New York City’s best sample sales, and how to score big

For fashion addicts on a budget, there are few things more tempting than the words “sample sale.” The signs are everywhere: huge, block letters in neon colors promising designer styles at a fraction of retail prices, staring straight into the shopaholic’s soul and willing them to stop in for a peek.

What they don’t tell you is that once you step in those doors, you’ve signed yourself up as a competitor in the fashion world’s “Hunger Games.” You’re entering a battle zone of savvy price tag warriors, each one determined to score the best items before you can get your hands on them.

But fear not, for we are here to help you not only survive your first sample sale, but make it out with steals worth bragging about.