6 things to know about this year’s Spartina 449 warehouse sale on Hilton Head

The fifth annual Spartina 449 warehouse sale is in just two weeks, which means you’re running out of time to get in tip-top bargain-shopping shape.

I’m not kidding. The clock is ticking, and these Spartina shoppers know what they’re doing.

Every minute of every day until the sale needs to be spent hydrating, doing deep lunges, executing tactical rolls, conditioning your scream-voice by yelling, “That’s my actual wallet, ma’am, and not one of the ones for sale here today,” running backyard obstacle courses while holding all the purses you own on both arms, all your wallets in both hands and pulling four suitcases behind you ...

OK. Fine. I suppose this isn’t exactly “practical advice” and probably more accurately represents my desire to see photos of people taking on purse obstacle courses in my Facebook feed.

I apologize.

Here’s an easy-to-read, numbered list of the things you should know instead:

1. The sale is from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 21 and 22, and 1 to 7 p.m. July 23 at Hilton Head Island High School, 70 Wilborn Road on the north-end of the island. Discounts are up to 80 percent, and cash and credit cards are accepted.

2. Nearly 5,000 customers shopped at last year’s sale, and July is ugly hot (like don’t even try to straighten your hair hot). So this year, organizers are offering a new online ticketing system to make the waiting part of the event more pleasant. Starting at noon July 7 and through 5 p.m. July 19, you can go to spartina449.com/warehousesale and reserve your spot in line ahead of time for July 21 and 22. Tickets are $5 and all proceeds will go to the Daufuskie Island Historical Foundation (Spartina 449 was created on Daufuskie Island) and Pledge the Pink (a local group that raises money for cancer research and mammograms). Each customer can reserve up to six tickets, but each ticket must be associated with the name of the person it is for (that’s right, would-be scalpers, they’ll be checking photo IDs at the door. Enterprising thought, though.) The tickets are first-come, first-served and will be available by time slot.

3. No tickets are required after 5 p.m. July 21 and 22 or all day July 23.

4. Spartina 449’s warehouse sale organizers have anticipated your many questions about what I just told you, and there’s a detailed question and answer page on the website with more information on it.

5. Welcome back, Port Passage! The warehouse sale will feature the return of this classic pattern (but in new bag shapes).

6. My pro-tips from last year: Bring a friend (or a patient husband with a fully charged phone) who won’t mind guarding your pile. People are friendly so you should be nice too. The golf bags, beach bags and suitcases seem to be the most coveted, so if you like one, claim it before it’s gone.

This story was originally published July 5, 2017 at 6:07 PM with the headline "6 things to know about this year’s Spartina 449 warehouse sale on Hilton Head."