This weekend I attended a baby shower of a very good friend. It was an intimate affair at the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus. I've been in this store countless times. But never, and I do mean never, have I seen such things on sale. Normally, the "sale" items are reserved for tables (in the case of handbags) or racks pulled to the side to distinguish them from the full priced merchandise.

Well... not this time. I let out an audible gasp when I saw a sale sign on the wall in the Gucci handbag section. Seriously. An audible gasp. Granted, it wasn't as though Louis Vuitton was on sale (they never, ever, ever discount their merchandise). But still, these were current season handbags on sale.

(Having said that... have you seen how hideous this season's Gucci bags are? Maybe they saw the light...)

So what am I doing today? You guessed it. Driving myself back to Saks & Neimans to have a closer look. Actually, my plan is just to spend the time at Saks. Their sales are better and so is the merchandise. I'll be sure to fill you in on what I buy, what I let stay at the store, and more importantly, what you need to go look at yourself.

And you, dear shoppers? Do yourself a favor and pay attention to those "sale" emails and signs you're seeing. Luxury is on sale, baby. And it's on sale now. Think of it as your patriotic duty to shop. You are truly helping the economy. Don't let these retailers down this season.

Note... if you've heard about their world famous chocolate chip cookies, here is the Neiman Marcus recipe.