Marlena V.
Yelp
Excitement. Disappointment. A little more excitement. More disappointment.
That just about sums up my experience checking out the new Nordstrom Rack yesterday. While I love me some Nordy's long time, this absolutely did not live up to my expectations. Upon walking in from the mall-side entrance, there was an absolute overwhelming feel that struck me: granted it's a little silly to base a store on its physical layout, but I think it's worth mentioning that I absolutely cannot stand their set up. Walking into a store and immediately being surrounded by tall, black racks of shoes just seems.. odd. Especially when there's a sea of shoppers bending down, etc all around for said shoes. ...and that's just stepping a foot through the entrance.
Their selection of clothing however, was a bit underwhelming. To be honest, I had been expecting something more like a higher end Marshall's or an Off Saks. I would have been pleased enough for a sale rack like the flapship Nordy's downtown (I've scored $150 shirts for $20 or less on clearance there) but alas, this was totally not to be. They had a few bizarre off-brands in the women's department that were around the $30 - $40 range while their dress selection was okay but still more pricey than what I expected.
The accessories/hand bag selection wasn't bad at all though. I found a fantastic selection of kate spade, Coach & Michael Kors purses for around 50% off the retail. Still though, if you're a way serious bargain hunter like I am, I've found the same products/similar styles from the same brands cheaper either during sample sales, seasonal clearance or even Nordstrom's AWESOME sales online. How disappointing was it to find an adorable kate spade leather pouch for $50 when the company itself has the identical product on sale on their website for $30? Not too cool. I did find however, a really nice selection of Betsey Johnson jewelry for $20 and under.
Poking around I also noticed that near the registers, there was a cute little set up for cosmetics and beauty items. They had an ample selection of Stila eye shadow and Urban Decay travel palettes for $10-12 a piece which actually is a pretty good deal. And behold ladies, they also sell Kérastase products for around $30ish a pop! I nearly picked up a couple items when I spied a 'lil something that put the nails in the coffin: NYX. They had a pretty huge selection of NYX cosmetics, which in itself, is not a bad thing (I love this brand). For fabulous ladies not in the know, they're a very high quality drugstore brand that makes fantastic products in the $2-15 range. The jaw dropping part? ...Seeing them actually sell NYX blotting sheets for $6.99. Why is that a big deal? I can buy these at Ulta/drugstore for around $2.99. Most of the cosmetics were strangely upcharged. I was.. confused.
Overall, it was alright. I imagine there would be a few good deals buried somewhere but honestly, seeing them actually over charge for drugstore make-up kinda irked me. I've scored absolutely amazing deals at TJ Maxx on high end products (I've found Gucci there frequently!) as well as just simply checking department stores for sales. I'll probably stop in again to browse but before swiping your card in the heat of the moment, I really suggest doing research on the pricier items ahead of time. You'll probably find a better deal elsewhere.