What It Takes To Win a Sample Sale
An in-depth guide on the art of sample sale-ing, blessings from the Sandy Liang gods, and group chats that score the best deals in NYC.
41 DIVISION STREET — It’s 4 o’clock in the morning. Laura’s just arrived to find she’s the first one here. She told her boss she had a gnarly case of food poisoning and she’s praying the lie won’t come back to bite her. The doors won’t open for another eight hours, but the sale starts now. This is what it takes to win.
It’s the thrill of the game that keeps us tethered to the queue: finding the elusive bucket list runway sample; hushed rumors of a 90% off bin; that urban legend of a friend of a friend of a friend who snagged her vintage Vera Wang wedding dress for $50 after camping out overnight.
A sample sale is a casino for clothing — wagering time for half-priced designer, blowing on dice and crossing our fingers that the jackpot is in stock in our size. It’s just the luck of the draw.
While so much of the experience is out of hand, subject to the whims of fatalistic wait times and fleeting inventory, a good strategy can make all the difference. For a glimpse inside the playbook, I chatted with Laura and Suzu, veteran Sandy Liang sample-salers who scored the #1 and #3 spots in line at this month’s sale.
The 2025 Sandy Liang sample sale was advertised to start at noon, but it technically began eight hours prior when Laura showed up. She walked around the block for an hour under a steady drizzle of early spring rain, she said, not wanting to stand stagnant and alone in the cold. The plight of a girl in pursuit of a discount.
The crux of the queue is this: You’re either killing time at the front end (before the sale starts, waiting for the doors to open) or at the back end (after the doors open, waiting for the people in front of you to shop and leave). The latter all but guarantees roadblocks in finding what’s on your wishlist.
Laura said she much prefers waiting at the front end to maximize her luck and minimize a haunting ‘what if’ factor. What if someone in front of you grabbed your dream top? “I just can't even deal with that,” she said. “If I'm taking the time to go, I have to be first.”
Suzu arrived at 6:30 a.m. and snagged herself a commendable third place in line. (Second place arrived around 4:40 a.m., for reference.) For her, a sample sale is just another day clocking in at the fandom factory.
“I think there's a slight crossover within the demographic of K-pop fans and Sandy Liang fans,” she said. “The girls I was standing next to in line, we were both relating in the sense where we've only ever done this for a K-pop group.”
So take some tips from the K-pop girlies — no time is too early, but always consider your safety and wellbeing the priority.
If you’re arriving alone, especially if it’s before the sunrise, bring a friend or make sure someone you trust has your location. There’s no discount worth your safety!
For Laura and Suzu, seasoned pros on pressing missions, comfort has to be the priority. Rolling out of bed in the 3s will do that to you.
“I'm rocking sweatpants. I'm rocking a cap. I'm rocking sunglasses and a face mask. I don't want to be recognized at all,” Laura said. “I can't even imagine showing up with a full beat in a cute little outfit with cute shoes — I'm just trying to survive.”
They both opt for sweats in these situations, which only makes sense considering the 6-8 hours in line they had ahead of them. If you’re showing up early, consider following suit (or should I say following sweatsuit?).
If the idea of wearing sweats outside the house gives you hives, the majority of shoppers (aka those who woke up at a normal hour) take the opportunity to put together a look by or inspired by the designer.
In the case of Sandy Liang, the barrier between fan of the brand and fan of the person can be quite thin. Fans can tell you she wore Merrells at her wedding and they’ll double tap her photo dumps of design content and intimate family snapshots. Photo dumps shared on the official brand Instagram page, that is, blurring the line between business and personal, not unlike most influencers.
This means a large percentage of sale attendees treat the event as they would a concert or another fan-centered experience. It’s a sample sale, but it’s also proximity to an idol. It’s harder than ever to distinguish between “consumer” and “fan” when consumerism has become a hobby itself.
In the same way you’d reach for a rhinestoned cowboy hat to attend the Cowboy Carter tour, you might reach for an oversized silk scrunchie and a pleated skirt for the Sandy Liang sample sale.
