So what did you day yesterday? Besides making myself a little more broke, I spent over 2 hours in line with our the older girls in line to get into the yearly Lululemon warehouse sale that’s taking place this year in our hometown of Hamilton Ontario. Caron worked nights and Indy was just too lazy to wake, so it was me, Kieana and Tehya on a mission to snag some deals on the popular (don’t ask me why, cause it’s basic yoga themed gear) brand.
We went with the intention of having to deal with a line, but nothing prepared us for what was in store. Just about every teenage girl and their mom, young mother with buggy and trendy young adult was already there hours before us in line. Rather than complain and say “lets get out of here” I decided to make this a dad / daughters experience. After 1 hr in the line I had my regrets.
Getting into the event.
First you make your way to the end of the line, which was about 1 block away. (BTW we were told that there is no GOOD time to get to the event, as you will meet people in line even at 4 am) If you know the Hamilton area… you start at the corner of Bay and Main and work your way going east to the convention center. When you finally conquer the line and go through the main entrance of the convention center, you’re greeted with another line. You must “check” every bag, purse etc that you have with you. Then you move to another line where they give you a wrist band and you’re asked if you’re currently wearing any Lululemon merchandise. If you are, the guy with a marker puts the number of pieces on the wrist band they tagged you with. Then it’s onto another line where you’re (counted – one of those checker things) and the time that you enter is also written on the wrist band. If you’re at the checkout area to pay before 30 minutes you’re given an additional 10% off your purchases.
Some pointers..
* If you see something you like, hang on to it. Don’t you dare put it back on the rack and fool yourself that come back for it. It won’t be there when you return, even if it’s jut seconds ago.
* If you’re going in with the intention of getting a bag, be ware that the merchandisers drop off the bags at different areas of the floor without notice and there will be a shark feeding frenzy when they do. Keep an eye out and be prepared to pounce.
* If you’re paying by credit card, be sure to have a picture ID with you (see other payment options below)
The Good.
In the line – At least it was an overcast and relatively pleasant day, so we didn’t have to deal with sweltering heat and according to the security people, the line was moving much faster than the day before. Since there was tons of security there were no line jumping or any sort of disorder by the shoppers in the line.
Overall – very well organized. The sizes and costs are clearly labeled. There’s a colour code that dictates the prices so each item has a colour sticker that’s placed on the label. Just look around you on the walls and you’ll be reminded what you pay for which colour.
There’s lots of tellers to pay so you do move along very fast. They also limit the number of shoppers (thus the long lines outside) on the floor, so you’re not all that crowded.
The Bad!
In the line – The signs coming out of the event wasn’t promising. Everyone who were already in there were walking pass us with pretty much empty bags. Was there any “real” deals or were we wasting our time? makes you question the long time you’ve been waiting in line.
Selection – As mentioned if you see something you like, grab it. This is clearance so don’t expected much choice. smaller sizes are very limited (anything below 4). It can be a bit messy as well, with people dumping things they don’t want on the floor and corners.
Prices. even with the reduced rate, I really don’t buy into the prices they were still charging. But that could just be the parent in me. We spent about $550 or so and we walked away with 2 long yoga pants (thin version), 3 jackets, 2 head bands and 2 capri style pants.
Jerks! Seems the “jerk” comes out in us at these type of events. people will be pushy, bump into you and even hit with with hangers and not say sorry.
More info:
Hamilton Convention Centre
1 Summers Lane
Hamilton, Ontario
L8P 4Y2
tel: 1 877 263 9300
Hours / days
Thursday, July 23 9am-9pm
Friday, July 24 9am-9pm
Saturday, July 25th 9am-7pm
Sunday, July 26th 9am-5pm
Payment: Cash, Debit Visa, AMEX, and Mastercard- photo id required and please have your credit card pin number ready.
*No gift cards will be accepted.
Final tip. We were told by friends that the last day of this annual warehouse sale, one can get the merchandise reduced further. Is there any truth to this and will this be the norm again this year? Time will tell I guess.
