Labor Day Markdowns
If you need a little incentive to head indoors during what is supposed to be an absolutely gorgeous Labor Day weekend, here are a few markdowns some stores are offering:
Ann Taylor Loft has all sale items marked down by an additional 40 percent off in store and online. Their big sister store will give you another 25 percent off everything previously reduced.
Needing something casual to fall? Surf over to Gap today for 25 percent off online sales. Tomorrow and Sunday they’ll cut the reduction to 20 percent. On Monday, you can get 15 percent off and on Tuesday, a lousy 10 percent. But that’s still something, right?
Old Navy is also dishing up a lot of Labor Day deals online.: $15 sweaters, $8 men’s tees and $5 for women’s tees and tanks.
The Limited is offering a shirt event with all shirts, shirt dresses and sweater vests (oh-so-fall) at 40 percent off. Their pants and jeans also are marked at $40.
If you’re looking to stock up on fall school styles, The Children’s Place has a $5 event going on with a lot of fun trendy pieces for $5 a piece.
Shop RazorRock
A taste of IC's Hogs haul.
One my favorite local companies sent out a save-the-date today for a fun Razorback-centric shopping event slated for next week. On Tuesday, three great girly-girl Arkansas vendors will team up at Sticky Fingerz to give you a chance to load up on all your tailgating needs as part of RazorRock festivities.
Witty styro cups? They got ‘em. Adorable tailgate invites? You can pick up those too. And Razorback-red bling? Uh huh! Inviting Company (that’s the aforementioned favorite), Rub a Dub Dub and Revelry Jewelers have you covered.
The event is Tuesday, Sept. 7 from 7-10 p.m. at Sticky Fingerz. The flier didn’t mention a cover charge. But because you can’t indulge in retail therapy without a little wine, it did detail a cash bar. And music by Blake Shelton. A portion of sales proceeds go to the Arkansas Alumni Association Capital Chapter Scholarship Fund.
I wonder if they’ll let me place a special order for these goodies. (Don’t hate! I’m a Georgia peach at heart.)
And while we’re dishing about Inviting Company, here’s another save-the-date: Their next big paper warehouse sale is Oct. 7-10. (Past bloggy goodness on it here.) And it sounds like they’re taking credit cards this time!
Tags: Football, Inviting Co., Razorbacks, Revelry, RubaDubDub, Tailgating, UGAlove
Shiny and New
Most of Little Rock has already “experienced” the Shining Beacon on Chenal. But I haven’t had a chance to get out to the beautiful new Kroger because I was in Nashville this weekend helping my sister with my favorite kind of shopping — for wedding dresses!
So I’ve been excited to catch up on the eye candy others posted over the weekend. If you, like me, are among the few who have yet to check out the new Kroger Marketplace, there are a couple of great sites with coverage of a bloggers’ tour the store hosted on Friday.
Kerri of Damn You, Little Rock zeros in on the exciting Sonic-like fountain drink machine. I need one of those in my house. And at the office.
Meanwhile, Sarah of The Adventures of Ernie Bufflo has drool-worthy pics of the certified organic produce.
Here’s my question: Is there anything at the new Kroger that would seriously push me to drive all the way out to Chenal from our neighborhood near Breckenridge? (And near Whole Foods!) I sometimes have a hard time convincing myself to head out to far west Little Rock to go to DSW, and I have a shoe fetish.
I’ve also been quite impressed with the rehabs Kroger has finished at the West Markham and Rodney Parham stores. The latter, in particular, has vastly improved our grocery-shopping experience, with a new cheese bar (which my husband Andrew is wild about), build-your-own-beer-6-packs (yeah, he’s wild about that, too), and a larger selection of interesting fruits and veggies.
I’m happy that Kroger has invested in these stores, and that the word hasn’t seemed to leak. There’s always ample parking and neither one seems to be especially crowded, even at typical high-traffic hours.
Now, could someone please get a jump on the Shackleford store? It was easily the one most in need of an update — much more than the already sprawling Chenal one. But just last week there was no evidence that any changes are on the way at this older store. What gives?!
