I Bravely Attended a Lululemon Warehouse Sale
I went to the Lululemon warehouse sale for reasons I’m still not quite sure I understand.
In my real life, I’m hardly a regular sale person let alone a warehouse sale person. It’s not that I don’t like to score a good deal. Of course I do. But it takes time and dedication to shop a sale like a pro, and I have neither. Still, despite logic, reason, and warnings of long lines and a big communal dressing room (I don’t even get undressed in front of my mother and sisters), I set out to see what this Lululemon warehouse sale was all about.
What Is a Lululemon Warehouse Sale?
Let me back up for a moment for my (lucky and grounded) readers who do not know what a Lululemon warehouse sale is, or what Lululemon is for that matter. The Vancouved-based company is a popular brand of workout clothes. The warehouse sale is a 3-day event that takes place in a different city each year. It promises all the beloved and pricey Lululemon items at slashed prices.
Given everything I said in the first paragraph, why did I feel SO COMPELLED to attend?
#1. I was excited that something like this was happening in Minneapolis.
I’m constantly reading about happenings in other cities. With a one-city-per-year event coming to Minneapolis, it was hard to resist. They chose us! They chose us!
#2. I so rarely do ANYTHING outside of my regular schedule and comfort zone.
So yeah, attending a warehouse sale at the Minneapolis Convention Center 15 minutes from my house is hardly on par with newfound adventures like skydiving or some other act of random excitement. But I did think it would be an innocuous way to mix it up a bit. Plus, new clothes!
#3. I am highly susceptible to hype.
If I hear about something enough (even a book like 50 Shades of Grey), I tend to want to see it for myself, unless the issues mentioned in #2 supersede my desire to partake in the experience. In some cases, what starts out as mere curiosity due to hype, turns into a really positive addition to my life like what happened with my Pure Barre obsession of 2012, the show Scandal, and tons of things I try to mention in my occasional “Friday Finds” posts.
So . . . am I glad I went? Yes, but mostly NO. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a fantastic day and 1 being a miserable day, I’d put the Lululemon warehouse sale at a 3.
I’m giving the day at least those 3 points for the following reasons:
- Although we did not have ‘fun’ in the technical sense, I will remember having endured
Waiting outside with Liz and Jessica the lines, icky communal dressing rooms, and general disappointment with my friends Jessica and Liz.
- I do like the vest and raincoat I found. (That is ALL I bought, which is part of what accounts for anything above a score of 3.)
- The people in line were so nice and well-behaved that it gave me a lot of Minnesota pride.
- I have now squashed any curiosity about warehouse sales or sample sales. It’s out of my system forever. DONE.
Why I can’t give the day more than a 3:
- Jessica and I got there right before the sale opened and still waited in line for hours. When we saw that we would be spending the first hour OUTSIDE, we almost left, but then Liz found us and helped pass more time with her fresh energy. We spent another hour discussing whether or not we should leave. The people in front of us got in on the discussion. She would stay or should we go? We all agreed that after a certain amount of time we’d entered into the problem of sunk costs. I already had a sitter set to pick up Nate from preschool, and we’d already wasted an unspeakable amount of time. At that point, how could we not see it through?
- We even had to wait in line to try on clothes in that awful aforementioned communal dressing room. Jessica, still a newer friend, has now seen me in most of my glory. I cannot erase this fact from my mind or hers.
- The selection was meh. By the time we got inside the sale, I didn’t see any pants I wanted. The tops did nothing for me. There were piles of rejected items all over the place that might have had good finds, but I didn’t have the wherewithal to search through them.
- The prices were actually not that impressive, making the entire endeavor that much more upsetting.
- The line to check out was ridiculously long. By then Jessica and I were in a complete state of fatigue and anger at ourselves, but we were not going away empty handed. We just couldn’t.
The conclusion of my day was so shockingly fitting that you’ll think I’m making it up.
An hour before my big kids’ school pick-up, I had plans to grab coffee with a writing friend who was in town for a wedding. I barely got to the restaurant on time, having wasted THE ENTIRE DAY at the Convention Center. Since we’d never met in person, I felt compelled to explain why I was exhausted and looked like I’d been on my feet since sunrise. I told her the whole sorted tale with details such as the endless racks of pants, boxes of bras, the long lines, and the horrible dressing room.
And here is what she said in response: “What is Lululemon?”
Perspective restored.
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69 Responses
I love the way that you saw it through. You cracked me up several times! Glad you found something, but threat thing was definitely the pay off closer from your new friend!
Amanda recently posted..Pinned
Thank you! And thanks for reading the whole thing. 😉
I love the ending of this.
