Saturday, January 15, 2011

Tall Boots On Sales: Online vs. In Store


With all the sales online and in the stores right now, I’ve been wondering: Is there an advantage to shopping online over shopping in the stores? Or do both offer similar sales and selection? I don’t have a definitive answer and maybe I never will, but here’s what I experienced yesterday when I went shopping for tall boots on sale.

Yesterday, I ran over to Lord and Taylor with a 20% off coupon. I was hoping to find a bargain on a pair of tall brown boots. My go-to look for work is a straight skirt with a sweater or blazer and tall boots. In fact, I prefer skirts over pants even on weekends when I’m out and about, so I wear tall boots a lot. At LT, I found a pair of Anne Klein boots (see above) for $72.99. With my coupon, they were reduced to $56.19. I love the little, feminine heel on these boots—perfect for skirts.

Now, maybe the smart shopper would have left the boots at LT, gone home to see if she could get a better price at Anne Klein online, and only then made her purchase online or back in the store. But frankly, I am not that shopper. Back in November, I realized I needed a new pair of brown boots and said, “be patient—wait for the January sales.” That’s the definition of smart shopper I can work with. So I bought the boots at LT and then, when I got home, jumped on my computer to see how I’d done.

Turns out, at AK online, there are no brown boots with the little heels I liked on sale. The only boots with small, feminine heels are lovely, but in black...
Anne Klein Dirk Dress Boot (Black)

Anne Klein Dirk Dress Boot (Black)
reduced from $169 to $99 with additional 25% off at checkout.


Anne Klein Boots Grenti Tailored Boot (Black)

Anne Klein Boots Grenti Tailored Boot (Black)
reduced from $169 to $112.99 with an additional 25% off at checkout.


Had AK online had my boots, I suspect the price would have been about the same as my LT boots. That's because--at least for the next two days, anyway--you can save up to 75% when you take an additional 25% off sales merchandise from now till January 17th, 11:59 AM EST.The thing is, by the January sales, sizes are somewhat limited. So even if AK online had my boots at a comparable price, the site may not have had my size. So…what I learned: If you see clothing or accessories on sale that you like—grab it!

If you love tall boots with little heels, check out Jones New York's Circa Joan & David Aves, currently reduced from $275 to $205.99 with an additional 50% off at check out. The black boots are available in many sizes. Shoppers can enjoy an additional 50% off sales items at JNY until January 17th at 11:59 AM EST.

MORE TALL BOOTS
Right now, you can get up to 70% off at Easy Spirit, plus an extra 25% off all sale items.For example, check out...
Easy Spirit Boots Esmee Comfort Women's Boots (Grey) Narrow Width

Easy Spirit Boots Esmee Comfort Women's Boots (Grey) Narrow Width
reduced from $139 to $59.99 with additional 25% off at checkout.


And from Planet Shoes...
Naturalizer Dandy

Naturalizer Dandy
reduced from $119 to $99.




Aerosoles Infamous

Aerosoles Infamous
reduced from $99 to $79.