Dillard’s let us down in 2022 when they canceled the Dillard’s New Year’s Sale, especially in the wake of industry-shattering profits. They followed suit in 2023, canceling the customer-beloved event. And now again, there will not be a Dillard’s New Year Sale 2024.
This is disappointing on multiple levels, not the least of which is missing out on the impressive deals we used to score during the event. But it’s also a gut punch because Dillard’s is one of the few department stores that has managed to do well since the pandemic began, so we hoped they’d pass more savings on to us as a result.
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1. The Dillard’s New Year’s Sale used to happen every year on Jan. 1, but doesn’t look like they have any plans to resurrect it.
The Dillard’s New Year’s Sale had become so predictable that for a lot of people, shopping the sale was a holiday tradition. When Dillard’s ran this sale, it was always on Jan. 1, or New Year’s Day.
2. There was no New Year’s Sale in 2022 or 2023. We won’t see the sale in 2024 either.
Jonathan Weiss | Dreamstime
In 2022, shoppers were shocked when the company low-key canceled the sale.
Concerns first arose when shoppers noticed Dillard’s wasn’t advertising the sale during the holidays. Then on Dec. 29, 2021, the company tweeted out confirmation that the Dillard’s New Year’s Sale would not take place on Jan. 1, 2022. That same day, they put signage out in stores across the country confirming the rumors: Dillard’s would not hold their annual sale.
Outrage ensued, with some particularly invested shoppers accusing the department store of ruining the entire year of 2022.
For Dillard’s part, they said they simply couldn’t offer steeper discounts on clearance items that had already been marked down.
It was kind of a hollow argument, though, as Dillard’s had reported industry-defying sales and profitability in the third quarter of 2021, causing their stock prices to take off. While other department stores and retailers have struggled and even filed for bankruptcy in the wake of the pandemic, Dillard’s had found a way to come out stronger, despite some store closures.
They made this announcement in the wake of the stock rally, so it didn’t really make sense that they were canceling the 2022 New Year’s Sale.
3. Will the Dillard’s New Year’s Sale be back for 2024?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. It will not be back for 2024. It’s a terrible shame, because this sale used to bring flocks of people into their stores. Here’s what it looked like in years past.
Related: Christmas Clearance Sales
4. The Dillard’s New Year’s Sale was typically 50% off clearance items.
If you weren’t familiar with this event, you should know that the Dillard’s New Year’s Sale typically featured clearance items marked down even more than usual.
Then on top of that, all clearance items received an additional 50% off. Let’s take a look at what that looked like in some instances:
These Gianni Bini Western dress boots originally sold for $229. Then they were permanently marked down to $137.40 — or 40% off. For the Dillard’s New Year’s Sale, they were marked down even further.
But even if they weren’t, during the sale you’d still get that additional 50% off. Fifty percent of $137.40 is $68.70, which means that’s all you’d pay for this dazzling set of footwear. Overall, that’s 70% off the original list price.
Pretty amazing!
5. You had to prepare for madness on the day of the New Year’s Sale.
This sale was pretty incredible. But it was also sheer madness. If you were shopping this sale in person, you needed to get there way early, as the line to get in tended to wrap around the store.
Once you were inside, it was traditional to expect Black Friday-esque, Tickle-Me-Elmo-like chaos in all the clearance sections as shoppers vie for the best deals and brand names.
In years past, the Dillard’s New Year’s Sale had also been offered online. So you could potentially stay up until the wee hours of the morning on Jan. 1, hitting refresh until the 50% off prices get applied.
6. You can’t make returns on certain clearance items at Dillard’s.
One thing you absolutely need to know about shopping Dillard’s clearance in general: you cannot return clearance items when they’re marked down below 65%, according to the Dillard’s return policy.
So those Gianni Bini dress boots? If you did get them for 70% off, your purchase would be absolutely final. No returns if they didn’t fit right.
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