Rock & Republic Sample Sale

I am a simple girl. I live in flats. I wear make-​up about three days out of the year. I think spending $ 100 on jeans is outrageous. But of course, I date a guy who wears Rock & Republic clothing and other clothes that I can’t even dream of trying on, considering the interest on my student loan. So I was extremely happy to see Groupon having an offer $ 50 for $ 100 to spend at the Rock & Republic Sample Sale (where things are supposedly cheaper). I must really love this guy because I willingly purchased two coupons and volunteer to take a night off from studying to go stand outside the dressing rooms holding his jeans while he wandered in the Twilight Zone of men in underwear.
It wasn’t impossible to find things (although I wish they had better lighting because I couldn’t tell one color from another — and I am not colorblind).
The line was long even though the sale people told me it would be even worse on the weekend. In the end, $ 110 for 3 pair of jeans (with the Groupon deal) is a decent deal for Rock & Republic. Thank goodness for Groupon.

I went to the Rock and Republic Sample sale last night in Culver City for those with Groupons and Friends and Family and I was slightly disappointed because I came for jeans and did not find any.
The selection was mediocre, and they did not have enough cashiers to handle the crowd. Even on Friends and Family night.
They advertised jeans for $ 40 — $ 70, but $ 40 jeans are only available if you’re a size 25. Any other jeans are $ 70. Or if you buy 5 or more, you get $ 10 off, which is not bad considering normal prices. The selection however was not that great. I only found 1 pair I even wanted to try on.
They did have a pretty good shoe selection.
I ended up buying a slinky black dress for $ 50 (win!).

The men’s sections is much better than the women’s. Although there’s definitely a lot of reject «ugly» jeans, you can easily find some really good stuff if you search long enough. The regular jeans are $ 70 and are hanging on the racks with men’s sizes from 28−40+, but you can also find a huge section for $ 40 on a large table at the entrance if you’re a men’s size 32 (sizes vary but usually run a little smaller than true to size). Don’t take anything home without trying them on, the different styles and sizes are not like normal jeans you may be used to.
They also have some shirts, jackets, hats, shoes and sunglasses available but I didn’t get a chance to look through those.
YES, it’s packed. YES, you must spend a few hours here for the best experience. YES the checkout lines are long (30 mins-​2 hours). And YES the changing rooms are a joke. BUT you’re spending $ 70 on jeans that retail $ 200+ (basically 3 for 1 if you paid retail), so quit complaining.
There’s a good size parking lot right in front of the warehouse. Bring cash for a speedy checkout. And ladies, leave your purses in the car they wont let you bring any in.

What I love about Culver City is that there are a lot designer factories. Cheap and sample sales almost all year long.

** 5 pairs of Rock & Republic Jeans for $ 300 **
I told a friend about the R&R Sample Sale in Culver City and she went on Friday. Basically my friend called me from the venue and told me that it is a total chaos there. People were cramped in the warehouse and the line to check out was 2.5 hours. My friend also said that a lot of makeup and shoes were sold out and the sales told her they would restock overnight.
Well… I went on Saturday @ 9am. NO LINES and I parked right at the entrance of the warehouse. Yes, it is a small warehouse, but after the tips I received from my friend, I was ready to shop. All of us went in tights so that we can just try on the jeans on the floor. TRUST ME… try them on before buying, because they are different…
COSMETICS: They had a great set of brushes for $ 40. 3 eyeshadows for $ 20. Really great deals. However, you are stuck buying the packages they put together. No mix and matches. ** BEWARE ** Check your cosmetics before paying for it. The cosmetic girls gave us wrong colors, busted up eyeshadows, and wrong number of sets.
JEANS: Women’s jeans are $ 70 each. If you buy 5 or more, you get an additional $ 10 off each pair. So… It is a great idea to bring friends and get this additional discount.
SHOES: They had some samples for $ 20. Great if you can find your size, but anything decent is close to $ 80.

