Vera Bradley Outlet Sale!

Wow! What an amazing experience I had today.  Myself, along with one of my best friends from college, Jennifer, left our hubbies and children at home today and hit the road on an adventure we will never forget! 

We are both fans of the purse/flipflop/stationary/wallet/napkin/apron/luggage designer Vera Bradley.  Most items are quite expensive full price, so when we heard the word " VERA BRADLEY OUTLET SALE" our attention was caught.
"WHAT? a Vera Bradley Outlet Sale?"
"WHERE?"
"WHEN?"
"HOW MUCH OFF?"


The first day of the sale was yesterday (4/13) and it will go through this Sunday (4/17) at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Yesterday and today were "ticket-holder" days, meaning that you had to buy a $7.00 ticket to enter the sale at a specific time of your choice, (ours was 3:00pm-5:30pm).  Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can enter anytime without tickets (you should go).  Based on my experience the $7.00 was well worth it, the selection was AMAZING!  As the days continue on, and pushing 12,000 Vera Bradley Shoppers through each day, the selection will get slim.


Here was our fun spring day...


Jenn and I met up at about 9:00am, we then dropped off her 11 month old daughter at Amma's house, then we started our easy 2 hour drive south to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Once we arrived in Fort Wayne at noon, we hit up a delicious Mexican restaurant for lunch.  After lunch we were able to stop at one of my favorite stores, Once Upon a Child, a resale children's clothing store.  After that, we drove 5 minutes to the Coliseum, paid our $4 for parking and started our hike inside the sale.  We arrived at 2:00pm, exactly one hour before the doors opened for the 3:00pm session.

The line was already RIDICULOUSLY long!

I would say that the line was at least a mile long wrapped inside the coliseum and eventually out the front door.  Once the doors opened to the sale at 3:00pm the line moved VERY quickly, we were inside the sale by 3:15.  Once inside the sale, we were all given huge pink garbage bags to fill with the most beautiful Vera Bradley purses and wallets of our choice.   There were literally hundreds and thousands of them to choose from!!!

                     Little Tote                                                All in One Wallet

                                                     This is an aerial few of the sale floor.

Before you entered the huge sale you were given a detailed price list and item location (based on colored balloons) to help find specific items.  This sale was extremely well organized with lots and lots of Vera Bradley helpers if you had questions, they were wearing Vera aprons.  Once we got all of the items that we wanted we were directed to check out.  Check out was also very well organized, and quick with well over 100 cash registers active at the same time.

Check out. (about half of what was available)

Both Jenn and I were very successful at our first Vera Bradley Outlet Sale.  I won't share exactly how much was spent, but I was able to buy a birthday gift for a friend, a Mother's Day gift for my Mom (Hint) a fun purse and change purse for Kate and a few things for me.  I will tell you that I saved 47% overall by purchasing the bags at the Vera Sale verses paying full price.  Most items were 50% off, some were only 35% off and some items up to 85% off!!! I do hear that prices get slashed on most items (and are marked with silver balloons) by Sunday.  Here are a few pics of Jenn and I after the sale. I know they are corney, but we had fun.

Me with all of my goodies.

Jenn and all her goodies.

After our bags were all packed up we headed north towards home, we ate out one last meal together then went back to reality of kids, jobs, husbands and bills...Oh well, we had a BLAST and can not wait until next year! 

Give me a shout if you got to go to the sale too!