Give & Get is On
One of Gap’s most popular promotions starts today. The Give & Get program allows you to designate one of a handful of charities to receive 5 percent of your purchase total. In exchange, you get 30 percent off your entire purchase at any Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy through this Sunday, Aug. 29.
Get the coupon here. And get to it, already!
An App for That
Add one more. Maybe.
I’m more than a little app happy with my phone. I’m one of those people who persistently checks for the latest update to her apps and patrols the “new” and “what’s hot” portions of iTunes religiously.
So given my demonstrated passion for all things retail, I found this story from The New York Times especially interesting. I also think it’s kind of frightening.
The gist of the story is that next week a new app for the iPhone rolls out that tracks shoppers kind of like FourSquare, only it also provides opportunities to pick up discounts once they actually go inside a store. (If you use an Android phone you’ll be able to check it out in a few more weeks.) The app is working hand-in-hand with stores like Macy’s, American Eagle, Best Buy and Sports Authority and Simon Malls, which operates McCain Mall. The kicker is that this app also provides your shopping habit info — when you were in the store, for how long, whether you went to the dressing room — to the retailers. Of course, the privacy nuts are out in full force anticipating this app’s release.
I jumped into FourSquare in the spring, and I do enjoy it. When people ask me why I use it, I can’t really explain it. I just think it’s fun, and I often included my location in Facebook status updates anyway. But I also am careful about when and where I check-in on FourSquare, and I like knowing that FourSquare isn’t in cahoots with anyone else.
I may try the new app just to see what it’s like, as many of its downloaders probably will. But unless they pump up the deals offered, I don’t see it as worth the risk in the long run.
Happy Hour at Banana
Get your sale on tonight for a limited time at Banana Republic. They’re hosting a retail happy hour from 5-9 p.m. in store and from 5 p.m.-11:59 p.m. online. Either way, you’ll get 25 percent off a purchase of $100. Online, use the following promo code: FALLAFTER5 .
Get more details by clicking on the photo!
Shoppes Talk
In search of a sweet little gift, I recently popped into the Shoppes on Woodlawn (4523 Woodlawn) in Hillcrest. I always lose track of time when I stop by. There’s something about the set up of the little rooms with different merchants that’s just too fun.
I like whimsy in my retail experiences, and the Shoppes have plenty of that! From funky — and reasonably priced — local art to handmade jewelry, it seems like they try hard to create a selection that appeals to a wide base. Shabby chic, French country, mod, bohemian — many style types are represented.
I came away with one my favorite go-to gifts, little glass vases that are perfect for a late summer bloom.If you’re looking for a fun and affordable gift, now is a good time to check out the Shoppes on Woodlawn, too. Everything is marked down by 20 percent, including some girly Hogs merchandise!
Wordless Wednesday
No word yet on a definite opening date for the Anthropologie slated for Promenade at Chenal. A representative for the shopping center’s main office said they’re thinking it will be in September, but the chain hasn’t confirmed an actual date yet. So we wait …
Chenal Kroger Clearance
We almost went and investigated this one tonight, but I was already in my PJs when I heard it. FOX16 reported this evening that the Chenal Kroger is having a storewide clearance rather than move all the groceries to the new shop (which is, of course, Right. Next. Door).
They made it sound like every item will be slashed dramatically until everything is gone. This seems a bit lazy/cheap to me, but after all, I am the chick who decided putting on pants would require too much energy to go check out the sale. So, you know … who am I to judge such an event?!
Cheap and chic never flops
There are few simple pleasures as great as the comfort and fashion of styled-up flip-flops. Luckily, August is a great time to score and stock up on new ones to use next summer.
This weekend, check out Shoe Connection (at Lakewood Village and near T.J. Maxx off Rodney Parham) for 1/2 off their entire selection of YellowBox, the cream of the flip flop crop, with the coupon below. That should put most of the pairs around the $10 mark.
Oh the possibilities!
Tags: Coupons, FlipFlops, Sales, Shoe Connection
Hilary DeMillo scouts the shopping scene in central Arkansas to save you time and cash. She hits trendy boutiques, big box retailers and every storefront in between.