It's time for the White Sale!

It's that time of year again. I'm not sure I'm ready for it, but I have a feeling that you are. Tuesday February 15th marks the start of our annual White Sale. I feel the need to capitalize in the middle of a sentence because it's kind of a big deal. If you're a regular at Oleander for Home, you'll know that Sales are a very rare thing for me. Sure, I discount floor model bedding or pj's if there are some left at the end of the season. Every now and then I'll even have to clear product that wasn't a good fit for the store. But a store wide sale? It happens only twice a year. One is Oleander's Anniversary Party, held in the last week of November each year, when I extend a discount of 15% on all purchases made at the event. It's a three hour invitation only party that doubles as a fund raiser for the Ottawa Food Bank. And you heard that right: it's a store wide sale that lasts for a mere three hours. I do it every year as a thank you to my clients and because it's fun. The big deal, or real deal I guess, is the White Sale. It runs from February 15th to March 15th every year. Almost, and I do mean almost, everything in the store goes on sale. And let me tell you - the discounts are, for the most part, much bigger than that 15% you'll get at the Anniversary Party.

So what's the deal with the White Sale? Why is it so special? It's like this: I don't like the idea of using sales and discounts to sell products. I believe that merchants should strive to offer great products at fair prices and provide excellent service to back it up. Stores that are constantly offering sales, promotions and massive discounts simply can't survive and still offer great products at fair prices with excellent service. Something has to give. You're going to end up with inferior products, overinflated "regular" prices or poor to non-existent customer service. There's no real way that I could offer the products I have at the prices I do if I was discounting and offering sales every time someone asked "is that on sale now?" So again, why a big sale if it's impossible to have big sales? It's because I only do it once a year and I work hard to get it right. I'm able to go to my suppliers and buy the beautifully made linens that they need to clear in order to make room for the next year's fabrics. I bring in carefully selected duvet cover sets and sheets sets in fabrics that, for one reason or another, are being phased out or that the manufacturer simply overstocked. I buy locally made duvets and pillows in very large quantities (well, very large for a small independent store!) and pass on the volume discounts to my clients. The same goes with towels, robes and bath products. The timing of the White Sale is also very important. I go to trade shows at the end of January and take advantage of the show specials that my manufacturers use to entice me to spend more at a time of year that I might otherwise hold the purse strings tight. So there you have it. That's the deal with the Oleander for Home White Sale.

This year I have Revelle duvet cover & sheet sets, Brome Lake duvets & pillows, Bella Notte bedspreads & linen sheet sets, Peacock Alley coverlets, Amenity duvet covers, cushions and wall prints, throws, blankets, Alexandre Turpault bedding and loungewear, Royal Apothic fragrances, Portofino, LinenMe & Talesma towels, BedHead pj's and robes, Bath Matters locally made bath products, LinenWay table linens, Caldrea home care products and lighting too. It's all on sale while supplies last or until March 15th.

But I'm not really done yet . . .

In a slightly shocking turn of events a lot of my White Sale goods have shown up early. So you, beloved blog reader, get to take advantage of the deals a little early. The official notices won't go out for a couple of days yet but there are lots of great deals to be had right now. Come in and see me, you definitely won't regret it.