- Most Bloomingdale's shoppers leave money on the table by skipping the Loyallist program and missing the two biggest sale events of the year.
- The Friends & Family sale (usually 25% off) and semi-annual clearance events are the only times designer and contemporary brands see real discounts.
- Beauty gift-with-purchase promotions are basically free products, and almost nobody plans around them.
Mistake #1: Ignoring the Loyallist Program
This one drives me nuts because it's free. You walk into Bloomingdale's, spend $400 on a blazer, and walk out with zero points because you didn't take 90 seconds to sign up for the Loyallist program. There's no fee. No credit check. No store card required.
As a base-level Loyallist, you earn 3 points per dollar spent. Every 5,000 points gets you a $25 reward certificate. That's a 1.5% return on your spending. Not life-changing, but it adds up. Spend $2,000 over a year and that's $30 back in your pocket for doing nothing extra.
But the real value is in the bonus point events. Bloomingdale's runs triple and quadruple point promotions several times a year. During a 4x points event, you're earning 12 points per dollar, which brings your return rate to 6%. That's better than most cashback credit cards. Time your big purchases around these events and you'll stack rewards fast.
Sign up online before your next visit. Add your phone number to the account so associates can look you up at checkout. And download the app, because bonus point offers sometimes appear there before they show up on the website.
Mistake #2: Paying Full Price During Non-Sale Periods
Bloomingdale's runs a predictable sale calendar. If you know the rhythm, you'll never pay full retail on contemporary brands again. Here are the major events worth marking on your calendar.
Friends & Family (Spring and Fall)
This is the big one. Usually 25% off almost everything, including brands that rarely go on sale. It typically runs in late March/early April and again in October/November. Some exclusions apply (certain designer brands opt out), but the majority of the store participates.
A $395 Theory blazer drops to $296. A $248 Reiss dress drops to $186. These are real discounts on current-season merchandise, not last year's leftovers. If you've been eyeing something at Bloomingdale's, this is when you buy it.
Semi-Annual Sales (January and July)
These are clearance events where Bloomingdale's clears out seasonal inventory. Discounts start at 30% and can hit 60-70% on items that have been sitting around. The January sale is better for winter clothing and holiday gifting leftovers. The July sale clears spring and summer inventory.
The catch: sizes go fast. Like, really fast. If you're a common size (S, M, 8, 10), shop these sales on day one. By week two, you're picking through XXS and XXL remnants.
Other Sales Worth Knowing
- Labor Day and Memorial Day: Usually 20-25% off select departments
- Black Friday / Cyber Monday: Similar to Friends & Family, sometimes slightly deeper discounts
- Flash sales: Bloomingdale's runs 2-3 day flash sales monthly on the website, usually 30-40% off a specific category
The strategy is simple. Buy basics and investment pieces during Friends & Family. Buy trendy or seasonal pieces during semi-annual clearance. And check the website weekly for flash sales in categories you care about.
Mistake #3: Not Knowing About Price Adjustments
This is the tip that saves the most money with the least effort. If you buy something at Bloomingdale's and it goes on sale within 14 days of your purchase, you can get a price adjustment for the difference. You don't need to return and rebuy. Just contact customer service or visit the store with your receipt.
Here's how to use this strategically. If you spot something you love and it's two weeks before Friends & Family, buy it now (so you don't lose your size), then request a price adjustment when the sale starts. You get the item you want in your size AND the sale price.
Some exclusions apply. Price adjustments don't work on final sale items or items that sell out and get repriced. And the 14-day window is firm. But for regular-priced merchandise that goes on sale, this policy is gold.
Pro tip: save your receipts (or keep your order confirmation emails) for at least two weeks after every purchase. Check the website periodically to see if your items dropped in price. Five minutes of checking can save you $50-$100.
Mistake #4: Overlooking the Online Outlet
Most people know about Bloomingdale's outlet stores if they live near one. But the online outlet is wildly underused. Go to bloomingdales.com and look for the “Outlet” section in the navigation. It's a separate shopping experience with its own inventory.
You'll find mainline Bloomingdale's brands at 25-70% off. Recent finds include Calvin Klein dresses at $39 (originally $130), Aqua cashmere sweaters at $59 (originally $198), and Cole Haan shoes at $89 (originally $250). The deals are real.
