1) They don’t claim to be organized. Yeah, yeah, they do their best considering the amount of madly scouring ladies pillaging the shoe section. For the most part the Ready to Wear smalls are with smalls and larges with larges. But the dresses are a free-for-all, and the shoes… haha, Exhibit A.

2) Inspect thine items. I loved a champagne chiffon Givenchy cocktail dress (org. $3,160 BWS $789), but it was torn down the side. Then again, it wasn’t anything my seamstress couldn’t fix…

3) Patience is a virtue. This sale seems to bring out the crazys. One girl, accompanied by her greasy, guido boyfriend, was changing in the middle of isle with her boyfriend screaming over to her comments such as, “You’re boobs are hanging out in that one!” and “Can you even zip that thing up?” Um, thanks. Maybe wear headphones.

4) Come Light, Stay Long. Don’t wear a parka or tote your gym bag. The isles are narrow and if you do manage to find a gem, you’ll have to hold onto it. Less is more, especially if you really intend to do this…like you’re totes committed. Then expect to spend some time there.

Despite the sloppy stilettos, they have some great shoe buys. My devil-side urged me to buy black suede Prada lace up knee-high boots, $479 from $1200, but honestly, I was too lazy to wait for the shoe people to retrieve them, take off my shoes, etc. etc. I wasn’t mentally prepared or patient enough. Plus I kept having bouts of indecision. What if I don’t like these gray suede Prada pumps come fall? Even if they are $295 from $740, we are still in a recession. I could hear my father’s cautioning voice in my head and left with just a pair of black J Brand skinny jeans marked down to $49 from $178. Then I walked over to Loehman’s, which seemed like heaven compared to the messy warehouse, bought a pair of Prada sunglasses and headed home to nap. In the end of the day, I just wasn’t so committed.

In conclusion, mental state is key. Good luck to you.

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