More than 65 women are standing shoulder-to-shoulder along a long, white table, digging through a mountain of boxes in search of mates to Marni, Delman and Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.

“They should have a better system with this shoe thing,” says Jaclyn Silva of Fairfax. “I think there’s a good selection here, but it’s impossible to find my size in any of them.”

Silva was one of the 150 shoppers who were at the Gilt VIP party last Friday, the night before their warehouse sale. This is the third annual sale held all over the country from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles. The E-commerce company is known for its killer deals on designer shoes, apparel and housewares. Typically, the savings average about 60 percent off department store prices on gilt.com during their flash sales (a sale lasting for 36 hours), but during the warehouse sale, they slash the prices up to an additional 15 percent.

Shoppers are greeted at the door of the Long View Gallery in Adams Morgan with champagne and cocktails at the door, a complimentary service that got one woman in a spending mood.

“The alcohol is what’s going to put my bill over,” says Rey Banks of Washington, D.C. “They know what they’re doing at these kinds of [events] by serving up cocktails, but I’m not complaining.”

At the end of a long ramp into the gallery is the sales floor. A DJ in the corner is spinning hits from Rihanna and Flo Rida, among other dance-worthy artists. Lined on both sides are eight rolling racks stuffed with clothes: men’s on the left and women’s on the right. A long, white table stretches along the middle full of bags and accessories. Three women are huddled around a vibrant tote by Pucci, marked down from $2,500 to $399. While the slashed price is significant, it’s still not within every fashionista’s budget. The racks of clothing are much more forgiving.

“This Free People sweater is only $40 now,” says Sara Miller, an excited shopper from Arlington. She holds up an oversized knit with a tag that reads, “Price: $108. Gilt Price: $39.99.” Most of the designers displayed on the racks resemble the same, mid-grade designers, apart from a few pieces by Calvin Klein and Badgley Mischka.

It’s the shoe table along the back wall that is garnering the most attention. With hardly any space to move and the lack of shopping carts, finding and carrying the shoe boxes is a juggling act, not to mention the stress of the hungry eyes of other shoppers. One false move, and your pumps could wind up on the floor at the mercy of DC’s best-dressed ladies. One woman already has a stack six boxes high and is pawing the table for more.

What may seem to some as a desperate attempt to find clothing and shoes to make them look like “somebody,”  to others, these shopping events are more like a hobby.

“It’s worth it for me,”  says Kim Pham of Potomac Falls. “I knew what I was getting myself into coming here…it’s not just the deals, it’s the thrill of the hunt.”