Oh Vera!

Okay, I’ve been talking all year about my annual trip to Ft. Wayne, Indiana for the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. Well, this past weekend was the big day. And all I have to say is Oh Vera!

My group of 5 lovely ladies met in Dayton at 6:30 a.m. and after breakfast at Cracker Barrel (because what’s a road trip without Cracker Barrel?), we headed off to Ft. Wayne.  When we arrive in Ft. Wayne at 10:30, we realized we were literally late to the party.  We parked at the Coliseum and got in a HUGE line.  Lest you think I am exaggerating, I took a picture of where we were in line in relation to the Coliseum where the sale is held.

Can you see the Coliseum? This was one long line!!!!

Three hours, seven minutes, a not-too-pleasant trip to the portable toilet, and a nasty sunburn later- we were allowed to enter the Coliseum.  The sale was set up just as I remembered and with pink garbage bags in hand, our group navigated the EXTREMELY crowded sale like pros.  At one point, however, the sale coordinators let a tour bus full of shoppers skip the line and enter the sale through the back door.  Later, those same shoppers were allowed to check out privately without waiting in line.  NOT COOL, VERA… NOT COOL….

I have to say that the 2009 prices and selection seemed better.  Although I did manage to drop almost $300… (I really hope my husband doesn’t read my blog!).  I did get some good finds like the clutch wallet for $15 and the Morgan handbag for $14.   Our group was tired and hungry.  We got in line to checkout.  Two and a half hours later, we checked out.

This is the second half of the checkout areas!

I cannot tell a lie.  It wasn’t the most pleasant time of my life.  Standing for hours at a time in line for discount VB is not as awesome as a massage or pedicure.  That said, several people in my group said we’d be back again next year.  I’m hoping that they weren’t just being kind to me since I planned the whole trip.

My Shopping Pals!

But, I’m hoping Vera Bradley re-considers their sale organization next year.  It’s difficult to squeeze 65,000 shoppers into 4 days.  Maybe having several sales a year or making reservations or using something similar to Disney’s FastPass system would help out.  I’m also thinking that VB should be auctioning tickets to a very special pre-sale or early admission for their foundation.

And PS- you could have made a fortune selling sunscreen and hot dogs in the parking lot this weekend!