Last year when it was in Chicago, I was lucky that a friend went a bought me a jacket I’ve worn a few times and a top Ive barely worn or will wear.
The thought of the whole thing gives me a panic attack.
Lucky that your friend went FOR you!
This is the company that’s owned by the guy who says “My workout pants aren’t for women with big thighs” and that he named the company thinking of people who speak Japanese as their first language, for them “L is a tough pronunciation. So I thought, next time I have a company, I’ll make a name with three Ls and see if I can get three times the money. It’s kind of exotic for them. I was playing with Ls and I came up with Lululemon. It’s funny to watch them try to say it.”
What a great guy. Glad he’s making so much money…
http://business.financialpost.com/2013/12/10/lululemon-athletica-chip-wilson-controversy/
Yup, and there’s that.
🙂
I’m glad you went though sorry it was only a 3 (I can see why, based on this description!). xox
I still can’t believe I went!
I was relating on so many levels, especially at the beginning when thinking about my desire to score major deals and my lack of time, dedication (and, really, motivation). The conclusion is perfect, just perfect. Really funny writing.
Sorry it was only a three, but at least now you know, right?
Rivki Silver recently posted..But That Spouse Looks So Much Better Than Mine!
Totally- now I know. And I’m glad you appreciate the conclusion! It’s the most important part of this post!
I love this description. As someone who also gets caught up in the hype, only to be disappointed, I know how that 3 feels. But I will say that I Love (yes, with a capital L) my Lululemon yoga mat, but I also didn’t have to wait hours to buy it. Thanks for braving the wilds!
Anna recently posted..My Unexpected Everyday, Day 28 | Week Four of Manual Photography
I love my Lulu yoga mat too! My husband bought it YEARS ago, along with the straps, it’s great.
I’ve been to their outlet store in Albertville and got a few tops for dance classes… I like them but I’m still holding out for some cool yoga pants! I’m impressed you braved the crowds – I’m a huge deal-hunter, but I don’t think I could have handled the lines and the insanity. Thanks for the review!
Sarah {LeftBrainBuddha} recently posted..The Totally Obvious Thing a Mindful Mama Overlooked
I didn’t even know about the outlet until Jessica kept mentioning it while we were in line. She was disappointed that the prices a the warehouse sale were not much lower than the outlet. We really should have just been there instead.
Be VERY glad you skipped this fiasco.
“We spent another hour discussing whether or not we should leave. ”
That made me smile. I’ve done that more times than I can count. Most recently I was at a local festival. The lines were so long and the venue was so crowded, I was miserable. Why not just leave? Well, I’d already “invested” so much time I was going to see it through to the end no matter if I hated every minute of it. Crazy! 🙂
Jackie Cangro recently posted..The One With Hope
Glad you could relate to that part. It’s very me too. I tend to make those kinds of experiences very meta . . . talking about the hows and why of it rather than just enjoying it (or not enjoying it in this case).
Oh, my. Communal dressing rooms. I can see Minneapolis residents being nice and sweet and polite at a sample sale. Every time I’ve visited your city, everyone has been SO friendly. And your writer friend’s response: priceless!
Shana Norris recently posted..Ask Away Friday with Tamara of Tamara (Like) Camara.
I hope you will be coming back some time!!
I almost didn’t read it, but recall posting a response on your FB post, so I felt compelled. Next time I see a question from you about attending a warehouse sale, I will promise not to read it, so you don’t feel compelled to attend. 🙂 I liked the 3 rating.
Stacy S. Jensen recently posted..Reader University: Give
Ha!
Here’s the main reason I’ve avoided the Lululemon thingy (and I do run into it a lot from all my workout buddies since we have a store in Scottsdale): I’m a quantity shopper. Part of my Mom as Organized shtick is that I have to have my workout clothes ready to go each morning, like piles of them, because I work out a lot and don’t want to do wash every week. At their price point (and what’s with that sizing??) I can’t afford to fill up the drawer! So I buy great stuff from KOS USA, which I love, and stay happy, organized and fit!
Linda Pressman recently posted..Leaving Limbo
That is good logic in my book!
By the way, I also really like the Old Navy stuff. Cheap!
So funny! I related so completely with the wait, and the ongoing debate about sunk costs. The only time I did something similar was when the Ikea in Halifax NS closed. I was a poor grad student and we scored some nice furniture for a fraction of the price. But no communal dressing room… 🙂
Marialena recently posted..Circus! Circus! My trip to Circ Raluy
I cannot even imagine an Ikea sale. I go to Ikea a few times a year for odds an ends like if we’re transforming a kids’ room to a big kid room or something reason. Every time I go swear I will never return. I really hate the place with it’s HUGENESS and it’s put-everything-together-yourself-ness. BUT, can’t beat those prices. Just can’t.
