OUpeargirl (or anyone else)- Dress help please!

[piggies]

Hi OUpeargirl, I know you work in a bridal shop, so I was looking for some inside info. Anyone else with experience in buying a current sample off the rack, please throw in your 2 cents as well.
So today I tried on an awesome dress- Justin Alexander 8534- and the sample fit me prefectly. The store ladies said ordered new it'd be $1250, but if I buy the sample it'd be $1200. Now call me out if I'm way off, but I thought that was kinda a wimpy discount. I'm not sure I have much to argue pricewise in my favor... the dress has only been tried on by me and is in flawless condition. The bridal shop is brand new and just opened two weeks ago. But I really don't want to pay that much for a sample dress!

So any insight is greatly appreciated! Thanks ladies!!

PS- Pardon the rudeness of not introducing myself... I'm much better at lurking but I REALLY need help

 

[PavePrincess]

I agree.. $50 is a wimpy discount, however there are a couple of things to maybe consider..

(1) They've only been open 2 weeks and you're the only one who has tried this dress on so, it's likely that the dress you love is NOT being discontinued. Most samples are marked down and sold because they have either been discontinued or just need to be replaced (damaged).

(2) If they sell you the floor sample, other potential buyers wont be able to try on and order the dress. They may lose business if this could have been someone else's "dream dress". So, they have little incentive when it comes to selling you their floor sample.

That being said.. if you have time on your side I would tell them that I'm waiting for a trunk show (at their salon or elsewhere) and the 10% discount that comes with it. When I was @ Kleinfelds they offered a 12.5% trunk show discount on the spot. Just a thought..

 

[mary poppins]

Do other stores carry this particular dress? If so, how much do they charge for it? Will you have to pay taxes or delivery charges?

 

[Future Mrs. Sterling]

I bought a sample dress that had only been on the floor a month (a mere 2 weeks longer than yours) had barely been tried on by anyone (they estimated less than a dozen people had tried it) and got a 28% discount. I would ask for more. 50 bucks is wimpy. It seems like they maybe they don't have a set floor sample policy yet. Could you ask them if they do, and what it is? As everyone else has mentioned, their discounts were % off, not flat dollar figures.

Edit: I LOVE Justin Alexander dresses, so I hope you are able to get a larger discount and purchase it so I can see how it looks on you!!! Good luck.

 

[sillyberry]

I don't know, a dozen people feels more significant than having been tried on just by the person buying the dress. At that point, it doesn't really sound like a "sample dress" to me. Honestly, it surprises me that they're willing to sell you the sample dress to begin with! I don't see why they would in their current situation.

piggies, at what price point would you be willing to buy the dress? If they had never offered the sample, would you have ordered the dress through them anyway? Will they throw in a veil or free alterations?

 

[piggies]

Thanks for the responses, ladies. Yeah, I know I have little argument in my favor to sell me the dress for less. I had told them I didn't want to spend more than $800 right off the bat. And they suggested that I try on the Justin Alexander dress (with me not knowing the price nor having any familiarity with this designer). I didn't even like the way it looked on the hanger. And then I put it on and loved it only to find out it's way more than I want to spend. So I can't get it at $1200 and I don't expect them to give it to me for $800, but meeting somewhere in the middle would be nice...
I was thinking maybe trying to get creative, asking for more of a sample gown price but let them hold onto the dress until their new sample comes in so they don't lose business not having the sample in the store anymore... I would just have to trust that they keep it in good shape... does this sound stupid?

 

[slg47]

Thanks for the responses, ladies. Yeah, I know I have little argument in my favor to sell me the dress for less. I had told them I didn't want to spend more than $800 right off the bat. And they suggested that I try on the Justin Alexander dress (with me not knowing the price nor having any familiarity with this designer). I didn't even like the way it looked on the hanger. And then I put it on and loved it only to find out it's way more than I want to spend. So I can't get it at $1200 and I don't expect them to give it to me for $800, but meeting somewhere in the middle would be nice...
I was thinking maybe trying to get creative, asking for more of a sample gown price but let them hold onto the dress until their new sample comes in so they don't lose business not having the sample in the store anymore... I would just have to trust that they keep it in good shape... does this sound stupid?

that sounds reasonable to me but someone like OUPearGirl would know more however I don't think you can be upset with the store if there is a small tear in the dress because that is just the nature of samples.

