Vera Bradley Outlet Sale 2015

Yep, I attended the 2015 Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. If you know me, you know that I'm not usually the type of person who takes on these kinds of adventures but this year mom & I decided to take on the crowds as we both were in need of some new bags.

For those who are unfamiliar, the VBOS (Vera Bradley Outlet Sale) takes place in Fort Wayne, Indiana which is just a short 2.5 hour drive for us from Ohio. This was my mom & I's first year attending the sale so we were newbies. We purchased tickets for the 4th session which took place from 6:00pm-8:30pm Friday night. Since it was a Friday & I didn't have any major events going on, we left at about 1pm and arrived in Fort Wayne at about 3:45. After finding a parking spot at the Coliseum we decided to head in and see if they were allowing people to wait for the next session (which was in 2+ hours). When we arrived there was a session taking place but we were directed to a "holding area" upstairs where we waited the 2 hours to get into our session. We ended up being the 6th & 7th people in line which we did not intend to be that close but, hey, we weren't complaining.

The "holding area" actually overlooked the exit of the sale room so we occupied ourselves by watching all the bags people would come out with.

By time we were finally allowed to enter the sale room I was more than ready to shop. Once you enter the sale room you're handed a giant pink bag & a map and off you go! The room is enormous & we got lost several times. I had a few specific items I really wanted so I headed to the back of the room to grab a Vera Tote (I use these for school bags). I also really needed a new wallet & wristlet so I then headed to the front to grab those. Then I hit up the bin of lanyards & keychains just in case there's a potential car in my future (which there probably isn't but who could resist lanyards for $4!). We then grabbed a few overnight bags and I grabbed a ribbon board and few other things that I didn't think I'd be buying but the prices were too good to pass up.

After an hour and a half of walking up & down aisles of totes and backpacks we quickly sorted through our bags to make sure we didn't have any repeats (which we did) and then proceeded to checkout which, surprisingly, was a very quick process (thank goodness!). We then grabbed a quick dinner and headed to the hotel to admire our purchases & grab a dessert from the restaurant in the hotel.

A glimpse inside the sale room right after walking in... when it wasn't packed wall to wall

All of this isn't mine, my mom & I are planning on sharing the majority of the items.

Pictured is: Grand Cargo Bag, Classic Tote, Weekender, Vera Tote, Teddy Bear (for the puppy), Euro Wallet, Hipster, Cell Phone Wristlets, Mints, Nail Files, Lanyards, Key Chains, Bracelet, Happy Hour Set, Hair Ties, Ribbon Board, Hobo Totes (deal of the session, $4.99!), Flip-Flops, and Travel Hanging Organizers. If you have any questions about what you see or want to know pattern names, let me know!