Sales...have they lost their appeal?

If there is one thing that i cannot stay away from-it is a sign reading "sale" in the the front of the store. Sales used to be a special and exciting time. I remember flipping through the "Nordstrom Anniversary Sale" catalog as soon as it arrived in the mail. My mom, sister, and I would go and stock up on the deals for back to school clothes. Specifically, I remember when I was in middle school and was SUPER thrilled to discover that Doc Martin shoes were on sale! The Nordstrom sale was, like, the only time you could buy anything at a discount!

Other major stores would do the same...a BIG sale several times each year. Other than that, sales consisted of a small rack in the back of the store, usually filled with either XXS or XXL items. In today's economy, it seems that EVERYTHING is on sale, all the time. I am not kidding. When walking into Peridot the sales woman announced to me that the entire store was 30% off! The entire store. Seriously. At Banana Republic, every sale item was an additional 30% off the lowest price. So, I bought 3 shirts for around $40.00. Total. These were not cheap items to begin with by any means either.

While this was exciting and all, I started wondering...have "sales" completely lost their appeal and charm? I now refuse to buy anything not on sale, as I know that it will most likely be discounted the following week. This is even true at the high end boutique "Sway and Cake" where I was looking at a dress. I returned the next day to find it marked down 40%!

However, I no longer feel the excitement or build-up of a big sale as I did receiving those Nordstrom catalogs in the mail. How could I, when every day is now a sale day?

I admit though, I still do enjoy a good deal. Here are some of the BEST deals I discovered while out shopping the other day:

http://bananarepublic.gap.com/ This is great one! Especially if you are looking for a dress! Many are 50% off the original price!

http://peridotqueenanne.blogspot.com/ Peridot is a small boutique in lower QA, conveniently located right next door to Diamond Nails (my Pedicure spot). This is the place where the entire store in on sale!

http://www.swayandcake.com/ Located right by Nordstrom and the Medical Dental Building downtown. Lots of great deals on summer items, as they are already getting in fall stuff!