So, the blog Pocket Change is having a blog carnival. A carnival of … shopping.
Now actually, I feel about shopping much like I feel about actual carnivals. I think it's going to be REALLY FUN, and then when I get to the top of the Ferris wheel (or the middle of the store) I pretty much just want to hurl. It's too crowded, it's too expensive, everything I see and hear makes me fear for the future of the human race, etc. etc.
Now, I've already done my bit for trying to make finding one's size a bit easier, but if I could only convince retailers of a few key things:
First: KISS. That's right, "keep it simple, stupid." If I wanted a cardigan that looked like I let my six-year-old loose with a Bedazzler, well, I have a six-year-old, and it's still legal to own a Bedazzler in Illinois. (Until I finish lobbying my elected representatives, that is.) If you think that if you offer me a plain sweater, and I buy it, that I won't buy another one the next season/year/week whatever, you're wrong. Offer something simple in another color, or another sleeve length, next year/month/or maybe even week and I will happily pony up my dough, but I *won't* buy something with all sorts of design vomit on it. I just won't. It seems to me that a lot of designers are just trying to look busy … and what they make looks busy, too.
Second: Why can't I find a decent handbag for under one gazillion dollars? Either it's covered with nonessential metal dangly bits and huge logos (see KISS, above), or it doesn't have pockets that will fit my Treo and/or iPod (Dammit Jim, I'm a girl, not a technophobe!), or the straps are secretly designed by the Secret Massage Therapists and Chiropractors' Cabal to drive more business to their offices. Lately I've been buying cotton bags from Target or even … diaper bags. Sometimes I carry more than a lipstick, two tissues, and a golf pencil. So step it up, and help me carry all my gadgets and maybe even a book, without throwing my back out, mortgaging my house, or being your Fall 2006 advertising campaign.
Third: Don't force your salespeople to be jerks. I don't want to deal with someone who has to ask me three times if I want a store charge card or live in fear of being fired. I don't want to be put in the position of either giving up some personal information or knowing that your clerk will be reprimanded for not making their weekly quota of Identity Theft Database Filler. Don't make them push crap, bait and switch, or sell "warranties" that guarantee only that I will be $80 poorer. If you pay good wages & have good benefits then good people will work for you, they will sell, and you will make money. If you don't, then you have to pull these stupid shenanigans. And if you do these things, I won't shop at your store, and you won't make any money, anyway.
Dream World Request: Won't somebody make a search engine that lets me search by Pantone color? I know you can search on Etsy.com by spinning bubbles color, but I really, really want to do this other places, too. I don't care if I have to pay Pantone $20/year for a license, or a Firefox plug-in, or whatever. Just let me match colors on the Internet. Please. And relatedly, if you sell online, use tags! Use keywords! Use (I know this is a stretch) XML! Your "juliette's saturday sweater" should somewhere, somehow, say cardigan. Or else how am I going to find it when I'm searching for cardigans?
Whew. I bet they're sorry they asked. Rant over … FOR NOW. They're going to do this carnival every two weeks!
A Dress A Day 
Oh, I completely agree with you on #3! I never liked it when being asked to get a store credit card myself (do I *look* like I’m that gullible?), and then promptly found myself working at a retailer that demanded just that. *shudder* Yes, you lived in fear of not asking three times or you would be fired. Or at least, given a rah-rah session and “reminded” to be sure and ask!In my humble opinion, if a customer has said “NO” once, the second time asking is going to make you look grabby. Once they’ve said “NO” twice, the third time is pure and utter desperation. By that point, most people (except for the gullible ones who shouldn’t even be opening a new credit card) are smiling at you through clenched teeth: “I said NO! Respect my opinion and ring up my purchase already!” And if they’re a gullible one, you’re praised for selling out your conscience (oops, I mean your exceptional dedication to the job). :-/And now I bet you’re sorry you mentioned it. 😉
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First: KISS. That’s right, “keep it simple, stupid.”Yes. If I want sparkly things on a dress/jacket/skirt, I’ll add them myself. Second: Why can’t I find a decent handbag for under one gazillion dollars?Gaaah. I know exactly the sort of handbag I want, and no one makes them any more. I want a large-ish black leather purse with a frame, a kiss-lock closure, and pockets inside. With silver hardware. eBay & the thrift stores turn up things that are *close*, but not quite it.Third: Don’t force your salespeople to be jerks.I have no qualms about making up information to give them when they ask. I do the same thing to those poor people who call with marketing surveys. It’s fun!
