Shopping Report: the 3rd Day of Christmas

[gerisullivan]

Today's find doesn't match the LUSH Clean Slate sale at the SoHo store, but for being a first time shopper at Coldwater Creek, I seem to have done pretty well. I walked away with two sweaters, two dressy jackets, and a leather jacket that I hope works out as I intend it to.

The Shops at Evergreen Walk store had discounts up to 60%, and everything on the Coldwater Creek website is 50% off through midnight Friday. (Eastern time)

I didn't find online links to most of the stuff I bought in the store, but here's one of the dressy jackets. "Click to enlarge" on the main image helps some. Go ahead and click "More Views" over to the right, even though it says "Image Coming Soon." There's a close-up image of the fabric behind the cut. I have the silver one shown.

And here's the Artistic Leather Jacket. The store sale price was $119, a tasty $30 lower than the half-price web deal. No shipping charges, either. I was already driving by on another errand, so gas money to get there isn't a factor.

Now I'm just trying to remember budget realities and not order this silk overlay sweater. Even at half off, it's $20-40 more than I tend to pay for sweaters, and that's before shipping. I know everything is returnable, but I have a strong preference for trying things on before I buy them. So my plan is to enjoy the fun new clothes I've already tried on and bought today, saving any hypothetical dollars for future adventures and sales. Because there will always be more sales.

So, I know that post-Christmas sales are a standard retail thing, albeit one I haven't shopped much over the years. Have the deep discounts spread enough that they're now common on the web, too? I don't buy all that much stuff online, and I haven't really been looking.

Comments

[laurel]

There usually are some pretty good deals online after Christmas, though not generally as prevalent or as good as the deals you'll find at brick and mortar stores.

Coldwater Creek does big sales throughout the year of the "50% off everything" variety; since their starting prices tend to be fairly high, this is a good thing.

Another tip re Coldwater Creek: you can order stuff online or from the catalog while at their brick-and-mortar stores and they'll ship them to that store for free. Saves on shipping if you're willing to drive to a store to order and to pick up. It might be possible to call a local store to place the initial order, I haven't tried that. 'Course it's only really worth it if you have a shop nearby. And they take returns at brick and mortar stores too.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Yes, I overheard a clerk telling another customer about this feature. It could work well when I need to travel down to Buckland Hills anyway. I'm always looking for an excuse because in these parts, the best grocery store sushi is at Highland Park Market. Far as I've found, anyway. Their Hungarian Mushroom soup is tasty, too.

Back to Coldwater Creek -- the nearest store is 30-35 miles away. Of course, with the exception of one shop in Sturbridge, if I want to do any significant clothes shopping, I have to drive 30-35 miles in some direction.

[nancymcc.livejournal.com]

Ooh, nice sweater.

Yeah, what I love is the option to return to the local store... which just happens to be at the same freeway exit I use in my daily commute to work!

My mom says she's gotten shoddy goods from CC, but I can't resist that they don't up-price the X sizes and the clerks are mature women who don't sneer at me.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

That's a sweet location you've got there! And, yes, I could easily see you wearing that sweater, too.

Not only are the larger size prices the same, the clothes are on the same racks as all other sizes. This is the first store I remember being in that does that, and I love it.

I'm unlikely to get into mail order clothing very much because I positively hate returning merchandise under any conditions, even when its defective. There's a story of creepy mistreatment from my mother behind this. From the time I was old enough to walk the block over to the drug store, she'd send me over to buy a woman's magazine for her, especially when she was sick. She'd want a Family Circle, Redbook, McCalls, Cosmo, whatever. She'd be very specific about the title and date -- "if the January Family Circle is there, get that. If not, bring me the December Redbook -- I haven't read that yet. I'd come home with the January Family Circle or the December Redbook, exactly as she'd said. She'd look at the cover, say, "I've already read this one. Take it back and get me [some other magazine and date]." More times than not, she would have read that one, too, and would send me back again. I don't think any single instance ever stretched beyond five trips to get her one magazine she wanted to read, but it often took three or four. She pulled that crap for years. As I grew older, it became a source of ongoing conflict between us -- I didn't mind going over to get her a magazine, but I hated her "no, I don't want that one after all; take it back" response. It wasn't fair to the store and it certainly wasn't fair to me.

You'd think that over the years, I would have come up with some way of protecting myself from the annoyance and embarrassment of buying and returning magazine after magazine. but I didn't. I only acquired a lifelong dislike of returning anything I've purchased. I give myself a lot of mental "atta girls" whenever I manage to return merchandise for any reason -- I can do it, but just thinking about it still makes me twitchy these 40 and more years later.

It's not nearly as traumatic as physical or sexual abuse, but it was still abusive on her part.

[nancymcc.livejournal.com]

Yes, emotional abuse can twist us in odd ways. Ick.

My attempts to deal with power tripping have -- in recent years -- been to try to view the power trippers as pathetic in their need to exercise power in such an inappropriate way. I try for pity and often end up feeling contempt. Well, it beats fear, for me.

However, I can't say it always works. I'm still allergic to the University of Iowa Computer Center, where I got sorta demoted by its Director on my first day of my first full-time job (probably gender discrimination)... even though it was thirty years ago and the building has been remodeled into unrecognizability. [ Months after I left, the Director got fired. I heard he resisted it, and campus police had to clean out his office. I was definitely human enough to gloat, gleefully gloat. Glowingly, even.]

[tanac.livejournal.com]

I went there yesterday and hit that sale. And bought The Dress. (More forthcoming on that on LJ, later. When there are pictures.) *bounce* yay sales!

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

...everything on the Coldwater Creek website is 50% off through midnight Friday. (Eastern time)

You are a horrible person...and I am now the owner of a pair of glove-leather granny boots, a suede sweater jacked, and a snowflake cardigan. (I've been contemplating the granny boots for years...) I saw your note 7 minutes to midnight.

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

Of course, as I've just found out, if I'd *waited* 10 minutes, it would have been 60% off! Ah, well.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Now that's evil. What do they mean their best sale of the season just got better? Their best sale of the season was supposed to be over.

Congratulations on your purchases. Cute boots! Would that suede sweater jacket be in "cranberry zing"? And what color is your snowflake cardigan? Whichever it is, it looks like you may have grabbed the last one in anything larger than an XS (red) or M (black).

I discovered a rare problem when I returned home with my in-store shopping finds. The velvet duster wants a shell or other top worn underneath, but I was surprised to discover that my fallback standard black shell looks like crap with the jacket. The black velvet is super shiny -- even my standard black velvet leggings look like crap 'cause they have more of a matte finish and they just plain look old and faded next to the new jacket. Okay, they are old. Heck, they were old when I wore them in Glasgow in 1995.

I have other pants that work, but none of my tops really do. What I need is a gold or copper metallic top -- on the appearance front, anyway. I generally don't like how metallic knit tops feel. which points at a shimmering satin tank or shirt, or, preferably, the perfect silk. I can't buy anything without taking the jacket along.

Grrr. I've become spoiled -- for the past several years, serendipity has been my friend. I usually find several additional ways of wearing whatever new piece of clothing I bring home -- sort of like how stunning the green shawl you picked up for me in Spain goes so well with the black macrame dress for an alternate look to wearing the dress with its matching jacket.

I may be hitting the sales again tomorrow. Or wearing something else Monday night.