Outnet’s $1 Birthday Sale Leaves Partygoers Wanting

I had my game plan. I set my sights on one dress, a Manoush tiered silk gown I’ve had my eye on for months, and a Kenneth Jay Lane leather cuff, but neither item was included in the much-hyped Outnet 1st birthday sale that was over in a  flash this morning.

Like thousands of fashion lovers, I cleared my Friday schedule to be ready for the email from theOutnet.com, the discount offshoot of high-end online retailer Net-A-Porter.com,  that would provide the top secret time of the $1 sale. Instead, when I wandered downstairs this morning to make lunches for my children and get them up and ready for school, the email alert flashed and lo and behold just before 7am, the sale was on.

Fast and furious I logged in and filtered for my size only to find a paltry selection; two pages of clothes that I didn’t care for.  For those who’ve asked, the only noteworthy things left at that stage were studded Mary Janes and a Stella McCartney Taffeta jacket that, at a stretch, I may have bought for a buck. The jewelry flashed SOLD OUT, and the handbags, which I would happily have settled for, were long gone. A Sold Out sign abounded by 7.25am, and the next time I checked, the sale was closed.

What a fizzer. It was a great concept. Who doesn’t want a designer piece for just a dollar? But like so many of these recent pop-up stores, Liberty of London for Target  which sold out a day early and the current Zac Posen for Target  24-hour sale come to mind,  or even the snatch and grab for  Stella McCartney children’s clothes at the Gap, the attempt to give everyone a chance to participate leaves most people wanting.

I was one of the lucky shoppers who could actually sign-in to the Outnet site this morning, but there are many, many people who’ve complained that the site crashed or it took them hours to log-in, only to find the sale closed by then. There are gripes galore on Twitter today, calling the sale a bust, a hoax, a joke; a couple of tweeters commented that it was like getting an invitation to a fabulous party and then having the bouncer not let you in!

Not surprisingly, the Zac Posen for Target pop-up sales party, which started 11pm last night and runs until 11pm tonight, was another bloodbath.  I didn’t go after hearing from a friend that racks were bare by 11.25pm. I’m not so enamored of the range that I have to have something right now, but perhaps I’ll take my chances to peruse what’s left when it hits Target. com on April 25.

The moral of all this?  Maybe with the proliferation of social media – Twitter and Facebook, in particular, where loads of people have shared their Outnet frustrations – and guerrilla advertising, have elevated even the world of pop-up stores and deep discounting to heights beyond the average consumer.

Now, even designing or discounting for the masses have become exclusive.

6 thoughts on “Outnet’s $1 Birthday Sale Leaves Partygoers Wanting”

    1. they may have restocked at Posen already. What is your sister after in particular, i would love to know what sort of quality this collection is?

  1. Hi – found you via the helpful comments you left on my blog about the sale 🙂

    Great post – and indeed, despite all the madness, there was nothing much to sing about on this sale at all. I was ‘lucky’ enough to have been able to log straight in when I got the email link at 07:24am (UK time) – but as soon as a navigated to a different page, I was booted off and the site was frozen for well over an hour.

    Surprising after all the heavy advertising that they were not prepared for the level of hits & interest that the website would attract. There is certainly more on offer on the usual Tuesday & Thursday updates they do on the site – this was a collection of “odds & sods” for the sale, although from what I’m hearing, there were some more interesting brands on the US version… if you could actually get onto the sale itself.

    1. Thanks Jools, I liked your post too ..rational in the sea of anger and frustration out there about this particular sale. It’s funny I guess that we can all get so passionate about a clothing sale. Really, i should be ashamed of myself! Still I wish I’d nabbed a Halston bag or that Manoush dress for a buck. Hope you keep reading, Best, L

  2. hey, Lee, why haven’t you posted anything lately? get back on the horse, already. I’ve been checking.

    1. well Ari, i could attribute the lack of post this week ( and it has been only a few days, but thanks for missing me!) to technical issues, or to the lack of inspiration, or to these two creatures whose school and social lives have worn me thin .. i will write again soon ..promise

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