The NYC Hermés sample sale kicked off to a small number of VIP invited guests, on Wednesday afternoon. The sale opens to the public on Thursday morning and is expected to draw huge crowds.
Wednesday’s VIP invites were limited to about 200 shoppers who were admitted to the sale at 12pm. Most early shoppers reported waiting for about 30 minutes. One shopper said: The entire trip, from arrival to checkout, was two hours.
That will not be the case once the sale opens to the public. Sample sale shoppers are reporting that they will arrive at 2am in hopes of being the first customers to gain entrance in the morning.
Today’s VIP shoppers say that the sale was “okay“. Accessories are 50% off and are limited to a total of three units and just one from each category–leathers, enamels, Rivals, Hapis, Clic Clacs etc. Shoes are 50% off. There are no Oran sandals but there are jumping boots but only in the Moka color. Besides that, there are very few classics.
Cashmere and silks are 50% off. There is a limit of two cashmere items and four silk items. There is a four tie limit. All ready to wear is 60% off. At the last sale, clothing was reduced by 80%. There are no housewares at the sale but there are some winter accessories such as gloves, hats and heavy cashmere scarves. (Click for pics.)
Keep in mind, purchases made at a Hermes sample sale do not come with boxes. All items are marked with the letter “s” symbolizing that they were purchased at a sale. You can click here to compare notes with the Summer sale in NJ.
For the opening day of the public sale, shoppers began arriving at 11pm the night before. By 7am there were 100 people on the line. By the afternoon the crowds thinned out tremendously and at 4pm there was no line at all. After work, the lines began to swell again and numbers stopped being distributed at 5pm.
Attendees said that the line inside to shop the jewelry was reportedly very long and each shopper was only given 10 minutes to make their selections. Some people reported making out very well while others weren’t so impressed. We noticed that men seemed to make out a lot better at the sale then women.
Unless you’re a die-hard, we would suggest watching from the sidelines. It seems as if that late afternoon lull — before the after-work rush– is the best time to attend the sale. We will continually update this post as pictures and intelligence become available.
We have pictures from inside the sale and haul images over in the jump. We will have a team of spies reporting live from the opening at the public opening of the sale. Feel free to send tips, leave comments and follow along on Instagram. You can comment on the most recent Hermes post to ask questions and share info.
Hermes Sample Sale
Open to the Public: Thursday, October 24 through Sunday, October 27
9am-7pm daily
Soiffer Haskin: 317 West 33rd Street
Friday