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AMENYou all might check out knitting bags to be used as purses. Roomy, lots and lots of pockets, well made.Namaste Needles has some great ones for around $70. (Is that still too much? – us knitters think it’s a great deal, but we are also obsessed with our bags.)http://namasteneedles.com/products/handbags.php
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HI there,Thankyou for sharing your lovely obsession with vintage dresses. I love vintage, but I’m 5’10”, so there’s not much chance of me ever wearing dresses. So I restrict myself to fabulous jewels and accessories. I’ve even converted most of my friends into carrying hankies! I feel you on the bag issue. I just found an amazing bag here in NYC at Lord and Taylor. The company is Hobo International Handbags, and they are for women, designed by women. I got a classic black leather tote that is the right shoulder strap length, suave on the outside, and lined with pink taffeta on the inside. The inside has more pockets for pda’s, phones, pens, cards, lipgloss, sunglasses, etc. than I have junk for.I would link you to the purse I got, but their website is slightly maddening, and I can’t find it. But check it out; there are quite alot of vintage inspired designs there. But really check it out in person, if you can.Thanks again for all the work you put into entertaining perfect strangers!Verismo
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The shopping you describe is all too common… at the mall. I feel the same way about it. Every time I go there, I walk out saying I’ll never do it again. Shopping in small-town downtowns is such a different experience. The goods are different. The people are more invested in their businesses and thus more helpful. Often, the owner is the one waiting on you, not some bare-bellied, gum-smacking, apathetic teenager. If they don’t have it, they’ll do their darndest to find it for you. Sure, things tend to be a bit more expensive, but it’s worth it if you don’t have to put up with the aforementioned annoyances.
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While shopping in the most comfortable manner (online), I came across this: http://www.babylonmall.com/format2.php?storenum=95&user=&itemnum=27308&previewpage=item (please copy and put in address field). It is va va voom, I want one but don’t think this will fit me in the waist.I thought of you and had to share it. I have the usual disclaimers to the site and vendor.
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I have some really cute canvas bags (among other things) on etsy – bbags.etsy.com that sound like what you may be looking for. And if you like a little, but want a little different, I’m open to custom do’s – and for not lotsa $$$$ since I’m mostly doing it for fun. And what a hoot to do a bbag for the dressaday lady!!Betsy
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Verismo, I’m 5’10”, and I pretty much live in vintage dresses. Don’t give up! Just keep looking, they’re out there. I especially like the ones that hit just above my waist; I’m convinced they make my legs look longer.
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lucelu – now that is a dress I could wear and give commands with a shift of my hip! Although, I wish these vendors would do a better job with their pictures.Erin – preach it sister! I HAAAAAAAAATE the anxiety of having to insist that no, I don’t want to open an Angels account 5 times before you will let me buy your bras!! SHEESH, I just want to buy my bras at your semi-annual sale twice a year and not have to suffer credit card terrorist tactics.
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I hear ya! I’m all, like, “WEeeeee…SHOPPING!! Can’t wait.” Then reality hits. I can’t afford the things I like and when I can they’re not made well enough for me to spend the money on them. I always end up with option paralysis and can’t seem to figure out what to buy, what I like, or what I thought I needed in the first place. Designer shoes that I’ll never wear are not on the list, but I sure do want to buy those most of the time. (Gimme some of those Louboutin red soled shoes now!) In the end, I buy a lipstick or tights or a maybe a winter hat. If the person at the makeup counter has sufficiently done her job, I end up with some other cosmetics that end up costing nearly half my rent. I cruise the handbags everytime I’m shopping. I can’t believe how expensive the good bags are! And, I don’t even like that many of them these days. I don’t think I need fringe tassels hanging off my bag. I’m just not digging that neo-Easy Rider look. As for le bedazzler, Erin, you know what I like to say. “What I got don’t need beads!”
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Your beef with purses is like mine with boots. All I want is a friggin’ pair of simple-plain even! black suede or leather boots that end below the knees, have heels not meant for a hooker or for only toddling around drunkenly. I want boots I can wear in the winter when my legs are cold and I’m wearing a skirt or dress AND walk the big gallump of a dog I have without breaking a heel or falling on my arse.Instead, whenever I shop on ebay (both in new and in vintage), other websites, or live at real stores you can visit in person (amazingly I can do that occasionally, I mean even besides Target and Jewel) all I see are chains or extra straps or stupid seams or zippers in weird places or wedge heels or no heels and thin soles or skinny 3 1/2″ stilletto heels. Okay, sorry I stole your blog and ranted. I feel SO much better now though.
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I’m a handbag (I hate that term—it’s a grandma word, like “hose” or “stockings” or “slacks”) picky-poo, too. I forget everything, so I must have one with a handle long enough that it can go ’round my neck, messenger-bag-style, because if I ever set it down anywhere I’ll never see it again. (Owning a “clutch” is my worst nightmare. I’d lose that baby before I even got out of the house!)And speaking of babies, I’m spoiled forever now that I’ve had children, and have spent approximately a gazillion years carrying around a gigantic diaper bag. Dang, it’s nice to have anything you could possibly need right there at your fingertips, from band-aids to hand sanitizer to crackers to a change of clothes. My small purses get loaded so completely that they look like ticks about to pop.I finally just bought a bunch of patterns on the $.99-$1.99 sales and some great fabric, and [someday, cross your fingers] am going to make some for myself. I’ve been shopping thrift stores and clearance racks for so long that I feel positively sinful if I spend more than $14.99 for a bag, so that limits the selection a bit…
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My standard response when asked if I want an extended warranty is something like: “Why? Do you expect it to break?”
