Sample Sale Tours

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Why do these women (right) look so happy? Is it because they've saved loads of money on a sample sale tour? Our sister site Racked NY reports that sample sale listing site Top Button is cashing in on its own listings—by offering sample sale tours every Thursday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in New York's Garment District. The tours don't come at sample sale prices, though: for a solo guided tour, the price is $75; for two, it's $125. "The excursion starts off with a tutorial about sample sales (we're wondering if they go through quick pointers like: wear leggings, don't cut the line, even if you're pregnant and have the elbows out) and ends with a drink at a "swanky cocktail lounge" and a gift bag. A check of the Top Button Tours site lists past sales at Barneys, Mara Hoffman, Lauren Merkin and Intermix. We're picturing a tour guide leading the way through madhouse public sales and pointing out interesting local color as if on safari ("to the right, a half-naked shopper creatively making her own fitting room area")." Ha ha. [RNY]