Shopping in New York City
... Retail, Resale, Discount and Very Secret Sales
New York City is a shopping and fashion paradise. Shopping in New York City means different things to everyone. There are large department stores, high end boutiques, specialty stores, flagship stores of most every brand, discount stores and resale shops ...and as you're walking from one to the next, hundreds of street vendors to distract you along the way.
Each shopping area in New York City has it's own unique flair - SoHo, Meatpacking District, Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, Chinatown, East Village...
If you love to shop, then you have found your heaven on earth!
Like so much of NYC, many real Insider Secrets cannot be found in a tour book. Some of the best shopping in New York City is a hidden secret.
NYC Insider Tip - Only in NYC
You'll notice many of the stores unique to New York City will have the most distinctive selection, since they only have to stock their one or two stores - no mass ordering, trucking, warehousing, etc.
This allows them the ability to work with emerging designers, locally and globally, even highlighting some very young, but talented designers, from our world famous Fashion College, FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology).
Shopping in New York City - Department Stores
You can find details on the major department stores in any guide book and on many websites. But here are highlights and brief descriptions on Shopping in New York City at Department Stores...for complete details, check About.com, or the official Tourism Site of NYC, NYCGo.com.
- Bloomingdales - overall great department store, easy to navigate, great sales, good designer selection for teens and up. Here's a great way to get cash back all your online Bloomies purchases.
- Bergdorf Goodman - one of my favorites! Highlights are the cosmetic selection, spacious store, lots of up and coming designers, very helpful staff and organized with little boutiques by brand, like mini-stores within a store.
- Henri Bendel - great for new designers and cosmetics (they discovered what is now Créme de La Mer before Estée Lauder did!), chic, young and urban with the Frederic Fekkai salon on the fourth floor.
- Barneys New York - my other favorite! Unique merchandise, first to market many new designers, amazing shoes, very nice staff, excellent dining at Fred's on the 9th floor. Check our sample sale page for the famous bi-annual Barney's Warehouse Sale.
- Saks Fifth Ave - hands down, the best shoe department on the planet, they even have their own zip code (10022-SHOE). Excellent dress selection, very large store. Here's a great way to get over 4% cash back all your online Saks purchases.
- Lord and Taylor - elegant and stylish merchandise, great dress selection for all ages. Best suited for the over-40 crowd (it was my Grandmother's favorite back in the day!) Here's a great way to get over 5% cash back all your online Lord and Taylor purchases.
- Macy's - while we all have a soft spot in our heart for the landmark, Macy's, founder of the most famous Thanksgiving Day Parade and backdrop of "Miracle on 34th Street," this store is huge (2 city blocks, 9 Floors), crowded, in a very congested area with little else around it and lacking sales staff. Here's a great way to get cash back all your online Macy's purchases.
Do know someone who LOVES to shop?
Discount Department Stores
When shopping in New York City, you should definitely try the two largest discount stores, Century 21and Loehmann's (Filene's Basement is currently working through a bankruptcy). Both are excellent and their everyday prices beat any department store sale. Their prices are similar to clearance prices, but usually during the current season. As with most discount stores, they are "hit or miss," depending on the day/week you go and what you're looking for...but you never know what goodies you can find.
Loehmann's - (not Loehmans) buys nationally, so they have brands such as Juicy Couture, Theory, Nine West, Polo and DKNY. Great jean selection, Rock & Republic, Seven, Joe's. Occasionally, you can also find Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Chanel and I even saw Hermés, once. The Upper West Side location often has a better selection than Chelsea as it has less traffic.
Century 21 - similar to Loehmanns, but with a huge Men's department as well. Right near Wall Street and originally targeted to the business shopper. Because they work directly with the garment district reps, and only have to stock locally, they also have very high end designers. Armani, Pucci, Prada and Missoni are regulars and they have a great shoe department for both men and women. If you are downtown (Ground Zero, Wall Street) and want to try shopping in New York City, Century 21 is definitely worth checking out. Their hours revolve around Wall Street, please check in advance.
