Authentic Brands, whose plans for the brand include licensing it to Saks Fifth Avenue for shop-in-shops, might operate stores named Barneys in the future. However, Mr. Carpenter said his firm “will sell every stitch of product” in its current locations, shuttering Barneys as it is known today. As part of an agreement with Authentic Brands, the sales are being referred to as “store closing sales” rather than “going out of business” sales.

Executives at many of the high-end brands stocked at Barneys are holding their breath, hoping the sale is not too disruptive. Some are trying to buy back their merchandise. LVMH is the only vendor with an agreement that says its goods cannot be discounted, which it struck with Barneys after the retailer filed for bankruptcy in August, Mr. Carpenter said.

He added that LVMH, whose labels include Celine and Givenchy, even had the right to pull its goods entirely, though the luxury goods purveyor has not exercised that option. He noted that store closing sales often doubled store traffic, which can benefit even full-price brands.

Shoppers with store credit at Barneys will need to use it by Thursday, and returns will not be accepted after Nov. 15.

A sales associate at the store at Madison Avenue and 61st Street said on Tuesday that employees had lost their 60 percent-off discounts after Sunday and that they were anxious about what they would do for work after the liquidation. The associate, who asked not to be identified , citing fear of retribution, said staff members had not received answers to questions about future jobs with the Barneys label through Authentic Brands.

Mr. Carpenter said many of the associates earned commissions and, as a result, would make more money as the firm expected to “double the sales they would normally have had during this holiday period.”

When Barneys filed for bankruptcy, its biggest unsecured creditors included the Row, with a $3.7 million claim; Yves Saint Laurent, with a $2.2 million claim; and Balenciaga, with a $2.1 million claim. Others on the list were Celine, Gucci, Prada, Chloé and Azzedine Alaïa.