I enjoy designer duds just like the next girl, but I generally hang on to my pesos, er dollars, until I can actually afford designer items (read: extreme markdowns, sample sales, eBay). When I heard about The Outnet’s $1 designer sale (in celebration of their 1 year internet birthday), I knew I had to be apart of the shin-dig-sale-o-rama.
The rules:
*Shoppers were advised to sign up and then RSVP for the April 16th birthday sale; they would then receive confirmation of their RSVP via email
* Shoppers were only allowed to snatch up one item
* Shoppers had to wait for an email notification that invited them into the sale
On Thursday evening I set up my lap top and was ready to go. I just knew the sale would start at midnight, and I wanted to be ready. I refreshed my browser, email, The Outnet’s Twitter page, and Facebook Fan Page looking for signs that the sale was open. No luck.
I ended up falling asleep shortly after 12am; I figured $1 Christian Louboutins or a $1 Alexander McQueen clutch were not worth missing sleep. Still, a small part (okay, 99.99%) of my fashion heart wanted to desperately get SOMETHING for $1!
When my alarm went off at 5:30 am, I sleepily looked at the time, and then my email. An email time stamped for 3:43am from The Outnet glared at me. I sat up, reached for my lap top, and prayed for a nice pair of shoes to be available.
SOLD OUT! SOLD OUT! Everything was sold out! Blah. But, wait! I clicked on the shoes category and two pairs of shoes stared at me. An ugly pair of gladiator, stiletto, peep toe uglies from Halston and a semi-good pair of grommet studded 4.5 inch Proenza Schouler sandals: both in MY size. I clicked on the Proenzas, added them to my cart and hoped for a miracle. The entire checkout process took less than 1 minute.
Yes, I was elated. A pair of shoes that were previously sold in stores for $725 and I got them for $1? Oh, yes! Who cares if they were last season? Not me!
My other fashion buddies were not so lucky. Folks from the UK to Texas are STILL complaining about The Outnet’s business practices. Unbeknownst to many shoppers, The Outnet had TWO sales: one for the UK and one for North America. Many people did not receive emails, the site’s servers couldn’t handle the mass stampede of shoppers, and subsequently crashed numerous times. Outrage has gone forth in the form of Twitter complaints, blog posts, news lashings, emails, and Facebook Groups Support Groups (i.e. The Outnet Stole My Friday). One girl described the experience as being hand picked for a huge party, being chauffered to the bash, only to be punched in the face upon arrival.
When it all comes down to it the sale was just that: a sale. I’m happy about my purchase. Yes, I think the entire stunt was a massive PR stunt to get my email address and send me tons of emails about sales. The Outnet didn’t steal my Friday. I love a good deal, but I’m not too shallow and materialistic to let my life revolve around one shopportunity.
Did you score something from the sale? Do you feel scorned? Or do you just not care?
Yes..I scored an Emilio Pucci..love it..
Rai, do you have a pic of your dress? I know Nikia got Brian Atwood sandals!
Lucky you!!! I took got an email from the Outnet at 3:47am, but I didn’t see it until 7am so I was screwed. I don’t think I’ve ever even checked email that early. A $1 sale is definitely a PR stunt (and a good way to collect user information), but you have to be careful not to alienate customers. I, for one, don’t like feeling like I’ve gone through a bait and switch. Anyway, I blogged about it too. There’s definitely a few things they could have done to make it go smoother.
Congrats!! I stayed up until 2:30AM and I didn’t hear my email alert go off. And when I woke up around 6:30, I didn’t check the folder that my email got filtered into. ERGH so frustrating! But I guess I’m over it… I just wish the start time wasn’t so early for us West Coasters!
YES!! My Brian Atwood platforms actually came today! Will be posting a blog about it soon.
http://www.chitownfashionista.com
Yep I scored the DVF shirt dress and I love it!! Congrats on scoring your lovely shoes!