NYC Insider Tip - Street Vendors
If it has a brand name, it's not authentic or real - Rolex watches, Prada purses, videos and games - all fakes. See the The New York Times article, What’s ‘Even Worse’ About Buying Fake Handbags?, about these vendors using their counterfeit goods as a way to support terrorism and child labor.
What can you buy when Shopping in New York City from Street Vendors? Some things include costume jewelry, "pashminas" and scarves (3 for $10, in every color, and then you can use them as airplane blankets on the way home), leather goods, artwork and photography and any other crafts or wares clearly made by the vendor selling them.
Shopping in New York City - Resale Stores
Let me dispell any misnomers about our Resale and Consignment Shops in Manhattan - they are incredible gems. All their items are hand-picked by the stores' managers, who are fashionistas, and are either brand new with tags, or very gently used. It is not uncommon for gently used to mean it was worn once, by a model or actress, during a photo shoot or runway show. Brands regularly stocked include: Prada, Chanel, Hermés, Gucci, Armani, Versace, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Theory, Missoni and more - all at a fraction of the retail cost. For a true shopping in New York City experience, our resale stores are not to be missed.
NYC Insider Recommended Resale Stores
Designer Resale
324 E 81st Street (1st and 2nd)
INA
15 Bleecker St. Between Lafayette and Bowery
101 Thompson St. Between Prince and Spring
208 73rd (2nd & 3rd)
Fisch for the Hip
153 W 18th (6th and 7th)
Note - best selection of used Hermés bags in town (Birkin, Kelly)
Other Resale Shopping in New York City
Roundabout
72 and Madison
646.755.8009
BIS Designer Resale
1134 Madison (84th & 85th)
Encore
1132 Madison Avenue (84th & 85th)
Michael's
1041 Madison Avenue, (79th and 80th)
LaBoutique
1045 Madison Ave - 2nd Floor, near 80th Street
803 Lex (& 62nd). - 2nd floor
160 W. 72nd St (Bway & Col)
Gabays
225 1st Ave (13 & 14)
M-S 10-7, Su 11-7
Outlet Shopping
If you are interested in a day trip out of the city and outlet prices on everything from Prada to Pottery Barn, check out Woodbury Commons (Central Valley, NY) and Tanger Outlets, (Riverhead, NY, Long Island). City Sights Bus Tours offers great bus trip shopping packages. Try the
Shop, Hop, and Top (4 Day Value Package) or the
Woodbury Common Premium Outlets Bus Tour
.
Shop, Hop, and Top (4 Day Value Package) |
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The Shop, Hop & Top includes 96 hrs of double decker sightseeing, attractions, and shopping! The tours include the Downtown Tour, Uptown & Harlem Tour, Night Tour and Brooklyn Tour. Attractions include free admission to the Museum of the City of New York, a cruise around the city's harbor on Circle Line, entrance to an observation deck at the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock*, and roundtrip bus ride to Woodbury Common's Premium Outlets. 2010 Price - $109 at time of writing |
Woodbury Common Premium Outlets Bus Tour |
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Enjoy the world's finest designer labels for less at Woodbury Common Premium Outlet. Visitors enjoy a distinctively upscale shopping experience while saving 25% to 65% every day. Make sure to visit all 220 designer and name brand outlet stores, where you will find impressive savings on Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Fendi, Gap Outlet, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Neiman Marcus Last Call, off 5 th - Saks 5 th Avenue, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tod's, and Versace, just to name a few.
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New York City Shopping and Sample Sales
New York City Shopping and Sales. A real New Yorker's top picks to the best events, sample sales, discounts in New York City. Discounts, coupons and secret sales.
NYC Sample Sale
A NYC Sample Sale is one of our best hidden gems. New Yorkers can get almost ANYTHING at a major discount off the retail price! As a visitor, it is nearly impossible to get the inside scoop on NYC Sample Sales.
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Thank you for visiting the NYC Insider Guide ...welcome to our city and I hope you love it as much as I do!
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Welcome to New York City!
