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There'll be no more gnashing of teeth and maxing out of credit cards in Chelsea as the consumer conflagration that is the Barneys Warehouse Sale came to a smoldering end yesterday. The peace that now reigns on West 17th Street is a temporary one however, as next February will see the whole spectacle repeated but with freezing temperatures.
Good news for those of you who (wisely) decided to skip the final day frenzy and instead enjoy your holiday—the lines were horrendous and the selection even more so. We were there, and even further back in the line to get in than we were on opening day. The order of the day seemed to be brunch and Barneys.
Inside, all was chaotic and the power of the discrete shove was the only thing keeping everyone moving along. Just as a commenter warned, the line to check out in mens was the longest of all, snaking around the center and looking like a solid hour wait.
When finally we dug some goodies out of the maelstrom, like Maison Martin Margiela pumps for $120 and John Varvatos knits for $40 (after all extra discounts, of course), we had lost nearly two hours and still faced 40 minutes in line for the registers. We must again stress that Sunday was really the day to go for the best selection combined with the final discounts.
Seeing all the ripped Stella McCartney, Etro and Burberry leftovers, we now question what happens to it all. We did overhear a staffer say that everything gets saved for the next sales or put back at Co-op, but other theories abound. We'll see if next year they've still got those navy-sequined flapper dresses from Kate Moss for Topshop, but until then it's been fun.
· All Barneys Warehouse Sale Coverage [Racked]
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