When I first signed up for Gilt, I think in 2010 sometime, I thought it was so cool. I remember waiting each morning for the deal alerts and getting annoyed the days I had early morning class in grad school, because it meant I’d miss the 9 AM sales. I bought a few items, and was excited for them to come…and then each time, it was kind of like, “ehh”. And plus it was such a hassle to return, I never did.
Then there was Haute Look….and Rue La La…and then the Neiman Marcus “Dashes” or what not…and more and more . And my inbox kept getting more and more annoying each day. And finally, I think when I was waiting for an email about a job interview and kept refreshing and refreshing, only to get more shopping emails, I finally went on a rage induced unsubscribe spree. And I haven’t really shopped at those sites actively since.
I kind of miss it though. Every once in a while I’ll Google some item I’m looking for…and find out that it was available on one of those sites for really cheap, but like three months ago. Wouldn’t it have been cool, to get that deal?
Anyway, because of my pregnancy and rapidly expanding weight, I’ve been on an accelerated mission to find comfortable sandals. I had mentioned earlier how much I love these Stuart Weitzman metallic sandals. I’d probably splurge on them full price, but I’ve been frightened off by friends who delight in recounting to me how their feet, and thus shoe sizes, permanently increased after pregnancy. I decided to hunt for a pair of similar sandals on all of these discount sites…and was thrilled (!) when I spotted the pair above on Neiman Marcus Last Call. For more than half off. Wow. Maybe I should be trawling these sites more often?
My sandals arrived about two weeks later and I tried them on and loved them. Emboldened by my success, I later went back onto Last Call, Gilt, Haute Look, just to have a look. But again, I couldn’t find anything.
Did you used to, and do you still shop regularly on these type of discount sites? If so, I’d love to hear your experiences and any tips for success!
13 Comments
Anna
April 6, 2015 at 8:02 amI always shop on discount sites (I just don’t believe in full priced clothes; I’d rather shop consignment/discount and spend the money on bags and shoes 😀 ), and the key is to come back frequently. You may get lucky if you check once in a while, but the best deals come to those who are vigilant about checking sales all the time. Maybe save the search preferences and bookmark some pages so it becomes automatic?
Whitney Farris
April 6, 2015 at 8:14 amMy main problem with Gilt. You order and weeks later they finally ship! They are very slow with shipping. You receive the item and sometimes it looked much better on the site. I have a love hate with them
Felicia
April 6, 2015 at 9:38 amI always hesitate to buy from Ruelala or Gilt. But I did buy a 100% cashemere sweater earlier this winter from Gilt. Quality was very good and the colour match exactly like it showed (Watermelon Red!) It’s a very typical round neck sweater, so I just picked out the size I normally wear my cloths and gave it a shot. By the way the sweater was only $50.00. I can’t ask for more.
I have a coworker here in the office who always shop on Ruelala and Gilt. It seems like she’s quite comfortable with the items they have on there and she said that makes her life easier since she has three little kids to watch over, she doesn’t have time to go shopping.
AD
April 6, 2015 at 9:51 amI agree with you. The items I did receive weren’t worth keeping and I kept them anyway. Never worn, ended up donating. I don’t like those sites and have since unsubscribed. MySuperficialEndeavors blog buys regularly from them and I have to be honest, I don’t like any of the items she comes home with which further ensures I won’t re-sign up for those sites!
Belen
April 6, 2015 at 2:17 pmThey’re beautiful. Love the detail in the middle, and I’d love to see how they look on!
Katherine
April 7, 2015 at 10:24 amI will try to take a picture! Yes the shell detail is great 🙂 And comfortable.
Petti
April 6, 2015 at 3:42 pmI do subscribe to Gilt, HauteLook, Rulala and Myhabit. Rulala later on I found out that doesn’t accept Canadian visa card so I never shop there. The problem with Gilt and HauteLook is that it takes them forever to ship the item. At least 2 weeks and once over 2 months! Myhabit is the best in terms of shipping time (within a week I would receive the item on hand) and shipping charge is also the lowest, so I like it the most. I mainly shop kids item from them.
Katherine
April 7, 2015 at 10:23 amYes the shipping is soo slow!
Yuet
April 6, 2015 at 6:28 pmI usually shop on MYHABIT, finding that I’ll receive my items within a weeks time. They used be be free shipping and return, but that has changed in the past year. I found that if you don’t want to pay for return shipping, check “not as described” when filling out return slip, and they’ll usually waive the fee. Plus the quality of the items are usually quite decent.
Katherine
April 7, 2015 at 10:23 amGood tip Yuet 🙂 I don’t think I’ve shopped at MYHABIT before but I might be more inclined too since they are owned by Amazon.
Anyi
April 6, 2015 at 6:34 pmI went through a similar bout of interest when they first arrived on the scene. It’s the sales goggles at their worst! Eventually, I realized that I was consigning most of my Gilt purchases (b/c returns were painful and I don’t like store credit, which just feeds into more purchases).
They carried good brands but often didn’t fit my lifestyle, particularly because I’m at work so much. An added insult is that often, if you research enough, Amazon or some other site will have it cheaper than Gilt. Hautelook and Ruelala wasn’t as tempting with their selection, for some reason.
Katherine
April 7, 2015 at 10:23 amGood point about Amazon….I found that as well.
little luxury list
April 21, 2015 at 5:30 amSmall tip…Gilt and sometimes Ruelala have awesome baby clothing deals sometimes. You may be sucked back in after seeing Marimekko kids 😉
xoxo,
little luxury list formerly Chic ‘n Cheap Living