The District Sample Sale opens its doors on Tuesday, Sept. 9 and I am rarin' to go! General admission tix are $40; VIP tix get you in an hour earlier, at $250. I'm getting in for free thanks to my jobby-job.

In case you've never been to a sample sale, a bunch of local boutiques offer up their unsold, end-of-season merch for deeply discounted prices. In the past, sample sales used to be limited to actual "samples" -- the size 0s and 2s that usually end up on the mannquins -- but these days things are fortunately a bit more democratic.

DC Shops participating in 2008:
Caramel
Daisy Too
Green & Blue
Ginger
Harriet Kassman
Hysteria
Lettie Gooch
The Little Shoebox
Periwinkle
Proper Topper
Sangaree
Simply Soles
Sugar
Sherman Pickey
Terra
Urban Chic
We One You Too
Wink

Want tix to this twice-a-year event? (Uh, YEAH, who wouldn't?)

Visit www.districtsamplesale.com.
General admission: $40
VIP admission: $250 (early entrance + sweet goodie bag)