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# Barneys sale draws crowds
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/barneys-sale-draws-crowds/
- Published: 2007-08-16T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:35:34.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

dresses lining the aisles, interspersed with tables of denim and hand bags.

Many women, digging their heads into the racks, came with few layers on, dressed in tank tops in order to easily slip on merchandise over what they were already wearing. There are no dressing rooms in the warehouse.

Though the sale included markdowns starting at 50 percent off, many items would still be considered out of reach for the average person. Stuck in a rack of blouses, a plain white cotton dress shirt was priced at around $200, marked down from nearly $600.

Mario Gallegos of Beverly Hills left after an hour in the warehouse on Wednesday with a few jackets and shirts and anticipating a $250 bill in the near future.

Gallegos went to the sale on one of the busy days last year, leaving without buying a pair of shoes that caught his eye because they were too expensive. He came back later during the week and found the shoes were already gone.

“I regret not buying the pair of shoes,” he said.

The Barneys sale is famous for drawing large crowds on opening day and on the weekends, lines pouring out the door as people wait to pound the racks inside. The scene on Wednesday stood in stark contrast, relatively empty as would-be shoppers were probably working.

Andrew Bender of Santa Monica left the sale on Wednesday with a suit, parka and several casual shirts and a tab totaling roughly $750.

Bender doesn’t consider himself a “big shopper,” but tries to fit in most of his year’s shopping during the Barneys sale.

“I went last year and I bought more than I should’ve and I had to get that rush again,” he said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 16, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081607.pdf?ref=smdp.com)