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How to Shop Old Navy

Old Navy is the go-to spot for true bargain shopping ($1 flip-flops???). The least expensive chain in Gap’s empire (Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta and Piperlime) always offers relatively fashion-forward clothing and accessories, for prices you can actually afford. Since we’re frequent Old Navy shoppers, we put together some tips to help you get the most out of Old Navy.

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8 Ways to Shop Old Navy

Old Navy

1. Shop for the whole family

From graphic tees to performance fleece to flip-flops, Old Navy will take a product, make it in every size and a rainbow of colors and highlight for customers of all ages. This can make shopping for your family a fairly simple experience as you can probably find something for everyone at the store.

Old Navy Racks

2. Timing is everything

While most Old Navy stores carry the same merchandise, the selection gets a monthly overhaul. Typically, the last two weeks of the month are when fresh items start to arrive. New women’s merchandise will come in one week, and men’s, kids’ and baby stuff the next.

3. Know when to shop

As much as we love Old Navy, the stores can be a bit of a hot mess (especially in the women’s clearance department). The best time to the shop the stores are weekday mornings (or during lunch time).

4. Take advantage of promos

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You don’t have to wait for items to get marked down to get a deal. Old Navy usually changes promotions on Friday mornings. So any given week, you might get jeans for $19.50 or 30 percent off handbags. If you sign up for their email newsletters in the store, you’ll get $10 off your next purchase of $50. Plus you never know what might pop up on social media when you get text message alerts, follow them on Twitter and fan them on Facebook.

There’s a bonus for frequent shoppers: Occasionally when you buy something at the store, you will receive a coupon good on a future purchase… if you can just remember where you put it.

5. Scour the clearance rack

They call it fast fashion for a reason: With such high turnover of merchandise, there are always racks and racks of last season’s or even last month’s merchandise. Those markdowns can get steep. We recently spotted tanks for just under $2. Our advice: always make a beeline for the back of the store.

6. Size up the website

The stores are jam-packed with fresh stock, but some items are available exclusively at Oldnavy.com. Hit the website for Old Navy’s women’s plus sizes, a greater selection of the maternity offerings and petite and tall sizes as well as extended sizes in men’s.

7. Know what to buy

Certain items at Old Navy are just not worth the price, as the quality just isn’t good. Avoid shoes (except for flip-flops), jersey knit dresses (don’t wash very well) and handbags (which look cheap). However, jeans, tank tops, and workout wear are usually of great quality and worth the purchase.

8. Get familiar with the return policy

We cover Old Navy’s return policies in depth here.

Michele

Friday 10th of February 2012

How do you know if ON will bring an item back? I'm DYING for more jelly flip flops I bought last year. I was silly enough to only purchase one pair, now I want one in every color they make. I keep checking the website, but so far I don't see them. I might be too early for summer? Other flip flops are already there though... :-(

Couponsophy

Tuesday 13th of September 2011

If you buy from their website, you can also look for a coupon code. These could get you free shipping, a percentage off, or another discount.

elie

Tuesday 13th of September 2011

Love it! Thanks for covering my fav discount shopping experience. There's a good chance 60% of my wardrobe is Old Navy. I live outside the US, so when I come home for a visit, it's one my first shopping destinations.

Leslie

Monday 12th of September 2011

I love OLD NAVY for their yoga and workout pants, plus they come in extra tall which is great for me.. I have stopped buying their t shirts. The quality is very poor and after you wash them once (I don't put them in the dryer) they look pretty bad. I stick with GAP t shirts.

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