirt barely got over my hips. To make matters worse, once it was on, it was actually too large in the waist. I tucked a very chunky sweater (which I do recommend), into the waistband to hold it up, which would be the only way I could have worn it.

Shop Other Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Skirts:

Caslon Shearling Bomber

On the positive side, this jacket was super soft and cozy, but I think it was a little too expensive for just a cozy jacket. I really didn’t like this style. On top, it looks like it was supposed to be a bomber jacket, but the bottom looks like the machine changed it’s mind halfway through and went way too far. It also has a curved hem in the back and is lower there so it hugs your bum, which I think is just odd for a jacket.

Shop other Nordstrom Anniversary Sale fur and Shearling Jackets:

Blank NYC Snakeskin Moto Jacket

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Blank NYC and have several jackets, jeans, and other pieces of theirs. This one fits great. Very similar to their regular suede moto jacket. The single reason I don’t recommend this one is the fabric. It feels super plastic-y and I hate to say it, but cheap. There is a matching skirt, as well, which I have the same feelings about. I definitely wouldn’t wear them together because I’m not a fan of that much print on myself and that much of that fabric is just not good in my opinion.

Shop similar styles by the same brand, but in denim:

What did you think of the NSale pieces? Did I miss any on this list?