Blog Me? Blog You!

It may be a little like the blind leading the blind in some weird way, but when a blogger blogs about another blogger... that's nice! At least for me! 

This past weekend was the sample sale at my current freelance job, designer Shelly Steffee in the ever popular Meat Packing District of NYC. I helped work the sale Friday and Saturday and met a handful of great people. One of which is an amazing women that is a shopping marathoner! Without disclosing her real identity (for which we have a true bond), she is the sole shopper and blogger behind SampleSally.com. "Sally" shops each and every sample sale in Manhattan and blogs about it. She has a full time career and does this on the side... for fun. She must work full time! It's a lot of shopping sister! Her website is a great source for setting up your own personal sample sale shopping schedule if you are going to be visiting from out of town (or even if you live here) and want to know where and when to hit the sales. Sally provides snap shots from all of her sample sale events and is very informative about the available merchandise, the prices and the overall feeling of sale from location to ambiance. Sally is my new favorite New Yorker and bound to be yours too! She is totally unassuming and as elegant a women as they come. 

True to her blog, Sally reviewed the Shelly Steffee sample sale on her website over the weekend. Additionally, mentioning me and my blog in her review! Yep, there, we did it... we blogged about each other.

Bookmark her website:

www.samplesally.com

Visit Shelly Steffee while your at it... her collections are trully works of art and are designed for real women with real bodies:

www.shellysteffee.com

To West Helm... and Back

One would think that if an item is advertised as a 'Storage Bed' and you go to purchase said item... it would come with all of the parts needed for the 'storage' aspect of the bed. Not so much. 

After a valiant study and research effort to find a bed frame that both my husband and I could agree on appearance and function... we set out to West Elm this past weekend to purchase their Storage Bed. Apparently a very popular item this bed has become since being introduced over a year ago. We were interested in purchasing the king size storage bed. The bed and the headboard were both on sale! Of course they are, everything is. We thought that we were winning already. Mary, our lovely sales rep came back to us after about 10 mins to tell us that she had some good news and some bad news. This was interesting. So, what? They had the bed and not the headboard? Nope. They had the headboard- check, the bed- check, BUT NO DRAWERS FOR THE BED! WHAT? Mary, in her calm, lovely voice proceeded to tell us that she was calling the other stores in the area to find the drawers for the bed and then disappeared. We, mainly me, remained calm... but I mean really? Where are the drawer? If you have the bed, where are the drawers? It's a storage bed, that's how it comes? In my world, that's like selling a belted dress and not having the belt to go with the dress. So where did the drawers go? You have 3 king size storage beds and headboards in stock and no drawers? Ok. What now?

Scene #2: We are now walking around West Elm (we have not reached the real depth of disappointment yet) for about 45 mins waiting for the lovely Mary to find us the drawers... that don't exist. We go to the checkout counter where she is on the phone and has the store manager with her to find out what the hold up is. Bottom line is there are no drawers in the tri-state area and we will have to wait until June 15th for the drawers to come it. Now, they did find the drawers in Florida if we would like to pay to have them shipped to us. So, we are at a flagship store, where we are picking up the bed in our own car so that we don't pay the $125+ in shipping cost to bring our items 3 blocks. We are getting ready to spend a significant amount of money in this store and we are supposedly in a 'recession'. I asked if they would be able to do an in store transfer of the drawers to save us the $400 on shipping so that we would be able to pick up the drawers at their store... the store manger (whose name I will leave out, because she is not worthy) launched into a 5 min dissertation about freight forwarders and suppliers, and how shipping works within warehouses, blah, blah, blah. Awesome. I looked her in the eye and calmly told her that I was leaving my name and my phone # with them and when she decided what the right thing to do was to make this purchase easy for my husband and I, to call me with her best offer. I thanked her and we left... with no storage of anything. (PS- my husband is standing over my shoulder shouting at them that we are just going to go Pottery Barn! Nice, since they are owned by the same company... thanks husband).

We received a phone call about 15 mins later, to no avail, they did not solve any of the issues regarding the drawers. The lovely Mary said that she would continue to do her best in trying to find these items for us, but will not be able to wave the shipping fee for us and would understand if we would like to take our business elsewhere. I further explained my disappointment with the company policies given our long and extensive search for the 'perfect bed' and explained that we would still be purchasing the bed and headboard and that she should deduct the price of the drawers from the purchase, yet honor the sale price once the drawers become available in June and document this all in writing.. and thank you!

