Monthly Archives: December 2016

28Dec/16

Things I Wont Be Doing In 2017

Humor, Life, ,

and maybe never again…

new year

off with the old, on with the new…

It always makes me a little sad when a year comes to the end, but not this year. I have never so wanted a year to be over with as I have with this one. I am looking forward to a fresh start and hoping for a year filled with promise, love and healing. And so in this same vein of thinking about the new year before us…here are ten things I won’t be doing next year.

  1. I won’t be wearing a bikini – since I haven’t worn one since I was 15, I don’t really think it will happen next year. Or ever for that matter…
  2. I will not see David Bowie, Prince or Glenn Frey in concert – I am so upset I never got to see any of these greats in concert. So I have Cher and Paul McCartney on my bucket list next time they are touring. I already have tickets for Guns N Roses for August. 2016 taught us to see the people we want whenever we have the chance.
  3. Getting Married – Since I am not seeing anyone and its been sometime since I even had a date, it is fair to say I won’t be getting married next year. But if I do, I want to get married on the beach. And you are all invited.
  4. Work more than 4 days in a row – I tried this right before Christmas and it just about did me in. I got a terrible cold and was exhausted. I am still trying to recuperate from this experience. I know its crazy cause some people actually work 5 or even more days in a row, and at one time a few years ago I did myself. But, 3 days in a row is going to be my limit for 2017.
  5. Iron – Considering I don’t even own an iron, I think its a safe bet I won’t be doing this next year or any time in the future. Actually, this is for a friend who loves to iron…how is that even possible?
  6. Get Organized – Yeah, I read that stupid book. And honestly I did it once and it just didn’t work for me. I am not an organized kind of person. If by chance I get a wild hair and do it, I can not for the life of me, ever find the things I have organized. And really, having a completely organized house is the last thing on my to do list. I have tried…it just isn’t me. I love this quote.. “At the worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.” ~ Rose Macaulay
  7. I will not stop eating ice cream or potato chips – I know this post is supposed to be about things I won’t be doing next year….well ok then..I won’t deny myself foods I love. I know these things are bad for me and I will have to exercise a little more to be able to shut my jeans but it is worth it to me. I have heard stories of people who eat super healthy, exercise and do everything right and they still die. So at least I will have had my favorite foods and not deny myself these simple pleasures before I leave this earth… Oh and pizza…can’t forget pizza. And of course, the occasional glass of wine. I’ve heard tell it is good for you. So there you go.
  8. Stop Shopping – I love to shop. My Mom took my shopping every Friday when I was growing up. I loved it then and love it now. It relaxes me and brings me joy! I love shopping with my daughters and my friends. I have shopped with friends this year that I have never in my life shopped with before and hope to do it more in 2017. I have a friend who I have known for over 40 years and until this year we had never shopped together. We couldn’t think of why we never did it before… but we did it 3 times this year. Maybe a New York shopping trip is in order for 2017.
  9. Stop Writing – I will not stop writing next year or any year after that. I always wanted to write but life, kids, jobs, etc. got in the way, so I am never stopping now that I have started. I love writing. I love hitting the publish button. I love hearing what you have to say about what I have written. But most of all I just love putting my feelings and thoughts out there. I write about my life and it helps to get it out of my head and down on paper so to speak. So I won’t be stopping.
  10. And last but certainly not least.. I will not conform – If you look conform up in the dictionary it means to obey, heed, accept, follow…well sorry but I won’t do that anymore. We are only here for a short time and we should not spend that time doing things we don’t want to do, go places we don’t want to go, or be with people who make us feel things we don’t want to feel…Don’t be afraid to be the person you are. The people in your life who love you will still be there.

This is my list of things I won’t do next year. I just have one thing to add and it’s not something I won’t do… It’s something we all need to do. Make time for those you love. Tell them you love them and hold them close. You never know if you will see them again. If 2016 taught me anything… it’s how true this is.

What won’t you do next year?

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’ ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson (I’m counting on it, Alfred)

17Dec/16
store closed

Ten Stupid Questions Retail Workers Get Asked

Life, Lifestyle, Rants, ,

and its worse at Christmas…

store closed

closed…best sign ever..

