#3rd Annual LuluLemon Warehouse Invasion of Hamilton, Ontario

From what I hear, people began lining up sometime close to midnight Wednesday evening at the Hamilton Convention Centre.  By the time 11 am roller around, the line had snaked it’s way back and forth along the roof of the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and made it’s way out onto Main Street, where it continued until Bay!!  People were on Twitter posting pics and claiming it was a 90 min wait to get inside.

Alas, it was not a boring wait, as LuluLemon pulled out all the stops, with refreshment booths and some light entertainment and music along the way.  By the time the afternoon rolled around, the line had become smaller, although it was still on the roof.

Once inside, the speedy bag check gets you inside the Convention Centre, where the number of clothing racks is completely astronomical.  Every category is laid out and easy to find, with multiple fitting rooms, for those who are uncomfortable doing the “aisle over the clothes shuffle”.

LuluLemon ( I keep capitalizing it, but they don’t) began as a yoga apparel outfit in BC for women, and since then has expanded to to include more ‘Althleticas’, catering to men, women and this year, with their Iviva line, children.

Massive shipments of boxes have made it’s way across the country to land on the Convention Centre racks, and if you can’t find the piece you are looking for, they will gladly ship it to you.  (possibly free express shipping if you check in with Foursquare, please confirm first)

I went down to check it out because this is the 3rd year and Twitter was all abuzz with #lululemonwhs.  Carolyn and Tiffany from their Media department are manning the datastreams keeping everyone up to date with the current specials and I got the opportunity to check out the madness as it happened.

The ratio of men to women had to be 1-100 or more, with accessories being rifled through and racks being picked apart.  With their colour coding tags, which correspond to the pricing found on charts all over the walls, not too many people were asking questions, just shopping.  The checkout lines were very quick, plastic and cash, if you get in and out under 30 mins you receive 10% off your purchases.

A Dj keeps the mood upbeat with his track selection, and outside once you are done, you can enjoy whatever it was they were demonstrating in the hallway.  All in all, it looked like everyone was having a good time.  With the kids line this year, parents can bring their children out to experience the rush, ( as well as to outfit them) and if you didn’t make it out Thursday, you have until Sunday to go.

With the closest retail store being in Mississauga, this is sure to be one event you don’t want to miss if you are in Hamilton.   Check the site for more info