Allen Edmonds - how to save money

[AdamAdam]

Hi all. I'm new to these forums and Allen Edmonds shoes in general. I recently ordered a pair of McAllisters from a local AE store and they are being shipped to me from WI since they didn't have my size in stock. The reason for my post is that I'm considering another pair and perhaps down the line a few more.

As I've read through some of the threads here, I see people all the time bragging about deals they got on AE shows. Right now McAllisters and Strands are going for $345 USD retail. I haven't really found any deals anywhere except Amazon. They are running something right now where if you sign up for their shoe deal email, you get a one-time 20% off coupon. This is great but not repeatable.

I assume Amazon sells "firsts" when it comes to AE assuming it's sold by Amazon and not another retailer on the site. Is this true? I don't really trust ebay because those could easily be seconds or fakes without me knowing it. I understand that Nordstrom sometimes has sales. Can anyone tell me how frequently that happens? I've seen people talk about "B&S" which I assume means "Buy & Sell" and refers to the marketplace on these forums?

One more question: if I buy a pair on, let's say Amazon, will a store exchange them for a different size, color, etc. if I change my mind? I'm not looking to do anything shady. I assume one new pair in exchange for another new pair makes everyone come out even. What if I find a problem with a pair I buy elsewhere, instead of shipping it back will the store exchange for me?

Anyway, enough rambling. I like these shoes and plan to buy a few more pair but would like to understand if there is a way to save a few bucks. $345 is about at my upper limit of what I can spend on a shoe.

Anyway, nice to meet you all. I have other questions on these shoes but I'll take them to another thread since the topic is different.

Thanks!
Adam

 

[msulinski]

Amazon should only be carrying first-quality. Same with just about any retailer. Nordstrom Rack might have some second-quality shoes, but not all of them are seconds.

There are a few places to get the shoes discounted. Forum user allaboutshoes offers first-quality AE shoes at a discount, but does not accept returns, so you must know your size. Since you already have McAllisters, you should be good for any calf offering on the 5-last.

 

[Kiwi Man]

If I were you, I would go ahead and spend USD345 instead of saving USD70.

This is because you seemed to be worried about the seconds. The possibility of you getting fake products tends to increase if you are not an expert on authenticating products.

Welcome to forum, by the way.

 

[InHocSignio]

Do you have a link to this promotion?

 

[AdamAdam]

Do you have a link to this promotion?

For the Amazon promotion go to certain shoes. For instance: http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Edmonds...64212729&sr=8-3&keywords=allen+edmonds+strand

If you scroll down a bit under "Special Offers" you'll see "Buy from Amazon.com:
Subscribe to Amazon's Shoes E-mails for discounts on this and other eligible items. Here's how (restrictions apply)". Click on the link and it'll tell you how to sign up for the email and get a coupon code.

 

[steezy]

I'm waiting for the semi-annual Nordstrom sale to pick up my AEs. The shoes are around $200 depending on the model. The sale should be in July if I remember correctly.