 

[piggies]

Oh, and here's the dress in question too, in case you awere curious. The dress actually is a short and long dress in one, though I doubt I'd wear it short at all... and FYI- he runs really small! I was a bridal size 6 or 8 (street size 4/6) in every other designer I tried on and I took a 10 in this label.

 

[mary poppins]

Thanks for the responses, ladies. Yeah, I know I have little argument in my favor to sell me the dress for less. I had told them I didn't want to spend more than $800 right off the bat. And they suggested that I try on the Justin Alexander dress (with me not knowing the price nor having any familiarity with this designer). I didn't even like the way it looked on the hanger. And then I put it on and loved it only to find out it's way more than I want to spend. So I can't get it at $1200 and I don't expect them to give it to me for $800, but meeting somewhere in the middle would be nice...
I was thinking maybe trying to get creative, asking for more of a sample gown price but let them hold onto the dress until their new sample comes in so they don't lose business not having the sample in the store anymore... I would just have to trust that they keep it in good shape... does this sound stupid?

First, I'm peeved on your behalf that the salespeople knowingly had you try on something out of your designated price range in a shameless effort to upsell. *I'm using the assumption that the salespeople knew the price of the inventory or could check the price before showing you a dress - not an unreasonable assumption. I would definitely use that to question their integrity and negotiate with them. I told you I didn't want to spend more than X and you showed me a dress that costs Y. Now, how low can you really go? Then try to get them to go lower or include a veil or alterations. The store is new and the owner doesn't want to get a bad reputation.

Second, I would absolutely not offer to buy the sample gown and then let the store keep it for others to try on until the store gets a new sample gown. It is in perfect condition now. If it gets ruined (torn, dirty, stained) by others trying it on between the time you agree to buy it and the time a new sample gown arrives, you will still be obligated to buy it. You likely won't bring your dress home and then risk damaging it before your wedding by letting your friends try it on. Why would you be willing to let/risk careless strangers try it on?

Negotiate as best you can for this dress and anything you can get with it or go find another dress in your price range.

Prior to negotiating with this store, I would also suggest finding out how much it sells for in other places and factor in taxes and delivery charges.

 

[Future Mrs. Sterling]

SB - I don't really know how many ladies tried my dress on before me. Could have been 6 or 12. It doesn't matter because the dress was in perfect condition! It was like a brand new dress. I actually accidentally wripped a stitch (a very little one that holds a piece of rouching) when I went back to try it on a 2nd time. So I did more damage to it than anyone else. Bad me.

Point being - see what their floor sample policy is (if they even have one). If they don't, negotiate your way to a lower price like Mary Poppins said. $50 is lame. Good luck!

 

[piggies]

Making progress! Good call on the trunk show thing... there's one this weekend at another shop and I called for a price quote for ordering a new dress and it well beat the sample price of the first store. Would love to give the first store business though since they did help me try on the actual dress plus one other last night. So hopefully we can come to a mutual agreement! Otherwise, I'll just have to order me a new one.

 

[sillyberry]

SB - I don't really know how many ladies tried my dress on before me. Could have been 6 or 12. It doesn't matter because the dress was in perfect condition! It was like a brand new dress. I actually accidentally wripped a stitch (a very little one that holds a piece of rouching) when I went back to try it on a 2nd time. So I did more damage to it than anyone else. Bad me.

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that your dress wasn't perfect! Only that I'm guessing that from the store's perspective there is something not very sample-y about a dress that has only been tried on only once, and thus I can see why they might be less inclined to bargain.

I also agree with marypoppins - they shouldn't have shown you a dress clearly out of the price range you set. Not cool.

piggies, I'm glad you're able to make some headway. I understand wanting to order from the place that helped you out the most. I had the same issue when I had great service from a salon but ended up ordering my dress from Pearl's Place because it was significantly significantly cheaper. I'm not sure if they carry that designer, but if you haven't looked there, you might consider it.

 

[PavePrincess]

Making progress! Good call on the trunk show thing... there's one this weekend at another shop and I called for a price quote for ordering a new dress and it well beat the sample price of the first store. Would love to give the first store business though since they did help me try on the actual dress plus one other last night. So hopefully we can come to a mutual agreement! Otherwise, I'll just have to order me a new one.

Yay! Glad that you have some options! Let us know how it turns out!