Comments on: Crazy Lines at the 2010 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale

By: shady greene

shady greene — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:59:12 +0000

Vera Bradley makes no money on the sale of the items or the $5.00 reg fee.

100% of the proceeds go to BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. 100% which at some time in your life, you or a family member may benefit from.

IT IS NOT VB’S FAULT that fire code says X amount of people can be in the building at one time.

TAKE IT UP WITH ALLEN CO AND GET OFF VERA BRADLEY’S BACK.

By: shady greene

shady greene — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:47:08 +0000

Patricia, you are very rude and judemental.

just so you know……….100% of the proceeds, yes 100% goes to BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. now you may choose to make your charitable contributions to the animal shelter, but others choose to donate to BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. some day YOU or one of your loved ones, if you have any may benefit from that research and thankfully there are people like the one you b!ched at who went to the sale and spent money that went to that research!

By: Patricia

Patricia — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:20:37 +0000

I would like to say that while you were waiting in line thinking about plush purses etc. there were little animals waiting at the animal shelter to be euthanized. How about we stop thinking of me me me and thing of all the other things in the world that need attention.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:26:35 +0000

Hi Vicki,

If I were you, I would contact the Vera Bradley customer support department at (888) 855-8372. I had asked a couple years back if they gave tours, and at that time, the answer was no. The outlet sale is only once a year, and it’s not at their factory, but is off-site at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum. There are outlet stores open year round in Chicago, Illinois, and in Wrentham, Massachusetts. Visiting one of those locations may be a fun bus trip, and the ladies could also shop at the other outlet stores located nearby. Hope that helps!

By: Vicki Daugherty

Vicki Daugherty — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:52:00 +0000

Is it possible to bring a group to Fort Wayne and shop at the factory during the year? Or is the sale the only time sales are allowed at the factory?

As minister to older adults at a church in Louisville KY, I would like to bring a bus of my ladies up to shop, but obviously not at the spring sale. Is there any other way? Thanks, Vicki

By: ineedhelp

ineedhelp — Mon, 10 May 2010 22:39:09 +0000

i need help plzz how many vera bradley’s have been sold ever? i need it its homework for me!! and btw ive waited that long before over 13,000 ppl were there and i waited /w my boyfriend(he took me there for my b-day)and it was 7and a half hours lol.we stayed but then they closed for a day WOW WTF my boyfriend ended staying (poor him).i went home i cant take it anymore i have it now looking at it……………………………… SO WORTH IT!!!!!

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:25:30 +0000

Jane says:
May 7, 2010 at 11:15 am

FYI…We traveled over ten hours (4 states away) to attend the outlet sale on Saturday. Waited 2.5 hours in line and got in to find that many of the items were sold out and others only available in one fabric that apparently no one wanted (Puccini) Talked to a Vera employee who said they were sorry but were overwhelmed by the response. Markdowns were minimal…at most 50%, but many things not even that. Went to the checkout line and took another 1.5 hours to check out. Came outside and saw the long line still winding around the entire parking lot. Heard later that some people waited in line for 6.5 hours that day only to have the whole thing close down before they got in. While sometimes things like that can be considered a “fun experience”, I really think the Vera company messed up and should reexamine their plan. Pre registration numbers should have clued them in as to how many people would be coming. Preregistering should have given customers a specific hour to shop on a specific day, and limit the number of people there at any given time to adhere to fire codes. They should have continued to put items out all day, every few hours, instead of allowing greedy people to get all the great selections. Sleeping in the parking lot, waiting in line for hours to see a two hour, one-time concert is not the same as a four day multi-million dollar outlet sale. If they have that much product, they can distribute it more evenly over the days to give everyone a little enjoyment. However, if all they are doing is trying to make a buck and they don’t care about their customers….well, I’d say it was a grand success!

By: Becky D

Becky D — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:25:15 +0000

Have come from Ann Arbor, MI for several years for the outlet sale, combining it with a vacation visiting relatives in South Bend, and time at Shipshewana. Lines before this year have always been long, but we arrived Friday morning about 11am and saw people standing in the parking lot. Decided to come back after dinner and did get in at 7:15pm without waiting. However, spent nearly 2 hours in the checkout line. Absolutely love Vera Bradley products but this will be my last outlet sale until the company either starts limiting customers to a sane number, or staging the sale in a larger venue. We’re veterans of many festivals in Northern Michigan, and unfortunately what starts out as a nice event tends to morph into a nightmare for everyone.

By: Teresa from Dayton

Teresa from Dayton — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:35:37 +0000

This was my second year to attend the sale, I came with 3 ladies that had not attended the sale in the past. We all came to the conclusion we would not make the 2 1/2 trip again. Here is why…the lines were terrible. We got there at 8:40 and waited in the outside side line for 2 hours and in the inside line (not moving) for another hour. Finally got in the sale to find the selection very poor and not discounted as much as in the past. We waited in line to pay for another 2 hours. Last year I bought a diaper bag for $35.00, this year $69.00. Last year I bought several large totes for $10.00, this year $39.00. In 2009, I bought make up bags for $3.00, 2010 same bags $12.00. I thougth the pricing would have been better than before, since the bags are now being made outside the US!! Last year there seemed to be more people involved in stocking and filling the empty tables. Also, a line for small orders would be a good idea. This sale needs work…the 2010 sale at some point seemed a little dangerous to me, I found myself looking for the exits. Hey Vera, fix this mess before someone gets hurt.

By: Maryann

Maryann — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:19:17 +0000

I talked my husband into taking the day off on Friday so we could spend our usual $1,000.00 or so on gifts for the year. We drove in from Michigan, arrived at 9:30, waited 2 hrs. in the parking lot, heard we still had several hrs. before we’d hit the sales floor, and left. I also heard about the rude behavior inside, which I find appalling. In past years, people were very nice. I’m planning to shop online even though the prices are higher-I’ll just be buying fewer items and waiting until the patterns I like are greatly reduced.
I agree that the old way was better. People shouldn’t be allowed to come back day after day, and perhaps there should be limits on how many items per pattern they can buy. Of course, if people didn’t buy the merchandise on Ebay and other online sources, the people selling it this way would stop buying so much at the sale.
I feel especially bad for the people who worked this sale. I know they worked very hard, and I’m sure they stayed cheerful in a very difficult situation.