A word of caution, though. Some outlet merchandise is made specifically for outlets, meaning it was never sold at full-line stores. The quality on these items can be lower. Look at the pricing language. If it says “Originally $X” that means it was in the mainline store. If it says “Compare At $X” it was probably made for the outlet. Both can be good deals, but know which one you're getting.
Check the online outlet every two to three weeks. Inventory rotates frequently, and the best items sell out within days. Set a bookmark and make it a habit.
Mistake #5: Sleeping on Beauty Gift-With-Purchase
If you buy prestige beauty products and you're not timing your purchases around gift-with-purchase (GWP) promotions, you're leaving free stuff on the counter. Literally.
Here's how GWPs work at Bloomingdale's. A brand like Estee Lauder or Clinique will run a promotion: spend $45 (or $75, depending on the brand) and receive a free gift set. These gift sets typically include 5-8 deluxe-size products worth $100-$175 if you bought them individually. We're talking actual usable sizes, not tiny foil packets.
GWP promotions rotate by brand throughout the year. Estee Lauder usually runs theirs in March/April and September/October. Clinique is similar but offset by a few weeks. Lancome, MAC, and other brands follow their own schedules.
The move: if you use a specific beauty brand regularly, stock up during their GWP period. Buy a few months' worth of your moisturizer or foundation at once to hit the spending threshold, and you'll get a bag of free products. Then use those free products to try new items from the line without risking money on something you might not like.
And here's the bonus play: GWP purchases earn Loyallist points. So you're getting free products AND points toward future reward certificates. That's as close to a win-win as department store shopping gets.
Mistake #6: Not Using the Store Credit Card Strategically
I'm not going to tell you to open a store credit card. Most of them are bad deals. But if you spend $2,000+ a year at Bloomingdale's already, the math on their card actually works out.
The Bloomingdale's credit card bumps your Loyallist earning rate from 3 points per dollar to 5 points per dollar. That pushes your reward return from 1.5% to 2.5%. Not amazing on its own, but stack that with the bonus point events (which multiply your card earning rate, not the base rate) and you can hit 10-12% returns during promotions.
Cardholders also get the extended 365-day return window, which is genuinely useful for gifts or investment pieces you need to think about. And they get early access to some sales, usually a day before the general public.
The interest rate is brutal, though. Around 30% APR. If you carry a balance even once, you'll wipe out every reward you've earned. Only get this card if you pay it off in full every month. No exceptions.
Mistake #7: Shopping Without a Game Plan
The biggest mistake Bloomingdale's shoppers make is walking in without a strategy. This is a store designed to make you spend impulsively. The displays are gorgeous. The lighting is flattering. The sales associates are trained to compliment you. It all works to separate you from your money.
Here's a better approach. Before you visit (online or in-store), make a list of what you actually need. Check the current promotions on the website. Look at what sales are running. Calculate whether the Loyallist bonus points event is active. And set a budget.
Use the website to browse and save items to your wishlist. Check prices. Read reviews. Then decide if you're buying online or going to the store to try things on. If you go to the store, bring your list and stick to it.
This sounds basic, but the average unplanned Bloomingdale's visit costs $200-$400 more than what you intended to spend. In a store where the average item costs $150+, one impulse purchase can blow your monthly clothing budget.
Bonus: Quick Tips for Online Shopping
- Use the app for exclusive offers. Bloomingdale's pushes app-only promotions that don't appear on the desktop site.
- Add items to your cart and wait. If you don't check out within 24-48 hours, you'll sometimes get an email with an extra discount to complete your purchase.
- Filter by “What's New” in the outlet section. Recent arrivals haven't been picked over yet and tend to have the best size selection.
- Check for stacking. Sometimes a site-wide sale, a category promotion, and bonus points all run simultaneously. Those are the golden days for buying.
- Read the reviews. Bloomingdale's product reviews are surprisingly honest and helpful. Pay attention to sizing notes from other shoppers.
The Bottom Line
Bloomingdale's rewards shoppers who pay attention. The deals are there, but they're not obvious. You need to know the sale calendar, sign up for Loyallist, time your beauty purchases around GWPs, and check the outlet regularly. Most people skip all of this and end up paying full retail for things they could have gotten for 25-40% less.
You don't need to obsess over it. Just spend 10 minutes at the start of each season checking the sale calendar, and make a habit of buying during events rather than on random Tuesdays. That simple shift will save you hundreds over a year.
The smartest Bloomingdale's shoppers treat it like a game: stack discounts, time purchases, earn points, and never, ever pay full price on something that'll be 25% off in three weeks.
