After a long absence I decided to return and visit the annual anniversary sale. The store does a presale for everyone who has a Nordstrom credit card. All others if interested the actual sale starts a little over a week later.
I met a wonderful salesclerk in the shoe department who was helping me find cross trainers. After an unsuccessful search she took my information since I need waterproof shoes when I am walking out in the rain. She will contact me on them in the future.
They have the "anniversary" merchandise behind "curtains" which will be rearranged when the official event opens. Anyone is allowed to go in there but you cannot purchase anything at present without a Nordstrom card. Most of the stuff were either overpriced or cheap crap. I found better deals on the the reduced racks which is where I would suggest looking. I was able to buy a few essentials before leaving.
I've noticed there is no more pressure tactics in order to buy. They still have their cafe with the same menu except prices are a wee bit higher. You basically order and pay at a register, have a seat and a waiter will serve you your meal. Again I only eat here when I know I'm going to be in the store for an extended period of time. It is part of Ross Park Mall that has a food court along with a couple of other restaurants.
Everything here is normally full priced so my advice would be to check their clearance racks and now and then you can find descent merchandise at a reasonable price.