Working retail is never really a whole lot of fun but this time of the year brings out the best or worst in people and sadly it is usually the latter. There are nice customers and some are even kind. It does seem as though if I am really nice to them and smiling it can somehow turn their nastiness around and they even wind up thanking me for my kindness and help. Most of the time though it is hard to smile and be kind.

With all that being said, here are some of the stupid questions they ask…

  1. Is there a Macy’s in New York?  I couldn’t believe this guy even asked that question. I thought he was joking until I said, are you serious.. and I saw by his expression he definitely was…serious that is.
  2. Why don’t you have any more(insert whatever you want here) left? Um, because you waited until the last minute to buy them. And I told you when you were here last week we only had a few left and yet here you are wondering why we don’t have any.
  3. Do you work here? If I’m standing behind the counter with a name tag on…then yes, most likely I work here.
  4. Where is the restroom? Well if you would look up at the sign above your head you would see it it is right down there. (this is what I want to say, but don’t) And I get this questions a million times a day. Seriously..I do.
  5. Can I get this for $50 instead of $98?  No this isn’t a yard sale, this is a department store. Sorry.
  6. I’m not sure what door to go out to the parking lot, can you help me? I think you need more help than I can give but I will try. What did you see when you came in the door, shoes, clothes, etc? Answer: Oh, I don’t remember. My answer back: Well maybe just go out all the doors until something looks familiar.
  7. Can I pay cash for this?  Yes, we do still take cash.
  8. Will you wrap this for me?  I just laugh and laugh when I get this question. I don’t wrap my gifts at home, I’m not wrapping yours. Seriously, here is my answer…they don’t offer gift wrapping in the store anymore but I will give you a gift bag.
  9. Can you throw this trash away for me? Oh, of course I’d be happy to take your germ infested Starbucks cup that you just coughed all over. No problem.
  10. Do you have kitties? Disclaimer: I may or may not have heard this guy right? But I said, No we don’t.

 

Well there are definitely more than 10 but I have to get to work. I hope you are not guilty of asking any of these questions. If you work in retail I would love to hear some of the stupid questions you may have heard from customers. Thanks for reading and say a prayer for me.

“Working retail at Christmas is fun.” ~ said no one ever….

06Dec/16
hanging clothes

Where Did The Quality Go?

Fashion, Lifestyle, Rants, , ,

Seriously where did it go?

hanging clothes

Racks of clothing, but nothing of substance…

I remember a time when you could find quality. It wasn’t that long ago. There were stores jam packed with quality clothing, shoes, handbags and jewelry. So what happened? Where did the all the quality go? Is it due to the fact that most items are now made in China, Vietnam or some other country I can’t even pronounce. I’m not sure what happened but something did…

We were shopping this past weekend and I don’t know how many times I uttered the phrase, “where is the quality?” Nothing’s the same. What happened to my favorite lines of clothing and handbags? The stores were filled with merchandise but it wasn’t calling my name or saying…pick me, pick me like it always did. I remember going in Coach and wanting every single bag in there. It was hard to make a decision there were so many I loved. I couldn’t even find one single solitary bag I could even kinda like. The same with Michael Kors…there was a time I would go without groceries to buy the bag I coveted(this is a true fact). I loved every bag and design from each season. That hasn’t happened in over 5 years.

Don’t even get me started on clothing lines. Ralph Lauren and Ann Taylor just don’t do it for me anymore. I loved these stores and their clothing lines. When I would go in the Ann Taylor store it screamed class. And the clothing was something that would last forever. I still have some of the “good stuff”. One of my other favorite stores White House/Black Market was the same. I wouldn’t be able to go in there without buying something and it took forever to narrow my choices down to a reasonable level of 3 items. I went to all of these stores this past weekend and didn’t buy one single thing. I didn’t see anything I liked or if I did even come close to liking it the cost was so high it didn’t warrant a purchase. But I would have most likely bought something no matter what if it called my name. All I heard were crickets…

I haven’t found a pair of shoes or boots I’ve absolutely loved in so long that I am still wearing my Bandolino black boots from 10 years ago. And even though they are 10 years old, people still come up and ask me where I got them. I did recently find a pair of purple suede booties, which really surprised me since I am not a big purple fan. But they were very cute and I hadn’t found anything in so long I just had to buy them. Also the point here is, I am still wearing a pair of boots that are 10 years old and they look like I bought them yesterday…QUALITY.

