Bargain hunters descend on Army & Navy for annual shoe sale

Sue Chun was the first in line at the annual Army and Navy shoe sale, and walked away with 17 pairs of shoes. (CTV/Sheila Scott)

Shoe fanatic Sue Chun lined up very early this morning to get into Vancouver’s oldest shoe sale, but just how early she won’t say.

“Very early but I’m not going to tell. I don’t want people here earlier,” she told CTV Morning Live.

For the past 12 years, Chun has been among the first in line to get into Army and Navy for its annual shoe sale, which deeply discounts designer shoes.

This year, she was the very first person camped out for bargains, and let into the store when it opened at 8 a.m.

“You’ll see Tory Burch shoes, Burberry heels for $50 -- prices that are unheard of,” Chun said.

She was among hundreds of shoppers looking for designer deals, at a good price.

Now in its 68th year, President and CEO Jacqui Cohen said the sale has become an annual tradition for fashionistas.

“There’s a lot of families here. There’s a tradition of a grandmother, mother, daughter [coming in]. It’s really special,” she said.

Among those watching the frenzy of shoppers descend on the racks of deals was footwear buyer Silvio Urbani, who handpicked many of the styles.

“It’s one of those euphorias as a buyer that you can’t wait for them to come in and pick out the shoes that you personally picked for them,” he said.

While she anticipated buying between eight and pairs of shoes, Sue Chun ended up buying 17 pairs, from designers including Tori Burch, Gucci, Prada and Ferragamo.

She’s among shoe lovers vowing to be back next year, no small promise in a consumer marketplace dominated by online shopping.

With a report from CTV Morning Live’s Sheila Scott