Josie Natori Sample Sale Report November 2016

Hi chickadees!

It's going to be a short sample sale report today. I couldn't get to the sale until later in the day and they were basically shooing us out so I did the best I could in scoping out the place and getting photos and info for you.

The sale is being held at the same location as the last time I attended. I feel like this is a company that doesn't change their sale venues. The building is 102 Madison Avenue between 29th and 30th St. There are a bunch of subway stations, but I took the R (well, really the W because the trains were being ridiculous when I went yesterday). Just take the elevator up to the third floor. There's no room at the end of a long, winding hallway to look for here. The sale is running from December 7-8, 10:00 am through 5:00 pm. Yes, that means if you want to shop this sale, it has to be today. There was no coat or bag check required.

So... is it worth heading over? Personally, I think it depends what size you are. I went later in the day so I don't know what the stock was like in the morning, but there was still a lot of merchandise out. The problem was that certain sizes definitely dominated. One of the things I like about Josie Natori is that they're a brand that caters to a wide range of sizes. And as you'll see from the photos, there is something for almost every size. But if you really want a selection, you'll be best off if you're a B cup. DD's and 34D's also had boxes of their own that you could dig through. Aside from the section on the wall with larger band sizes (and also larger cup sizes) I was surprised at how hard it was to find larger band sizes among the regular bras. I'm not even talking about 38's or 40's. I was having trouble finding 36's in the C cups and D cups, but maybe they already sold.

You'll find a range of styles at this sale. I like Natori bras. I think they're well made and they come in pretty designs and colors while still being practical. At least in the sections I was looking at, I saw more soft bras (not bralettes but underwire bras without padded cups) but there are all kinds of styles floating around. Again, it just depends on your size requirements. As usual, the prices are incredible. You can barely find bras this cheap at places like Target and TJMaxx and even if you do, they likely won't be as well made. 

As for the non-bra items, there are a few rows of underwear in S, M, L, and XL as well as some boxes in the back I didn't have time to look through. I don't think this is really like a Hanky Panky or Cosabella sale where it's worth it to go for some pretty underthings but if you know you like Natori underwear, if you're going to the sale anyway, or if you want something a little more practical, maybe check this section out.

Natori Sample Sale Report December 2013

Hello chickadees!

I stopped into the Natori sale at 102 Madison Avenue today around 1:00 pm. The sale will reopen tomorrow at 10:00 am and close at 4:00 pm. The sale is on the third floor of the building and they accept both cash and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover). There are no try-ons, returns, large bags, or shopping carts and all sales are final. The building is so professional that it's a bit intimidating when you first see the chaos that is this sale. Now, there is no aggressive behavior or anything like that but there are bras. Lots and lots of bras. Bras hanging on the wall. Bras in boxes on the table. Bras in boxes on the floor. It's a lot to take in at one time.

Personally, I feel like shopping for bras and lingerie is something that should be special. The Natori sample sale is not special. It is grabbing $10 sample bras, $12 regular bras and digging through cardboard boxes in a roomful of women while some random guys stand around. I don't think they were security. I'm not going to get into it but it was weird.

In the center of the room there are boxes of bras arranged by their exact sizes (e.g. 34 DD). For the most part the right bras were in the right boxes though I did find a few bras without labels. Unfortunately there is no way of telling what size those bras are without measuring them. I think the bras that aren't in the bags are supposed to be the samples but there's no way of telling as some of the bags seem to have been removed during the course of the sale. The women working out the checkout counter seem to be familiar with the styles or the labels so there shouldn't be an issue with this.

Then there are the bras hanging up on the wall which are arranged mostly by band size (number) with the a few sections for the highest cup sizes (G, H, DDD). Among the bras on the wall I found a lot more A's and B's with some of the larger sizes mixed in as well.