I think I would have left when I saw the line. Not fair that they didn’t slash prices:(.
I spent too much time talking about leaving and not enough time leaving.
Great (and funny) “in the trenches” reporting, Nina! Considering I get twitchy when there are even just two people in line at the grocery store, this seals the deal that this kind of event is just not for me! I think online shopping has softened me so much. I don’t even have to put my shoes on!
Kristen recently posted..It’s Not Because She’s a Girl
Great point about online shopping, it really has changed a lot about my tolerance, too.
This is what happens to me when I go shopping in Thailand. I go in with high expectations of fantastic selections and cheap prices. I spend a whole day shopping and come home with nothing. Or rather I come home with something I’ll wear once because I couldn’t leave without buying something. LOL.
It’s like a mania of some kind–MUST BUY SOMETHING!
I saw you posting about the lines on facebook and it sounded like the most ridiculous thing ever. I would have probably bought things just to buy them since I was already so invested and then I would have regretted it!!
PS. I nominated your for a Liebster Award =)
Marta recently posted..11 About Me – Liebster Award
It wasn’t meant to be for you. The sale was in Chicago last year before you moved and in Mpls this year after you moved. The fates spared you. 😉
And thank you! I just saw that re: the award.
I am definitely of the “What is Lululemon?” camp; I get most of my workout clothes at Target. But I loved your story! I can relate to the “sunk costs” predicament, and I’ve actually always been curious about this type of sale. It makes me think of the episode of Friends when Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe go wedding dress shopping at this kind of sale. My husband calls that “type 2 fun.” It’s not fun at the time, but you’ll probably look back on it fondly later. 🙂
Annie Neugebauer recently posted..What Is Speculative Fiction?
Yes! That wedding episode. Totally remember it.
And good for you for being in that camp.
Type 2 fun is the best thing I’ve heard today. Such an apt description.
Good one! I was in Mpls on Friday with three kids in tow and was tempted, so tempted, to MAKE them go with me. After reading this post, I’m glad I didn’t!
My friend went to a Title Nine sale last summer at the State Fair grounds and had almost the same thing, verbatim, to say it.
I saw people there with kids and strollers and kept thinking “WHY WHY WHY?” So glad you didn’t make them go. For the rest of their lives they’d probably have nightmares any time they heard the words Convention or Center.
Just the words State Fair Grounds makes me tremble a bit.
Downside: I hate shopping, warehouses and sales so much I almost got hives reading this.
Upside: As always, your writing is so good you took me right there with you.
(Minus the part where I see you in almost all your glory. :-))
I know how you hate to shop. This would have done you in, maybe forever.
Every now and again, we head to the “big city” to do a little shopping, hoping to snag a bargain or at the very least, find options beyond our small mom and pop selections. I think I must develop amnesia between each excursion because by the time we return home, I’m exhausted, have spent too much, feel like I have overdosed on the Greed Monster drug, and swear I will stick to our nice cozy shops forever and ever. Until the next time…
That amnesia is SO true. Love that point. It happens every time I go to the Mall of America. I swear I’ll never return . . . then, months later I’m back.
You are a brave woman, Nina! Your #2 reason for going made me smile; I can relate to that. My husband knows a guy who works for Under Armour (which is based in Baltimore), and they have an employee friends and family day that sounds similar to your experience. No dressing rooms, tons of merchandise, most deals less than stellar. Still, our family of four goes and manages to get some good deals. It’s hard work though!
Dana recently posted..Painting interior doors black
I cannot believe you bring the kids! THAT is brave!
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
😉
What is Lululemon!? That is the perfect ending to your day and to this blog post. I admit, I was jealous upon reading the title of the blog post that my city (to my knowledge) has never hosted a Lululemon sale but then I remembered the Lululemon CEO made a comment publicly this year about how if the Lulu pants wear out in the inner thigh area, it’s because the wearer’s inner thighs should not touch each other in the first place and I remembered that I hate him and decided I was ok with the sale not being in my city. BTW, if you like Lululemon, you might also really like Lucy. The clothes are similar, a little more affordable, and more versatile.
Pam recently posted..Because I haven’t talked about birth lately…
I know– that bit of it all makes the expedition even more shameful. I don’t love how Lucy fits me. But I do like Athleta (though that’s just as pricey as lululemon), and Old Navy and Target are good too.
Everything you just described? Sounds exactly like all the warehouse sales I’ve ever been to (about 3 or 4). All that time wasted, and to emerge with items that weren’t really even worth that time. Plus some items I bought that I would normally not even look at just because they were ‘cheap’!
