I finally drank the Lululemon Kool-Aid.
Well, let’s say I drank the discount Kool-Aid.
I did make my first Lulu purchase, but I still have yet to buy a full-priced item. And I most likely never will.
If you know me, you know I have a thing against paying full-price for anything. When I know certain brands eventually discount their items, often have big sales, or have outlet stores, I just can’t wrap my brain (wallet) around buying their items without some sort of discount. It’s not about being cheap, it’s just something a seasoned shopaholic learns. Of course, sometimes you love something so much that you don’t care. Or it’s such a reasonable price to begin with that it’s not worth waiting or researching. But in the case of $128 workout pants, I’ll put in the work.
With that in mind, I went to the Lululemon outlet in Kittery, ME with my friends from out of town. They all went crazy when we entered the store, so I was left to fend for myself in this new territory. I immediately saw the classic, tight Lulu workout capris – but my enthusiasm sank when I saw the still-steep price tag. I figured that would be how the entire store would be, and I consoled myself by thinking about the upcoming Vineyard Vines Whalehouse Sale I needed to save for. (Spoiler alert: that was another bust.)
Anyway, since I had time to kill while my friends tried things on, I decided to commence an in-depth hunt. I didn’t let one item in my size go untouched. I didn’t just check out the cult classics – I perused the “odd” sections as well.
That’s how I scored.
I first found found an unusual pair of printed pants. I’m not even sure what to call the style, except to explain that they have a slightly baggy crotch. They were an eye-catching black and white print with a floral waist. Although the low price tag had jumped out at me, I had to ask my friend Rachel if they were weird-cool (yeah, that’s a thing) or just ugly. She thought I should give them a try. They ended up looking so cool on. They’re definitely not for working out, but who does that anyway? Kidding. The fitting room attendant told me that her friend wore them to a bachelorette party…that’s definitely not any kind of bachelorette party I want to be a part of, but I would definitely wear them out with a cool top.
Next, I grabbed a pair of black pants with a satin tuxedo stripe down the side. They were on a super cheap sale rack, but weren’t marked as such. Always, always ask. The employees had simply missed them when marking down the rest of the items! Yes. These pants are also not exactly cardio friendly – in fact, they have a sort of classy, fancy look to them. Plus, who can go wrong with an elastic waistband? Extra dessert for all!
Lastly, I spotted an adorable black skort. I am a sucker for skorts. One time a girl at school tried to make fun of me for wearing a hot pink one on the elliptical and told me they’re for tennis. I told her that I try to always be myself, even in the gym, so I would wear the brightest, most feminine outfit I wanted. Keep sippin’ that Haterade. Ok, back to the point. The Lulu skort has cute tiered ruffles in the back. It wasn’t dirt cheap like my other finds, but because I am such a skort enthusiast, I had no choice.
Pant 1: Original price of $128, purchased for $19
Pant 2: Original price of $128, purchased for $19
Skort: Original price of $58, purchased for $39
Original total of three items: $314
My total: $77
Total savings: $237!
All I have to say is if the Olympics do come to Boston, I’ll bring us home the gold for bargain shopping.
