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Lilly Pulitzer's After Party Sale started Sept. 8 in stores and online Sept. 10. (Photo: KELLY TYKO/TCPALM)
Lilly Pulitzer, a brand known for its preppy and bright clothes, kicked off the online version of its semi-annual After Party Sale on Monday at www.lillypulitzer.com.
For fans of the Palm Beach, Florida-inspired prints, it’s one of the most anticipated sales of the year because it offers a rare chance to save on the designer line.
The in-store sale started Saturday morning with long lines as shoppers waited to grab deals.
The online sale started at 8 a.m. and almost immediately there were wait times of more than one hour.
"Don’t panic and think you need to refresh your page. Keep it open and give it time," the website advises. "There’s nothing more exciting than watching yourself get closer and closer to the front of the line!"
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During past sales, some online shoppers waited more than an hour and ran into glitches.
“I have run into technical issues and hassles like items disappearing from my cart each time I've tried to shop, so it's almost not worth it to even bother,” said Elizabeth Smith, of Orlando. “I'm sure the craziness around it is that the items are pricey and everyone loves a good deal.”
It wouldn’t be the @LillyPulitzer#afterpartysale if there weren’t 47315 people in front of me in line 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AbsupF7QlR — CourtneyLynne (@kourtneelynne) January 3, 2018
The company says the website was recently revamped and is "easier and faster to shop."
Heather Primmer, of Titusville, Florida, said she shops the sale for the excitement and describes it as “Black Friday for the cutest clothes.”
“I don’t care that the shipping can take weeks, or items can be canceled because the excitement of buying dresses that would normally cost $200 for $50 is exciting to me,” Primmer said.
According to the sale's frequently asked questions, orders can take four to six weeks to be delivered.
With pricing close at 50 percent or higher off, Brittany Calhoun said the sale makes purchasing the brand more affordable.
“I think the craziness of it being over a couple days and only twice a year is a bit much, definitely stressful and a mad dash to get online,” said Calhoun, of Columbia, South Carolina. “But to me the discount is worth it so I do shop online during the sale.”
In 2015, the brand had a designer collaboration with Target, which sold out within minutes online and caused a frenzy in stores.
Back from the #AfterPartySale at @LillyPulitzer and let me tell you...ya girl saved about $250 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 So many amazing items at the sale and it was PACKED! pic.twitter.com/5CGdQ3kMws — Allie 🥃⚾️ (@LifesADance44) September 8, 2018
Some shoppers say there’s an advantage to shopping in-store versus online, especially with all sales being final.
Jennifer Hayes, of Stuart, Florida, said she got to the Palm Beach Gardens Lilly Pulitzer store 45 minutes before the store opened for last year’s sale and was among the first group of shoppers allowed into the store. She did the same Saturday.
“Going to the store saves the hours of being in a virtual sale line,” Hayes said. “It was like a crazy Black Friday sale once inside but you were able to try items.”
Both the in-store and online sale end Wednesday.
Get prepared
Here are some important things to note about the sale:
The Lilly app won’t work during the sale.
A time-saving suggestion is to create an account and enter your credit card information in advance.
All After Party Sale items are final sale and are not eligible for return or exchange, according to the sale policy.
Due to high demand, it can take four to six weeks before your items are shipped.
CLOSE The launch of Target's Lilly Pulitzer product line created pandemonium at stores and online. Merchandise quickly sold out, leaving many shoppers angry and annoyed. VPC
Kelly Tyko is a consumer columnist and retail reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Read her Bargainista tips at TCPalm.com/Bargainista, follow her on Twitter @KellyTyko and email her at kelly.tyko@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her weekly newsletter at www.tcpalm.com/newsletters.
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Dear Lilly Lovers, we appreciate your patience and enthusiasm this morning. We are aware of the site issues and our team is working hard on the solution right now. As soon as we are able to share solutions or further information, we will post an answer in the comments. Again, thank you for your patience and the sale also continues in all stores today.
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