My Fashion Expedition

Off to check out the Saks distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland. Can you tell I’m just a bit excited?

My mom has been telling me about this place for a few years now so, I decided to take a quick roadtrip and check it out for myself.
At first sight, it looks like any other warehouse.

Walking in, I was surprised by the sparse and small size of the space. This certainly didn’t stop me from spending close to 2 hrs. sifting through the merch…

Scanning the room and taking stock of the room, I started with the dress section primary, because they were all $25. Long, short, casual or evening…$25!

I found a few designer pieces most of which were damaged but one, a pale pink Haute Hippie asymmetrical number that retails for over $300 went home with me!
I then proceeded to the shoe section and it really is just a section of the room that’s delineated by a stick of tape on the dingy carpet. I’m no novice to the schmata search game so I overlooked this and kept my eyes on the prize. That’s when I spotted these lizard Manolo pumps, $199!

I should mention that I got there around 11 -two hours after they open- and since I wear the most popular women’s shoe size 8, I was really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
If you’re like me and can’t function without an adequate amount of sleep and therefore, can’t get there by 9am, there’s hope yet. Eventually, the early birds start to put back what didn’t fit/ they didn’t want but that too is hit or miss.
Done with the shoes, I spot the designer bag section, hello gorgeous!
Christian Louboutin studded bag… $349 love but a bit small for me.

Chloe one handle satchel…$899, gorgeous but I’ll schmutz up the buttery leather in one wear.

Click Click Click moving on.
After the dresses, shoes and bags, I walked the floor pulling anything that looked cute, may fit and most importantly, not damaged. Remember, many of the items here are slightly worn samples or imperfect garments pulled directly from the Saks Fifth Avenue sales floors…just to set your expectations.
By now, I had gathered quite a bit of stuff and needed a place to hold it. In comes my faithful fashion assistant, my dad. A girl can always rely on her papa for his muscles and adoring compliments.

Here’s a bit of advice before you go. Come with someone who can play the role of gatekeeper because if you walk away from your stuff, it WILL be placed back on the floor. I get the impression that whoever runs this place has close ties to the Soup Natzi, remember this guy from Seinfeld?

Certainly not for everyone, the Saks distribution center is perfect for someone with a discerning eye, appreciates a good shmata sift and gets a high from a great find. If this is you then you must go!

Deets:
Fantastic deals on revolving selection of designer gear.
New arrivals are delivered daily, but the early bird gets the worm, as most of the treasures are gone by mid-morning.
If you’re willing to wait in line, the third Tuesday in March, July, and November are when the biggest deliveries arrive. Also note that hours are limited: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Very few men’s and kids stuff.
This is different than Off 5th in that it has all of the high end brands and is smaller than an Off 5th but some of the stuff has the wrong size on the tag, others may have a scuff on the bottom of the shoe, others may be missing a bead, BUT the prices are great and it’s a fun experience if you’re into that sort of thing.
Like Mother Like Daughter

The Company Store at Saks Distribution Center
500 Hickory Drive
Aberdeen, MD 21001
410-297-5200.

Alya