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In England, women magazines are sold with a ‘freebie’. It could be a pair of flip flops, a bikini, a paperback book, a cd…or a fashionable bag for the season. And those are the bags I use. Sure, they’re not the best quality and you risk bumping into others with the same bag (different colour), but they’re functional and usually bright. And when it’s time to retire the bag at the end of the season, I give it to one of my young nieces who really appreciates it and I look for another bag on the magazine shelf. I don’t buy handbags anymore because they’re expensive–but because mine are always stolen! My fabulous Miss Sixty bag–lifted in Spain. My roomy Nike gym bag–MIA. And my gorgeous leather Liz Claiborne–(which when I purchased, I exclaimed, “I’ll never buy another bag again!” and “No, I don’t want to open a such-and-such account”)–taken from my luggage on an international flight out of London. Thanks for the opportunity to rant, I mean, share on your very talented blog.
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Crikey!!! This is exactly how I feel about everything that you wrote today. I have quit shopping this year for clothes because I cant find anything I like. I hate that they have to be so pushy about the credit cards. Ya know it’s the same way at a restuarnt its called upsale. They teach this to you now when you serve. They try talk to into more expensive food. The big thing is pushing a desert on you now. Denny’s makes their servers do this. Dh and I tired of this when we go to eat out in the chain restuarnts.On the store credit card I tell them “do know those are 22% interest cards??? I totaly agree with you Erin and Jill about the KISS rule. Jill your so funny making up information, you remind me of father. When people call and annoy him with tele-marketing stuff he does things like this. He also acts crazy too!!! Im unhappy with the purse selection out there. I need to get my Asprey purse fixed then I guess it will just have to do for another few years. I also have a “the girls” large tote but it gets so dirty. I would like another one exactly like this but I dont know where to find one.Duchess I have been looking for a knitting bag so thank you for posting this information about knitting bags. Anonymous in England. I used to love it when I was living in London or Scotland. I would buy a lot of the fashion mags. I still have a cute little Marie Clare handbad. I had great Instyle totebag but someone stole it. Oh well. I still have 2 of the Instyle makeup bags and I love them. Love your blog Erin, great post today even tho it was not about dresses.
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Etsy.com is interesting, but I found it was pointing me not to things in the color I selected, but things that were photographed on a background that was the color I selected. Pretty useless.Jenny, on the term handbag (versus purse or bag), you might be interested in this.
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Erin, going to thank you right now for that reminder about tags. By the time I get done listing an item on my site and I get to page formatting, I often draw a blank….I can only imagine how many things I put dates & the word “vintage” in but didn’t think of textile or alternate terms for the item (i.e. sweater AND cardigan, etc). Here’s to hoping this moment of blog reading improves my sales & helps me wean myself off Ebay! (PS, I love LOVE LOVE Etsy, and if you haven’t you should check out seller HouseWears, adorable things made from vintage tablecloths!)…..Ang
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http://www.shopecko.com/cdocs/ECKO/images/00382RED.2.jpegi found this one at marshalls for $25 bucks. it does have that annoying dangly keychain, but it’s removable. what i like is that it holds much more than it looks and is a great color for fall/winter!
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Hate to be the party pooper, but the retail business is absolutely horrible. I know, I worked there for awhile. They will not listen to your suggestions, because they have their eye on the bottom line. Salespeople punch a time clock and are constatnly scrutinized for their dress, behavior (push the goods), and dollars chinked up. A chart is kept in the back room to monitor all this. And they hire a lot of older women whose husband have dumped them and they have no skills. Wages are poor and vacation time is laughable.I did a study of this. It includes the “upscale” stores like Neimans, Tiffanys, Nordstroms, etc.I think your best bet is to find small, local boutiques where you can make friends w the staff.
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Anonymous this is so true. I worked for Nordstroms in the late 80’s and after working for that awful company. I said I would never do retail again and I havent.They chew you up and spit you out. My boss at Nordstrom cut my hrs and kept me from getting insurance by 2 hrs. I was 5 months pregnant when he did this to me. He cut my hrs just as I qualified for insurance. I did not get to see a dr till I was 6 months along. I had to go to the state and get help.
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If you’re searching for a classic, everyday handbag, you might want to check out the Classic Favorites at coach.com (http://www.coach.com/content/thumbnail.aspx?category_id=289&classic=1.It)’s the only place I’ve been able to find plain leather handbags. My local department stores only seem to stock the logo bags of the various brands; I don’t care to wear anyone’s initials but my own, Thank You. And I don’t want a cloth bag for everyday, you can’t wipe it clean if you spill something on it, or set it on a sticky counter.The Coach Classic bags aren’t cheap, but they will last for years. It’s unfortunate that the website doesn’t have photos or drawings of the inside of the bags. You have to depend on the (ofter poor) description to determine if a style has the interior pockets you need, and most were designed before the electronic gadget explosion. Since I only carry a Treo, it works for me. I have the Legacy Zip; inside it has a zippered pocket, two pen slots and one open pocket large enough for my Treo in it’s case. I especially like that you can order it in black with brass or nickel hardware.
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***oops*** …Treo in its case.
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