Ok. Day two of the sale, Big Sis and I went downtown and we were at BC Place by 8:30am. It looked fine, no lines at the gate (Gate A)! We went down the ramp to the field level and the coast was still clear...until we arrived at the bag/coat check portion (which you must pass on the way in). We handed over our coats swiftly (no wait for this). Once through, the line to wait for entry was not big at all...maybe 5-10 minutes, but it was still pretty early for a Saturday morning. Perhaps the crowds would come later?
Tips on how to bypass the line? If there is a huge line and you have a friend with you, you could hand all of the coats/big purses to one person, and the other could jump ahead to the entry line...just a thought.
OK. Onto the good stuff. Here's the scoop on the loot. Lots of racks of pants...but mainly crops and pants that have seen the clearance rack (and been passed up by many). I did buy Studio(no liner) pants for $55 in Fossil Grey (reg.$118) and some black crops (reg.$98) for $45. There were lots of bad pants. LOTS. Weird prints, mixed media and just plain "no" pants (Happy Hathas?!). The latter were on sale for $39, but these are the very pants that I saw at the Factory Outlet for $9 at Boxing Day, still couldn't convince me to buy them. MC Hammer is even over them.
There were lots of black Scubas $79, and dip dyed ones too...nothing over $99. Lots of lightweight running jackets, Paddington coats, cape coats, etc. I skipped on the jackets.
Tanks averaged $29, as did shorts/skirts. I passed on these as well, as I scooped up better sales at Boxing Day with $19 tanks and $10 shorts. I did, however, buy up the Pedal Power Henley which was $36 at the sale (reg.$108)...this was at the Factory Outlet today for $59.
The underwear was a bargain though! I got some cute unmentionables for $4, a headband (reg.$18) for $4, and a running toque (reg.$32) for $9. I got a couple of different Brisk Neck Warmers for $9 each (reg. $28) in black and blue piqué. (The black one is still in the regular store for full pop).
All in all, it was fun. I went with no expectations, so maybe that was part of the 'good time' mentality!
With your purchase receipt, if you go to the Factory Outlet, they'll give you $10 off your purchase (although why you'd want to is beyond me, the prices were cheaper at the sale!!). I went to the Outlet afterwards, but was disappointed with this "gift"... But I managed to help out a fellow shopper by passing on my receipt :) At least someone else could use it.
Tips:
Don't worry about checking a coat. It's no biggie. It's free and fast, and you have to pass it going in and out of the facility anyway!
Bring a small purse or waist pack, or just your wallet. Medium and big purses must be checked at the bag check. They'll provide you with at Baggie to put your ID and credit cards in for the sale.
Don't get carried away with the "sale" aspect. It's only a deal if you wanted the item (before you got there!). Stuff adds up fast!!
Have fun and Happy hunting :)
