On the first day of the COS New York Sample Sale on August 27, hordes of customers lined up for several blocks in front of the COS location on 5th Avenue.

“On the first day, they have more stuff that is much better,” said Maria Cortez, who had been waiting in line for an hour with her friend Maria Andareta and still had about two and a half blocks to go. “I think with these brands, when they are so cheap and things are on sale, it’s always worth the wait.”

COS is a clothing brand with several stores nationwide. The main store is located on 5th Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets. From August 27th to September 1st, there is a sample sale with items costing no more than $50.

On August 27, just over an hour after the store opened, the line was nearly three and a half blocks long. It circled half the block between the store entrance and the corner of 28th and 5th, stretched the entire block to the corner of 28th and Broadway, circled the entire block again, crossed the street, and stretched nearly the entire block again.

“It’s the first day, so we hope there will still be something left when we get there,” said a customer named Jessica, who did not give her last name. Jessica was waiting with another customer, Orli, in the third block of the line.

The line moved extremely slowly, as only one group was allowed in at a time. However, not everyone had the same expectations about how long they would have to wait. Andaretta expected another hour, but across the street, much further back in the line, Orli expected only 20 to 30 minutes.

“We have nothing better to do – that’s basically all,” Jessica said, explaining that she learned about the sale on the Instagram page “260 Sample Sale.”

Many in line didn’t even know what they wanted. Some knew they would find “clothes” or “clothing” but nothing more specific, while others said they would find out once they got to the store. Some knew more specifically what was being sold but hadn’t yet decided what they would buy.

“A couple of blazers, maybe a couple of t-shirts and maybe a couple of dresses, a couple of bags…” Cortez listed. This is in sharp contrast to Andaretta, who knew for sure that she was looking for “just blazers.”

“There’s a shirt I’ve been looking for,” said a customer from Brooklyn, well behind Orli and Jessica in line. “It’s kind of like a denim painter’s top.”

This customer was willing to wait several blocks to get his hands on this shirt and had no idea how long the wait would be, saying that only “time will tell.”