I used to work for QVC. Go ahead and chuckle, for some reason everyone does when I tell them that. Before I worked there, I never thought that QVC was for me. But they actually sell lots of cool stuff. And they have been trying to lure in a younger, hipper customer with names like Smashbox, Dana Buchman and Dooney & Bourke to name a few.

I worked for the outlets, and this is how they work. Customer sees an item on TV or online and orders it. It arrives. For whatever reason, they return it. It gets processed in a warehouse and then sent out to the outlet stores. I believe right now there are four or five QVC Outlet Stores–Lancaster, Prices Corner, Frazer and a few others. (If you don’t have one near you, keep reading–you will still find a great deal!)

I got my monthly mailer from them today, and from February 2-7, all Dooney & Bourke bags will be $99.99. That’s a really great price point for these bags. I personally hope to score this one, or a similar Wonder Duck bag:

But, if you don’t have a QVC outlet near you, here’s the thing. They will ship to you. Here’s all you have to do. Look at the QVC website and find the bags you like. Keep in mind that because of how the outlet system works, there is no guarantee of any of them being in stock. And unfortunately, if they come with a key fob or change purse, the customer usually keeps that before returning the bag. Nice, huh? But find what you like and jot down the item number. It will always begin with an “A” and have five or six digits behind the A. Then you just call a store and see if they have it in stock. That A number allows them to check their inventory instantly and tell you.

Now, I half-expect myself to be promptly unfriended by my QVC friends on Facebook, ha ha, for sharing this secret with you. But the outlets will ship any item, as long as you’re willing to pay for the shipping which is the usual UPS amount. So anytime you see an item on TV or online, you can call an outlet and see if they also have it in stock. They do not carry the food items or cosmetics. But they carry just about everything else, and it will be marked down 25%-50% or more off of the price you see on TV or online. Make sure you check out the jewelry. QVC really made me a fan of Michael Dawkins’ stuff.