I had read that most of the big influencers bought everything, took pictures, and then returned it all. I don't think they are letting them shop early this year. A few years ago, remember they let them shop on the day before the first day of pre-sale and they got champagne and all of that? They don't do that anymore. Also, there's been a lot of backlash that I've seen others talk about where people feel pressured to buy things they don't need, or open a credit card, and most shoppers think
Nordstrom is out of their price range and not realistic.
In reality, there's a price point for everyone at
Nordstrom, you just have to know where to look. Also, credit cards aren't bad if you have the cash budgeted to pay for whatever you charge.
The summer is a really hard time for most bloggers because pageviews and Pinterest traffic is WAY down in the summer. Most affiliate bloggers make a lot of money around the holidays, but it drops off significantly in the summer, which is why having an exclusive sale with limited quantities of merchandise is appealing to them because it can help recoup some of that loss in the summer. RewardStyle/LTK & ShopStyle send out tons of promotional emails urging affiliates to link link link to this sale. It helps them too.
Some of you know I'm an extremely part-time blogger in the DIY/frugal lifestyle space, so I have to be really careful about how I talk about this sale. I'm torn because I've been shopping this sale for 15 years and know there are great deals to be had. I love coming on here and talking to you guys about the sale starting in May every year. I used to waste so much time at work on this thread, and I got laid off way back in 2012! I love this sale and I love the hype around it. It really is my one BIG shopping trip of the year, especially since we went down to one income in 2012. But my readers are more in the camp of "Nordstrom is so expensive" and "credit cards are bad."
Along with Reward Style/LTK & ShopStyle, I'm also a member of the Nordstrom Affiliate Program directly, and they sent out spreadsheets and they usually send out an inventory level chart during the sale as well. And I'm a member of that Nordstrom Feedback Panel that many of you are on, so I see info about the sale from all of those sources.
This year is weird because I feel like there's so much negativity toward the sale, but I still see great deals to be had. I've watched my favorite Natori Bliss undies RARELY go on sale throughout the year & I know they sell out at the
NAS. They are a good deal. Same with the baby gear like the Stokke Trip Trap High Chair. That is a great deal. The beauty tools & Exclusives are always a great deal.
But many large influencers abused the system over the last few years and have given the sale a bad wrap. And I think a lot of users/readers got turned off.
That's my 2 cents.