In August 1970, the idea for the first Barneys Warehouse Sale was born. To generate both extra revenue and advertising, as well as to move through inventory, Barneys would host a clearance event in the 17,000-square-foot (1,600-square-meter) first floor of the warehouse building in Chelsea.[5] The first sale ran from September 8, 1970 to September 12, 1970.
The advertising for the first Barneys Warehouse Sale put a focus on the need to sell the past season's inventory. This was to excite customers about the new merchandise that would eventually take the old inventory's place. Advertisements also promoted that only certain quantities were available for specific designers.
On September 8, the first day of the Barneys Warehouse Sale, a full-page advertisement with the headline "Don't Go to Work Today" ran in both The New York Times[6] and The New York Daily News.
There were many radio advertisements throughout the course of the sale, and these changed by the day to portray a sense of urgency to the potential customers.
The first Barneys Warehouse Sale sold over 30,000 units of designer clothing, served approximately 20,000 customers, and generated $1,108,500 in sales.[7]
The Transition
In September 1971, the Barneys Second Annual Warehouse Sale was held. To promote the second sale, advertisements portrayed the great designer deals that customers were able to receive at the first sale. In 1995, the first Barneys New York Outlet opened.
The semi-annual[8] Barneys Warehouse Sale was held for 42 consecutive years at the Chelsea warehouse location.[9] The Barneys Warehouse Sale expanded to other markets such as Chicago[10] and Los Angeles.[11]BarneysWarehouse.com was launched in 2013 so customers could access deep designer discounts online.[12] The final Barneys Warehouse Sale was in 2014.[13]
Stores
The first Barneys New York Outlet opened in 1995.[citation needed] In 2014, the store locations were renamed Barneys New York Warehouse to reflect the heritage of the Barneys Warehouse Sales that were held in Manhattan. There are 11 Barneys New York Warehouse locations.[14] The stores are located at high-traffic outlet centers such as Woodbury Common Premium Outlets and Tanger Outlets.
