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How to Shop Forever 21

Sure, you love Forever 21 as much as the next fashion-obsessed, financially stressed woman, but the store can be utterly overwhelming.

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The gist:

  • If you have time to spare, shopping in-store at Forever 21 can be a blast. There are racks, stacks, hooks, and shelves filled with trendy fashions. The shopping strategies below can help you make the most of it.
  • If you’re in a hurry or easily overwhelmed, try stocking up on your fast fashions at the Forever 21 website instead.

10 ways to shop Forever 21

Title image -- how to shop Forever 21.

1. Set expectations

One thing is true of this store. Quantity reigns high over quality. If you hunt, you can get 10 tops for about $100. Not a one of those shirts will last forever. Buy accordingly.

2. Don’t guess on fit

A trademark of low-quality clothes is inconsistent fit. Always try everything on when shopping in-store at Forever 21. It doesn’t matter if you are restocking jeans you already have at home or if you just bought a pair of shorts the day before.

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Obviously, trying stuff on isn’t an option when you’re shopping online. The Forever 21 return policy isn’t great, either. So take appropriate precaution. If you can’t try it on, only buy styles that are forgiving on fit — like t-shirts, socks, handbags, etc.

3. Check the sale items

In the store, you can find awesome deals on sale racks or those fun bins next to the checkout line. On the website, look for the sale page. If a big sale is one, you’ll also see sale messaging on the homepage.

4. Get your coupon codes

Forever 21 runs lots of coupon codes and special promotions. These are so common that it’s silly to buy online without one.

Budget Fashionista Tip: Get coupon codes now with Capital One shopping. Here's how.

5. Accessorize

One of the best things about Forever 21 is the sparkling accessories section. Find scarves, hats, bags, wallets, clutches, belts, jewelry, and so much more.

You can even buy shoes. The shoe section is like a fashion forward Payless, with prices around the $35 mark.

6. Layer up

Forever 21 is a great place for trendy, affordable outerwear. You can find coats, jackets, and blazers in so many styles, patterns, and colors.

The caveat is that these are coats for California weather — meaning they’re not terribly warm or sturdy. But they’re cheap, so that’s your trade-off.

7. Shop by style

Take an e-shopping short-cut with Forever21.com’s Shop by Style pages. Right now, the options are:

Use these curated collections to refine your own style and to inspire new looks you may not have thought of.

8. Don’t be put off by young models

Forever 21 is geared for the younger set. The product images on the website reflect that targeting — the models are young and vibrant.

But here’s the thing: Older women can shop Forever 21. You just have to look past the fresh, youthful faces in the store and on the website.

You know what clothes look good on you, so lean on that. You might skip over the hot pants (or not) and browse the cardigans instead, for example.

9. Shop plus

Forever 21 has a plus collection with tons of options. You can also shop by style for plus. Here are the links:

10. Shop men’s

You can also buy stuff for your buy at F21. The collection is very youthful, complete with sweat separates, graphic tees, and denim jackets. Still, if you’re shopping for a younger brother, you might find something good and affordable.

Ambi

Thursday 4th of July 2013

I Love Forever21. It's best though to go on weekends; that's when all of the sales just magically appear ("Hint,Hint"). And also, don't forget to go to the website first. This really helps you decide on what you want. For instance, if your thinking of buying a nice pair of leggings, click leggings, then choose 'sort by: low price'. You'll save yourself money, energy, and time; plus, you'll find a great pair of legging for cheap. I'm just saying..

vicky

Thursday 4th of April 2013

hi, has anyone here actually returned an online purchase to the returns address? how much did it cost you?

Adriana

Monday 11th of March 2013

The weekend may be the worst, expecially where i live on the border of mexico but i must honestly say its the best time to shop. Forever21 has their best sales on the weekends. My favorite are the 50% off the already 50% off stuff in the sale corner. its unbelievable how much stuff i walk out with for under 30 bucks.

angie

Sunday 20th of May 2012

i need to know more about the exchange policy. i bought this dress that i thought was cool but it turned out to be downright unflattering. i bought it for 17 bucks and i really want to exchange it for something else

Shannon

Friday 26th of March 2010

I dont think the lines for F21 are really that bad here, I live in Illinois. The only time I had a bad experience with the lines is when I went to the F21 in Chicago. But I do agree the exchange policy sucks, they only give 21 days for returns now. I usually spend so long in that store that I dont have time to try everything on so then I later find that the clothes I bought dont fit right.

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