I always love sample sales. It’s a nice excuse to drag my boyfriend to LA and maybe do a pit stop at Bottega Louie on the way back ;)
Anyway, I’ve been to 2 R&R sample sales before (when it was located at the Sony Studios), and this sale was a completely different feel than all the other ones.
I came here on a Saturday at 11:00am. I got lucky and found parking easily. I was expecting a huge line just to enter, but to my surprise, we just walked right in. The selection was bleak (unless you are a size 25– which I guess is the true sample size, so they have sht tons of stuff in that size for only $ 40). Other than that, the racks were sparse with — I hate to say it– ugly jeans. I know that not everyone wears skinnies, but I’m sure most people do. All the jeans were bootcut and severely distressed or stone washed.
I was about to call it quits when the shoe section caught my eye. Dizzam! I copped a pair of R&R heels for only $ 80 in the LAST SIZE 6! (looked it up online: they are $ 250+ legit legit!)
Only 3 registers open means a long line to purchase (which is always expected), but at least there wasn’t a line for the fitting room.
All in all, it would have felt like a complete waste of my time had I not found those heels.

I’ve been R&R Sample Sale addict since 2002 and have gone to almost every sale. This season, Rock brought the sale back to the HQ in Culver City. The previous years its been held at Sony studios and a couple off Exposition, but Sony by far has been the best location for me.
I didn’t have to wait in line which was nice but when I got inside, there was far less inventory and selection. Only 2 racks in my size in comparison to the previous sales where rows of tables and racks were lined up. Down side of going on Sunday is that the racks are no longer nicely organized by size.
So all in all, I was a little disappointed in the selection this time, but then it probably is my fault for going on a Sunday despite sale starting on Friday. I know better but couldn’t make it out sooner.
Parking at this location is more challenging and the company across the street was towing cars. Found out I had to move my car– the lady at the dressing room said she would hold onto my jeans that I wanted to try on but of course when I got back they weren’t there so back to digging.
Usually I leave with 5 or 6 pairs of jeans, shoes, and or accessories… I guess this time I got to leave with my credit card in tact.
My purchase:
1 pair of jeggings = $ 65
**Note to self and shoppers, next time bring cash and save on taxes!

I had a different experience than the other reviewer. Maybe it’s because I’d never been to this sale at the other location, that I found a VIP parking space right in front, or that I got there early and left in an hour fairly unscathed — but in a time when warehouse/​sample sales have gone downhill and aren’t nearly as plentiful, I thought this sale was awesome! Sure, we were packed in there like sardines, there were no mirrors, the «dressing rooms» were a joke, and it was just an all-​around cluster f*uck. But in the end, my biggest gripe is that I didn’t make it there on the first day!
I understand that almost 2000 people came on Friday — and didn’t leave until midnight when they were supposed to close at 9pm! Supposedly there was a ton of great stuff from the Fall 2010 collection that went in a flash. Merchandise was not replenished for the remaining days, so although I scored some killer finds on Saturday, I can’t help but wonder what I missed on Friday! Were there more leather jackets, sizes above XS/​S, or skinny jeans? Guess I’ll never know!
They had thousands of jeans for both men and women, at least 50% off retail. (On a side note, in all my shopping days, I’ve never seen so many guys at a sample sale.) There were people leaving with 30 pairs of jeans (not sure if those were destined for ebay or the ass’s of friends and family members, but it was crazy!).
Here’s my purchase rundown:
— R&R Collection black tuxedo blazer — $ 50
— R&R Collection white blazer — $ 40
— Black stilettos — $ 80
— R&R Collection black pencil skirt — $ 10 (due to an imperfection)
Really happy with my loot — can’t wait until next year!

I was very disappointed in this sale today. I’ve shopped Rock & Republic Sample Sales for years and they’re usually at a movie lot where there is tons of space, proper bathrooms, ample parking and 6 – 8 cashiers. Not today.
They moved their sale to their own facility which is 25% of the size of the sound stages they were using previously. There was no parking whatsoever– I drove through the surrounding streets for 40 minutes before I found a spot.
We were crammed in this warehouse and waited from 11:15 to 1:00 to check out. (Luckily my neighbor in line saved my place while I walked ½ mile each way to move my car across the street to avoid 2-​hour ticket.)
Additionally, there was ONE porta-​potty outside that was absolutely disgusting. Definitely a downgrade in shopping experience and sophistication :(