Which is why I don’t think I’ll ever go to one again. 🙂
Alison recently posted..Plans Schplans
Let’s promise each other–never again.
I can really relate to #2 as being a great reason to attend the warehouse sale, Nina… it’s the same reason I also once succumbed. Like you, I almost left just seeing the lines. Luckily the one I went to was furniture because no way could I handle communal dressing rooms…although if the selection was truly meh… 😉
Julia Munroe Martin recently posted..MEH’s Big Birthday Surprise!
Furniture is a big commitment though! That would be a challenge.
You totally cracked me up, this was great! I went to this type of thing in the garment district in college and decided then and there that warehouse-type sales and me were a bigtime mismatch. But that’s pretty true for any of the sale extravaganzas like outlets, etc. I know people who do really well at them, but I think sale shopping is a skill like anything else. Still, I would definitely be tempted for lululemon (or athleta) so it’s good to be reminded of all this.
Diann recently posted..Three Books About Transformation and the Power of Choice
I like Athleta too! Their pants sit a little higher which is nice after having four kids. (And really for ANYONE)
Thank you for saving me a trip should this, or something like this, ever come my way!! xo
Jessica recently posted..Some Advice from Virginia Woolf
Ha! I only know what Lululemon is because of its recent-ish bad press (and my subsequent checking to see if my non-Lululemon yoga pants are see through when I bend over). Not sure if it will make you feel better (or if it should) but I’m such a terrible shopper that finding a vest and a raincoat in one outing is absolutely the definition of success for me.
j recently posted..There’s a place inside you…
Love that image of you checking your pants. 😉
And I appreciate your upside view of my finds.
You are brave to see it through. I am NOT a Lululemon fan – full-price or on-sale. Love this funny(yet painful..lol) post so much!
tracy@sellabitmum recently posted..How To Prepare For Spring In 5 Easy Steps
Brave, insane and shallow. One of those. 😉
Thanks for the tweet, too!
Ugh. I so get the WANT aspect, because I am also a person who can get sucked into something because of hype. Luckily for me I had to work, and also I’m beyond Lulu’s size range 😉
I love Target and Old Navy workout stuff. I do have one pair of Lululemon yoga pants that I picked up at Value Village for a few bucks. They fit (which surprises me) and seem like okay quality but definitely no better than the Target champion clothes.
I’m glad you went, though, so you could write this!
Jenny recently posted..Ain’t No Clean Like A Rage Clean
Really old navy are my fav workout pants. The only ones that sit as high as I like them!
Nina, this made me laugh out loud! I only recently heard of lululemon (though I didn’t know it was spelled without spaces) and I just nodded as though I understood what they were talking about. 🙂 That day sounds miserable- I am so sensitive to crowded, overstimulating places, and I’m sure I would have hated it! But I totally understand the feeling of accomplishment at having endured it, and it will be a great story to tell and memory for you and your friends!
Stephanie @ Mommy, for Real. recently posted..The Parenthood Paradox: A Snapshot of Two Mothers
At the very least, it was a good blog post. 😉
I’m impressed you went! Several of my friends worked the sale and I still couldn’t muster the energy (or the money) to go!
An experience you’ll always remember, for sure. Good bonding time in lines and dressing rooms.
I have to admit I had never been into a Lululemon store until about two weeks ago, and I didn’t know how to correctly pronounce it until that day. I was thinking something that didn’t sound like the way it’s clearly spelled, ha!
Kira recently posted..Dear Daters: Don’t Delay the Inevitable Breakup
My friend worked the sale too! Maybe they met. Seriously that looked exhausting. And no windows.
I’m a sucker for these things. But I was glad I went to a huge Nordstrom “Last Chance” warehouse sale this past summer. Scored big. $15 uggs 🙂 In general, however, I do try to avoid these things as I spend too much money and I don’t get to the writing!
Amy Mak recently posted..The Strong Mommy = Smokin’ Hot
See— it’s stories like those that tempted me in the first place!
EXACTLY why I don’t shop. Shopping sucks. And when the sales hype doesn’t live up to its hype, super sucky. Sorry it sucked.
But I bet your coffee was pretty darn good!
Hallie Sawyer (@Hallie_Sawyer) recently posted..Dropping Anchors Yet Letting Go
I think it is ironic that an event like this is so stressful, when most of LuLuLemon’s clothes are targeted for yoga. Do you think it is a plot to send people straight to yoga to de-stress? I’m surprised they don’t have “after the check-out line” sales right there on site!
Such a good point!