What dates are these treks given?
We have Accessory Addict Treks scheduled for just about every Monday, Wednesday at 2:30pm, plus some extra days during the Christmas holiday season.
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Where do we go on this trek?
We go to accessory showrooms that are not open to the public and available on to Elegant Tightwad Shopping Excursion guests. We may hit a sample sale or two if there is something interesting available, but 75-100% of the stops we make are not open to the public.
What is a "accessory showroom"?
These showrooms the offices that designers and manufacturers use to show their merchandise to buyers from the stores which will sell their clothes. They are not open to the general public. Some showrooms will also have design, or stock rooms in the same location, so you will get a real look behind the scenes of the garment industry.
What is a "sample sale"?
At least twice a year, spring & fall, designers & manufacturers create a new line of merchandise. The garment industry works six months in advance, so the fall line is created in the previous spring & the fall line is created in the previous spring. A sample line of these clothes are manufactured for the salesmen & showrooms to show to buyers from department stores & boutiques. When the season is upon us, the fall for instance, all the clothes for that season has been sold, cut, manufactured & shipped. At this point they have their sample line which is no longer needed, hence a sample sale is held to sell these items
Is transportation provided?
This is a walking tour, but we don't hike all over the city. We stay within approximately 3-4 blocks. There is more than 1 building on each block & many times more than one showroom in each building. There are places to sit at each showroom if need be along with restrooms.
Where does the trek begin ?
We meet at 5th Ave between 36th & 37th Sts. for this trek, however detailed instructions will be given on your confirmation page when you sign up & also will be emailed to you at that time. We don't want people just showing up without having already registered with us, so we don't give specific info on the website.
Who will be taking us around?
Either Pamela Parisi or one of her personal shoppers will be your fearless leader for the day.
Should we tip our leader?
Although tipping is not mandatory, most people do. Some of the factors to consider when determining the amount of a tip on a tour like this is, how happy you are with your service, of course, if the leader goes overtime & for how long & the amount of savings accumulated on your purchases.
Why are these treks only given from Monday to Friday?
Because we go to showrooms and do not go to stores, they are only available during regular business hours Monday to Friday from 9-5.
What types of accessories can we expect to see on this trek?
We will see handbags, jewelry, scarves, wraps, sunglasses & sometimes other types of items like gloves, hats & shoes. They are all current season designer accessories. Some of the labels you will recognize, some you will not. They all high quality brands that are sold in department stores like Macys, Bloomingdales, Nordstroms and upscale boutiques, not the type that are sold in places like JC Penney or Kohls.
Will we be able to purchase the accessories?
Yes!!!!! Of course!!! This is the entire purpose of this trek-to shop till we drop. This is not a sightseeing tour, this is a shopping trip. You will go behind the scenes & see the workings of the garment industry & we will answer any questions you have, but our focus is SHOPPING AT WHOLESALE & BELOW .
What is "wholesale"?
True wholesale is usually about 1/2 of the regular retail price. This is the most you will pay for a garment with us. Many, many of the items available will be below wholesale, which will be less then 1/2 of the regular retail price.
What are the typical prices of the accessories on this trek?
Most of the showrooms we visit will be middle of the road designer wear. This means that on our regularly scheduled treks we don't visit the Gucci's & the Prada's. We find that most people are not interested in getting a $2000 item for &1000 but rather they would like to get that $250 item for $75-$100. So most of the prices of the items we will see are from $5-$150 here. We will also see items that are priced higher, but there is enough in various price ranges to fit a wide variety of budgets and styles.
What are names of the showrooms we will visit?
We don't mention names beforehand. There are a number of reasons for this.
First, the primary purpose of these showrooms is to sell from buyers from department stores & boutiques. We may be scheduled to visit a particular showroom & then at the last minute a buyer calls for an appointment. If this happens we will have to skip that showroom. That will not affect the quality of the trek, because we have many more showrooms available to us then we could possible visit in one day. If one cancels we have plenty more to fill in. But if we say we are going to a particular stop and then we can't we run the risk of disappointment and we don't want to risk that.
Also many of the showrooms we visit do not want us to advertise that we go there. So shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone!
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