Sample sale

Sample sales are used by retail businesses in order to discard excess merchandise. Sometimes these samples have been used by agencies to sell products that they will distribute to local vendors. Sample sales are often associated with the fashion industry. These sales are an opportunity to get near perfect merchandise at a fraction of the price. It is often difficult to have information on the date and time of sample sales, although there are websites which list information about sample sales. They are also used to draw in new clients, hoping that the new people will return to the company's store and buy more merchandise. The majority of sample sales are in New York City (70%), but they do take place in other cities as well.

In the past, sample sales were a way for retailers to sell their items which were used in advanced showings, fashion shows, and presentations for interested buyers. These samples were often very limited in sizes and quantities due to the purpose the items served, but present day sample sales are often much larger in both sizes and selection. Some of the items sold at sample sales are from previous seasons, overstocked items, returned, or were never sold in stores.