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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Quinnipiac chapter.

 

Admit it, when you walk through the Nordstrom nearest you, you practically drool over all the high-end clothing, makeup, handbags, accessories, and house ware items.  Although you know most of the items for sale are ridiculously overpriced, it’s Lucky Brand or Jessica Simpson.  How can a girl resist?  Easy!  Her budget simply won’t allow for those $200 jeans that she so desperately wants.

Fortunately for you, the average American girl on a budget, Nordstrom has been expanding over the past few years in an effort to make their clothing, shoes, accessories, makeup, and home products more affordable.  They opened a Marshall’s-esque chain of stores called Nordstrom Rack, which have cropped up in 31 states across the country.  (You can use their Store Locator to find one near you!)

Nordstrom Rack started as a clearance section in Seattle’s Nordstrom in the 1970’s, but expanded with the rest of the Nordstrom incorporation.  They carry designer brands at up to 70% off department store prices.  Perfect for a girl with a mission—and a budget.

Perhaps the most convenient feature of Nordstrom Rack is the team of employees they have swarming the store at all times.  They carry portable credit card machines, so if you’re paying with plastic, you can find someone in a green shirt and skip the lines altogether!  It’s shopping made simple.

Nordstrom’s latest addition, acquired by the company in March 2011, is like an online version of the discounted deals available in Nordstrom Rack stores.  It’s called HauteLook, and it’s perfect for the self-described online shopper.  The website features the same name brands that you’d find at a Nordstrom department store, but for up to 75% off the original price!

HauteLook.com is organized by events, each representing a different deal on a different designer brand.  New sales events are posted each day at 8 a.m. Pacific time, so there’s never a shortage of amazing deals to sort through.  The website features five departments: women, beauty, home, kids and men.  There’s also a section called “Events ending soon” that lists the sales that will soon become unavailable, so you can score the best deals before they are gone.

The best part: membership is free (please and thank you!) and you can even get rewards for inviting friends to shop on the site, too.  So tell me…what’s your favorite way to shop Nordstrom?

I am an undergraduate journalism major at Quinnipiac University. I love reading, writing, shopping, studying fashion, working hard, playing hard, and learning new things. I entertain interests in women’s issues and enjoy writing about all things interesting, beautiful, and humorous. Follow my blog at http://melissasirois.tumblr.com to see more of my work!