So, my feeling about West Elm... To (West) Helm and I have to go back... in June! I am really perplexed about where the drawers could have gone though. Am I alone in this? It is advertised as a Storage Bed, so why would there be no drawers to go with all of these frames? (As I sit here and shake my head)

PS- the bed frame chipped when we pulled it out of the box... we super glued the chip back into place. 

Wisp This!

I am pushing a product this time. Colgate is sending Oral B back to their labs these days. About 4-5 years ago, Oral B introduced the ever so clever finger sleeve travel tooth freshener thingy. I loved these thing! So much so that I think I included them in my wedding welcome bags. Yeah, I really liked them. So handy. Well, Colgate has now trumped that little finger condom with the newly introduced WISP! See inset photo right... this thing is that much better in so many ways. Let me explain: So it is about 3 inches in length with a mini brush at one end with a breath mint bubble that refreshes your breath with saliva activation... at the other end is a little toothpick! 'Nuf said! It's disposable, compact and totally effective! No water needed, so cute and much classier to use than shoving your finger in your mouth... although I did enjoy watching people use the Oral B socks for their first time, so I would bring enough for everyone at a table we would sit with at a wedding and make them all brush their teeth after our meal just see them all shove their fingers in their mouths at a formal event!!! Good times, good times! 

Check out the Colgate website for more info on the WISP:

www.colgatewisp.com

Look for these in your local drug store or buy them online at drugstore.com... be sure to check retailmenot.com for discounts on your online purchases first though!!!

Wisp Away!

The Madness of March

I mean... where have I been????? Well, it's March and that means... MADNESS! And if you do not know what that means... then ask the closest man in your life that is a sports fan. It's March Madness which means two things in my world: 1. a lot of face time with my TV and 2. a new handbag!!!!! Let me explain....

The #1 means that the National Collegiate Athletic Association hosts the ever exciting and tantalizing men's (and women's) Division 1 National Basketball Tournaments. The beginning of the month of March is full of the conference championships... setting the stage for what was is to be the 'road to the dance'... hence the 'madness'. Following the crescendo of championships, there is a special little Sunday evening where college basketball teams, coaches, trainers, cheerleaders, band leaders, mascots and fans alike gather around the TV with pen and paper in hand (are you with me?) to scribble out the set games to big the NCAA Tournament. Which brings me to the second part of my own personal madness this month...

I have taken it upon myself to rename the NCAA Selection Sunday to HANDBAG Selection Sunday! This is the 2nd part of why March has become so maddening... wink, wink! On that special Sunday evening when my husband and I sit down with pen and paper in hand, I have already done my own research on the teams that I think are going to dance there way through to the championship. Additionally, I have done my research on the latest and greatest of handbags that I would like to add to my collection. So, I pick 4! I assign them to each of the 4 division of the basketball bracket and... may the best designer win!!!!!!!

Last year I played the tournament a bit differently. There was a pool involved. I try and jump on the office betting pools whenever possible to help fund the handbag purchase. So last year... if my bracket paid out... new handbag for me! All I have to say is THANK YOU KANSAS JAYHAWKS!!!!

So for all my lady friends who are not getting enough face time with your man because its March Madness... print out a bracket and play along! It's spring time and you need a new accessory!

Is Love in the Air?

It's the Tuesday before Valentine's Day and maybe I missed something, but I am not feeling or seeing the love in the air. I have seen the poorest showing of greeting cards present in the few stores that I would expect to see the best. The retail store windows in and around Manhattan have barely shown a trace of red hearts, cupid and anything resembling the concept of LOVE. Come on people!!!!! In the absence of anything positive these days, let's fill our hearts, minds and lives for just one day I ask you! Make is look like you care like you did in years past! SHOW THE LOVE for Pete's sake! I beg you!

In an effort to SHOW THE LOVE this coming weekend... do this... hunt down a card, any card, for anyone... buy it and give it to someone, anyone. Cards are expensive. Go the distance. Support the economy. 

Ok, so if you are a dude and you read my blog and you are in search of a small token for lady in your life... let me introduce you to Elma Blint of Baubles & Thorn. I met her over the weekend at the local flea market. In a sea of jewelry vendors, Elma has a small ring that is the perfect gift for this upcoming holiday of affection. A silver band with your choice of stone (I would suggest the one of your lady's birth month) is only $60. I love it! It looks great with my wedding bands and it is so classic and clean. Note to self... if she likes it... and you have babies... you can stack up their birthstones in the years to come! Just a thought. She has other beautiful pieces that are a bit more pricey, but this is a true gem... wink wink!

