Salvage-able Sale!

Would you buy a designer bag at a discounted price if it had an imperfection? Our company has periodic salvage sales to give employees an opportunity to buy returned or non-sellable merchandise. I heard horror stories of near fights and "hoarding" to get the best merchandise so I was apprehensive about going. But I got my fanny out of bed at 6:30 am with an expectation of trying to find a great bag that I could carry for work and still be able to afford to eat out for lunch at least once in the next two weeks. Apparently there had been a first come, first serve tradition that gave way to a system of drawing numbers to enter the warehouse. I was schooled that if I had a number anywhere between 1 and 50, I had a great chance of finding something great. So imagine my delight when I reached my hand in and drew number 58. Woo hoo, I thought, my adrenaline pumping, talking to my other "lucky ducks" as we grabbed complimentary trash bags and waited for the warehouse to open. "No running, no pushing, no cell phones," a man barked as the doors opened and we made our way inside. I made a beeline to the left where the women before me had gone and grabbed, stuffed, grabbed and stuffed. Yes, I became "one of them" - the hoarders. An hour later I was trying to decide between other things, a black Prada hobo - missing the letter "A", a chocolate Chloe tote with a hole on the side and a peanut butter B. Fendi shoulder tote that was missing a clasp. "Wait a minute, " I thought, "do you only want these because they are designer bags but are hardly carry-able." I searched for and found our fashion stylist at work, a woman whose style I admire and whose opinion I needed. She looked over my finds, gave me suggestions on what repairs could be done and agreed with me on most of the assessments on what was too trendy and what would stand the test of time. So, needless to say I gave up the "Prad," the chocolate Chloe and the B. Fendi and came away these fabulous finds:

Chloe "Silverado" large satchel $1,848 @ Bluefly (My favorite thing!)


Kooba Paige shoulder tote $645 @ Neiman Marcus


Fendi Zucchino bag $285 @ Amazon (got mine for $50!)

The moral of the story, be prepared to make some repairs but make sure it's worth it and go in with a budget. Can't wait for the next SALE!