So, it’s no secret that I LOVE Altar’d State. All you have to do is look at almost any of my previous style posts to see that my outfit includes something or multiple things from that store. It is my kryptonite…walking in with the soft Christian music playing, a beautiful fragrance in the air, the shabby chic decorating, and racks and racks of adorable and unique clothes. Not to mention the fact that they give a percentage of their proceeds on Monday’s to local charities AND they have a prayer intentions book back in the fitting rooms area. Sold.
The only issue I take as a savvy shopper with this store is the fact that it can be a tad pricey for my budget, so I often leave that cute, full-priced dress on the rack. Until…they have the holy grail of sales. The semi annual sale. I have shopped it for several years now, got all of my honeymoon clothes at their last one, and am going to share my haul from this one as well as some tips on how to best shop it for my fellow Altar’d Lovers!
Retail value of my total combined purchases (yes, I went back a couple times, judge me): $520 excluding taxes.
Total purchased cost: about $150 ($50 of which was a gift card from Christmas.)
What I got: 3 pair of leather sandals, two nice shirts, a kimono/cover up, a dress, two chokers, two blanket scarves, and two pairs of booties.
What you need to know about the sale: The semi-annual sale happens twice a year (duh 😉), once right after Christmas and once after spring/summer lines. If you follow their social media or subscribe to their emails, they will let you know when it’s coming! They run these sales at key slow times to generate traffic in their stores and make room for next seasons inventory, hence the irresistible deals that will make the clothes fly off the racks! The sale runs for several weeks, with the majority of it running at an additional 50% off all sale items, and then jumping to an additional 60% off sale, and lastly jumping for the shortest period of time to an additional 70% off of sale. So that means that whatever has a sale tag in there (which the sale section takes up usually the entire front half of the store for this event,) an addition percentage is taken off that price! I know that confuses people a bit, I had many people who thought I was working there ask me if it was really 70% off the price on the tag! Yes, it is that good of a sale! Also, the sale covers a wide variety of things: clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories, sleepwear, home decor and even Christmas decor (some of which I own and I love!)
This begs the question “Shouldn’t you just wait till everything is 70% off to shop the sale?” Well, that depends on who you are! The thing about waiting is that you risk potentially having a picked over selection, losing an item you really wanted to someone else, or missing out on great deals that don’t even need more money taken off because they are already a great deal. For example, I went when the sale had just started and was at 50% off, I got this kimono to use as a cover up, two chokers that were the last of their kind for about $5 each, and then three pairs of leather sandals for $1.44 a piece (the three in the middle pictured below, far left is from last years semi-annual sale and far right are my wedding sandals!) The sandals were already getting picked over and the next time I went were completely gone, so in instances like that where it’s just too good a deal, don’t pass it up! Here’s how I would advise you to pick and choose what you should wait on for a better deal: firstly, if there’s a lot on the rack of the same thing, chances are it will still be there when you come back. Also, get a feel for how unique the piece is, would a lot of people be drawn to it? Is it trendy or flattering on a variety of figures? Questioning if it is trendy or not is not a matter of it being a beautiful piece or not, but is only in reference to whether or not that style is currently in high demand or not. If you think that it’s not or there’s a high quantity of it in your size at the store, I would roll the dice on it and try to get an extra 20% off! Regrettably, I bought a couple of things at 60% off the day before it would jump to 70% off 😑. I got the camo tee from my previous post for $12, a blanket scarf for $12, and the adorable brown booties for $24! And on the last day I went, snagged the black booties for $21, another blanket scarf for $8, the white dress for $13, and the cowl neck top for $12.
Well what if I don’t want to spend so much all at once on clothes? This is a very relatable question, because for many of us it’s hard to set aside a lump sum for clothing like that. But I guarauntee you, shopping off season and buying a lot of what you need during sales like this versus impulse buying things that add up quickly year round is a much more financially rewarding option in the long run! So, if you’re not accustomed to doing that, maybe cut down on regular personal spending, plan for when you know the sales will be and budget yourself accordingly!
How long does the sale run til? The sale ends on the 19th, so you have just four more days to run in and go crazy! 😉
Have any of y’all ever shopped the semi-annual sale? Any tips, tricks or experiences to share?
Love,
Konnor with a K
Konnor with a K 