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An item produced by a designer or brand as a prototype for their collection. The buyers from major department and specialty stores make their selections for their stores based on reviewing these samples from each collection.

A sale of designer or brand samples that is open to the public. These samples are offered from 50% to 80% below retail price. Sample sales only run for a limited time, usually 2 or 3 days. Sample sales started because samples can’t be sold in stores because they do not have the proper care instructions or content labels. Some samples are dropped from the collection and therefore are never produced, meaning shoppers have the chance to purchase one-of-a-kind items at a sample sale.

Normally, apparel samples are one size. It depends on the brand or designer, but the industry standard is a size 4.

This is when a designer or brand sells their excess inventory, store returns, cancellations and samples at the end of a season. This type of sale usually obeys the same rules of a sample sale—prices are from 50% to 80% below retail, and the sale only runs for 2 or 3 days.

(aka Brick & Mortar) A sale that is held in a physical space, allowing customers to personally inspect merchandise. In most cases, customers can also try on the items for sale.

A virtual sale that is held on a website for a limited period of time. These sales allow customers to shop from home or anywhere they have access to the Internet.

A sale that is held both online and in-house.

The price major department or specialty stores pay to purchase a designer or brand-name item.

The amount taken off an item’s selling price.

The price that major department or specialty stores charge for an item.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price. This is what a designer or brand suggests a retailer should charge customers for its merchandise.

The amount added to the wholesale price of an item in order to make a profit. The markup plus the wholesale price is equal to the retail price. In general, merchandise is marked up between 2.2 and 2.5 times the wholesale price.

If the designer/brand does not have an MSRP for an item, Savvy & Co. marks up the price by 2.3 times the wholesale price. For example, if a bag’s wholesale price were $100, Savvy & Co. would indicate that the retail price was $230. We have chosen that rate so that retail prices aren’t overinflated.