January 22, 2015

Saks Ends Consolidation Sale Tradition

Saks Fifth Avenue is quickly losing its leader board position as the department store with the best markdowns. As a matter of fact, its final sale return policy and strict 70% off make Saks the most expensive place to shop for quickly aging winter fashion.

On the bright side of things, the end of the Consolidation Sale means that there is no 9th floor discount bazaar. Anyone who loves fashion much agree that a high-end department store shouldn’t transform itself into a bargain basement frenzy. One must respect the fashion.

Starting at the bottom, there is one stand of discounted handbags. The selection includes a small assortment from Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney and a lone Alaia. The discount on bags is 60% off. A gold large Lanvin is $1516 from $3790, a Jimmy Choo messenger bag with studded stars is about $700 from $1895 and the Alia is $2444 from $6110.

Heading upstairs, all the discount fashion is located in proximity from their respective brands. The sale racks are in the center of the islands and the clouting is separated by brand. Right now, most all sale merchandise is discounted 60% with another 35% off, which brings the total savings to 70%. The merchandise is very similar to what is online but just a larger selection of styles and sizes. For example, there is this Stella McCartney print in pants, the dress, the top and more. A more ornate version dress from this collection is $566 from $1415. Among the Alexander McQueen selection there is this shirt dress that’s $370 from $1235. A Derek Lam shearling coat in eggplant comes to about $2000 from $6795. You can head this way to see dozens of items and their prices. (Chanel clothing is frozen at 40%.)

Heading up to the 8th floor, SHOE-ZIP, the discount on the outgoing winter collection is 60%. Most of what’s left are the less desirable options from top designers. Some of the highlights are high Valentino boots with a braid detail that come to $790 from $1975 and Saint Laurent red and black print pumps are $318 from $795. The biggest surprise is the large assortment of Alaia shoes. A black pair with raffia details are $684 from $1710. Pictures of those hotties and much more are right here.

We are told that the sale will end February 1 and there will not be any more markdowns. All sales are final and the store will not be accepting returns on final markdown merchandise. In some ways, we miss the old days where there were discounts of 80% to 90% off but we certainly don’t miss the mess and the chaos of the consolidation sales of yesteryear.