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” ~ Henry Ford

So where did the quality go? I did some research on this and also by reading the brands websites and checking them out on Wikipedia I found out some very interesting facts, at least I thought they were interesting. Bandolino shoes and boots were first made in Italy. Enzo Angiolini designed for the company and even had his own line for awhile(I remember this and bought quite a few of his designs). They were part of US Shoe until Nine West bought them and then Jones Apparel Group. Then Nine West Holdings snapped them back up. From what I could dig up because they make it extremely hard to find out where these companies are doing their manufacturing, they are now produced in China.

Michael Kors was first made in Italy as well. Most of the finest leather comes from Italy so that makes sense. Now their purses are made in China, Korea and Vietnam. Coach bags were produced first in Italy. I didn’t know this. They were also made in the US, which is where I thought they were made. Now they are manufactured in China, Turkey and Thailand among others. Not in the US anymore as far as I could see. Another handbag I love is Hobo Brand International. They were founded by Toni Ray in 1991 on her dining room table in Annapolis, MD. She cashed in her life savings and headed to NY with her daughter and son in law. They were made here in the US. I can’t find anything to tell me where they are being made now. But the simple fact I can’t find it on their website with the rest of the story leads me to believe they are no longer made here. I could be wrong though.

Ann Taylor was founded by Richard Liebeskind and he named the stores after his father’s best selling dress at his own store. Their products were made in the US and are now manufactured in Bangladesh. Chico’s started out as Chicos Folk Art Specialties on Captiva Island, Florida. They acquired White House Black Market around 2004 which had started as a single store in Baltimore, MD in 1985. They also own SOMA. They manufacture in over 30 countries, some of which are China, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and even the US.

And then we have Ralph Lauren. During the 2012 Olympics the uniforms the US Team wore were designed by him. He caught a lot of flack and there were even protests over the fact his clothing wasn’t made in the US and was in fact being manufactured in China. When the 2016 Summer Olympics rolled around Team USA’s uniforms were made in the US. The brand is manufactured in China, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

I tried and tried to find some lines of clothing and accessories that are still being made in the USA and here are a few:

  1. Frye Company – they make beautiful shoes, boots and handbags.
  2. LL Bean – boots and clothes
  3. Alex and Ani – jewelry and bags
  4. Pendelton – blankets and apparel
  5. New Balance – sneakers and sportswear
  6. American Apparel – clothing(hence the name apparel)
  7. SAS – shoes
  8. Stetson – hats and boots
  9. Lucky Brand Jeans – jeans and clothing (not sure if everything is made in the US but their jeans are. I absolutely love their sweaters because they have something you don’t see everyday…QUALITY. I can spot them a mile away. They have that look and feel I love. I hope it stays that way.

 

Boots and Sweater

Me at work in my Bandolino Boots and Lucky Brand Sweater

There were a few others on the list but I never heard of them, so I just posted the ones I knew. I think this is really a sad list. What do you think? Were these brands better off when they first started? Should they have just stayed small? Does the fact that they are manufacturing in countries other than the US make the clothing and other items look and feel differently. Can I say the word we are all thinking of…Cheap.. cause that is really what it is. It is cheaper to make the clothes and accessories in these countries, but then what they get is a cheaper looking item. Did the fact that the people who cared enough to start a company are no longer running it and a board that has no idea what their mission was is even on the same page now? Do they care what we as consumers want? I don’t know the answer to these questions but I got a news flash for you….If we keep buying this cheap crap they will continue to make it.

So what do you think? Do your favorite brands look and feel the same way they did a few years ago? If they don’t, what do you think the reason is? I’d love to hear from you about this.

“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort. There must be the will to produce a superior thing. ~ John Ruskin