Pre-plan

Do a little research beforehand. “I’ll take a quick look at the past few seasons’ pieces just so I have an idea of what’s on the shelf (and what I want),” Fawnia Soo Hoo, Fashionista contributor and former Racked sample sale reporter, told us. “I also do a scan online of what pricing is offered on current online sales—nothing worse than coming home from a battle zone sale and realizing I could have gotten a better deal on the Internets.”

If you’re debating whether a sale is worth faking a doctor’s appointment, Soo Hoo suggests (as do we) checking shopping/sales sites such as Racked, Mizhattan, Sample Sally, and Madison Avenue Spy (all of whom helped us out with this story).

Racked’s New York editor Izzy Greenspan and Sample Sally both suggested giving yourself a budget before going in. “It gives you a spending limit and will make you think twice and help you parse out what you don’t need or want,” said Sally. “You don’t have to stick to it precisely, but it helps to have some sort of guideline so that you don’t have to make snap decisions while the hoarders are circling you like sharks,” Greenspan offered.

Greenspan also recommends knowing how a certain brand fits your body (or feet if it’s shoes) beforehand, since trying things on is rarely convenient or possible.