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Lululemon's annual, epic warehouse sale is well underway in Minneapolis, Minnesota with three-hour lines at the Minneapolis Convention Center, impromptu yoga demonstrations and a whole lot of discounted gear.
If you're planning on heading over (it runs through Sunday), or just derive some sort of voyeuristic pleasure from the thought of women queued up for hours for $50 off Luon bottoms, Wine Mommies, an experienced Lulu warehouse vet, has printed an extensive guide to what to expect at this weekend's event. Some crucial tips:
1. Don't bring a big bag. They're not allowed inside the sale. "You can check things at the front with members of the staff, but there is a fee attached."
2. Lululemon will restock. "However, the highly sought after items are usually in limited quantities and are gone by noon the first day."
3. Avoid the changing room. "The changing rooms will be communal – available to men and women alike. Think of the changing room as Dante's nine circles of Hell and skip them completely – you don't need the chaos and anxiety it will cause you. However, keep in mind as you shop, that near the changing room is a gold mine of discarded items.
4. Sale items won't be returnable at Lulu stores. "Tags are removed at check-out to prevent store returns and white removable tags located inside the garment have a black line through them. If you're planning to resell them as NWT, think again."
5. Occasionally, they'll knock an extra 10% off purchases. "Additional discounts are offered inside the sale over the loudspeaker. In order to get people moving in and out, occasionally they will offer additional percentages off your entire purchase if you get into the check-out line within five minutes – usually 10% off, in my experience."
6. Kindly fellow Lulu fanatics might "angel" for you. "If you're familiar with some of the lululemon Facebook groups, you might want to offer to angel some items for those who can't make it. I'm on the lookout for some people, but with a 25-item limit, I can't help everyone (and I'm not about to wait in line a few times over, no matter how nice I am!). Do this at your own risk – I've done it a few times for those out of the country, and I've had nothing but wonderful experiences."
· What to Expect When You're Expecting (a lululemon Warehouse Sale) [Wine Mommies]
· Yogasm: Scenes From the Lululemon Warehouse Sale [Racked]