Sandy herself came out to greet the line, bearing gifts of egg tarts and walnut cookies for the queue of awestruck shoppers. She lauded Laura’s efforts for the first place spot and asked to take a photo together. Laura, in her most casual disguise, was torn — “I'm like, damn. I mean, I kind of want to take the mask off for the clout, but I don’t want to lose my job!”
Perhaps the most useful thing to have is a friend to commiserate with. But in case that’s not an option, these items may be useful in your arsenal.
Book (or three)
E-reader (more books, less weight)
Nintendo Switch or Game Boy
Extra clothing layers
Hat for sun
Umbrella for rain
Sunscreen
Water bottle
Snacks
Face mask
Portable charger
Deck of cards
Cash (if they specify cash only, Sandy was card only)
Reusable shopping bags
Mini camping chair
For the most DIY of seating options, tuck a paper bag into your purse to unfold and use as a barrier between your butt and the street. Something to sit on is high on the priority list, Laura said, because “standing for six hours is not fierce.”
Fret not about stepping out of line to find a bathroom or grab a matcha, Suzu said, someone will hold your spot in line. "Honestly it was so girlhood-coded,” she said of the most recent Sandy sale. “I felt like a girl’s girl, and like everybody around me were girl’s girls.”
Brands often take to their socials to share previews of sale stock — Suzu said this is the time to sleuth. “I saved the video, and I paused each frame to see what they had in the sale. And then I from there, I garnered my choices.”
With expectations set and a list in hand, the chaos will feel more manageable. If possible, spend some time trying on pieces in the store a week before the sale. Sample sales often don’t have dressing rooms or allow try-ons, and knowing your size already can cut your time in half. (Plus, you might try something on in-store and realize you don’t love it as much off the hanger).
“That's a sign from whatever high power above — that was a sign from the Sandy Liang gods — that I was meant to wait for this top.”
Suzu’s dedication to pre-sale prep landed her the top item on her wishlist — and it was marked down to $50(!!!). “I succeeded. I got some of my dream tops that I've been wanting for over a year that I've considered buying at full price,” she said.
“That's a sign from whatever high power above — that was a sign from the Sandy Liang gods — that I was meant to wait for this top.”
Perhaps the most worthwhile strategy, however, starts by saying hi to your queue neighbors. Suzu and Laura met through the sample sale lines — along with a handful of other Sandy Liang superfans who communicate via a group chat dubbed “Sandy Liang HQ.” They’ve been collecting members for the past three years, and they’re always in the first few spots.
Meetings new friends in line is what makes the whole experience worth it, Laura said. There’s a willingness to look out for one another that opposes every media depiction of women throwing punches for boots or tearing each other’s hair out for a half-priced bag. There’s a sense of camaraderie so strong among the shoppers that they might even spend their precious time inside helping you find your wishlist.
Not only is chatting with your line mates a polite and fun way to pass time, the friend you make in line might be your ticket to securing the pieces you want, Laura said. Trade your wishlists and keep an eye out for their items as you rifle through looking for your own — having two sets of eyes in the room doubles your odds.
And after it’s all said and done, you’ll have twice as much to celebrate too. “We all run out with our bags, and we're like, ok, what did everybody get?” Laura said. “And everyone's screaming and clapping at a dress that you got for $150 instead of $300 — that's the best part.”
Last month’s repeats, including freaky little shoes, my Hatch (*sponsored), and hair products I actually use (rare).
A closet introspective and a What If of my nightmares.
Meditations on what a week in LA will do to a Vitamin D-deficient girl (have her walking into a running store and seeing 18th century European dress).
I went on the final day when everything was an extra 20% off, and still waited an hour and a half. So worth it though 🎀
Omg, that sounds like fun! I agree, there is always more bonding and camaraderie at these kinds of events than is ever depicted in media. The Fluevog sample sales are so busy, but such good deals.
Thanks for the fun article, Mac!💕