Ladies... what to buy your man... well you are not going to like this one, but I bought my husband a toy this year, so I am not certain that I am in a position to give advice or suggestion. In any event, this should be holiday where you give a card and receive a gift maybe? You can never go wrong with a good book or a comfy t-shirt. I was in Brooklyn Industries over the weekend and they have great t-shirts... a bit pricey for a graphic tee, but clever designs. 

www.baublesandthorn.com

(incidentally the ring is not pictured on the website, but if you contact Elma directly, she will be happy to help you)

www.brooklynindustries.com

Happy Valentines Day and Show the Love for Someone OR Everyone!

Who Wins This One?

I think that my career and my personal infatuation for the fashion world may be getting the best of me during these tumultuous economic times. The question 'who wins this one?' has a struck a cord with me this week. For no other reason than I am the one who 'won' and the store and the designer have lost, and that has never been upsetting to me before this time.

The Story:

Last week on my way home from work I stopped at one of my favorite boutiques, Calypso, with the intention of purchasing a birthday gift for my sister-in-law... (she definitely did NOT win this one!). The sale sign in the window has been staring me in the face for weeks, maybe months now and I finally lost control and faced the racks of deals that were sure to not reflect well on my checking account. So the sales sign read... an extra 50% off would be taken on your purchase should two or more items from the sale rack be purchased. Depending on what the sale prices were... two items was sure not to be problem. Long story short, I left with 2 dresses, 2 pairs of leggings and one leather jacket totaling $227.50. I left Calypso feeling exuberant and well serviced. I had won again! Another triumphant fashion purchase! The two dresses were seasonally versatile, you can never have too many pairs of good leggings and a cute cropped leather jacket always a timeless basic... especially for this price. I had even said to the sales girl that I felt bad for the designer of the jacket. 

Here's the 'but'... had that designer ever known that the price of the jacket would ever be what it was, would she ever taken orders and produced as many as she had? Had she been paid for those orders on it yet? And how is that designers wholesale business? I ask these questions to myself because I know what it is like on the inside of that jacket's label and it's lining so to speak. I know what went into making that jacket hang from the hanger that I took off of and I had felt like I stole it. Not to mention Calypso's business plan. They took a bath on that jacket and these other items as well. Here is how the prices broke down:

This is what the original price was, the sale price and then the price after the 50% (which is the price that I paid). Note that there were several markdowns on some of these items before the sale price.

Dress #1: $275.00 Sale: $99.00 Discount: $49.50

Dress #2: $325.00 Sale: $199.00 Discount: $99.50

Legging #1: $65.00 Sale: $29.00 Discount: $14.50

Legging #2: $65.00 Sale: $29.00 Discount: $14.50

Leather jacket: $1200.00 Sale: $99.00 Discount: $49.50

TOTAL: $1930.00 Sale: $455.00 Discount: $227.50

So after I got home and explained the purchase to my husband and really looked at the receipt and did the above breakdown, I had a truer vision of just how tough our economic environment is. I spend a good portion of my work days trying to manage the wholesale business of the current designer that I work for so I am seeing these fashion troubles first hand. For some reason being on the consumer side was really more astonishing. 

With the above experience being said... I still encourage the shopping to continue! I encourage the deals to be sought out and I encourage those who need a 'pick me up' to support the economy wherever possible. There are great boutiques all over the great United States of America that need our support now more than ever and they are having sales! 

Keep shopping and deal hunting! I will too!

Sometime You Can't Always Get What You Want

But if YOU 'buy' sometimes, you get what your need. Or at least that is how I would like to think that it can work. With the holiday season behind us... (pause for a sigh and some reflection...) and I can't believe that I was only able to blog twice during the season... that is disappointing! So if you did not get everything, or anything, that you wanted for the holidays...  For the first time in years the deals were just as good, if not better, before December 25th as they where after. In any event the deals keep coming! With that being said there are a few noteworthy websites that people should keep in their 'shopping favorites' list (make one if you don't have one and keep adding as I suggest... good idea right?) and be sure to reference when attempting any online or in-person mall type purchases.

Take note on 

couponcabin.com

retailmeknot.com

Here is the short on how it works: log on to your ISH and navigate your way to either of these two sites. You can either type in/click the category or the name of the store/website that you are looking to do your shopping for or at and see what kind of discount codes or printable coupons you can collect before you begin your shopping. Easy! SIDE NOTE: Be sure to check for free shipping on all websites. It seems that everyone is offering this even after the holidays just to keep the customers coming back. There maybe promotional codes on the two websites that I listed above for the free shipping as well.

So if you have the post holiday blues... do what I do and partake in a little retail therapy!!!!