8.06.2012

Some home TLC

Holy crap.  Summer sure flew by!  I have only two more weeks to enjoy summer, get ready for school and finish up my home projects.  Can't complain; it's been a good one.

I have to start with an interesting story from a recent event that's sill on my mind:

On my last visit to my B&M, my PS said to me:  "Wow!  That's some reward you got!  That's the largest I've ever seen!  You must have been cheating on me ordering online."  I've been thinking about her comments ever since.

1. To what extent is Big Brother JC (or little sister PS) watching me shop?  How much information do the SAs have access to?
I never told her I was shopping with my rewards card OR what the card amount was.  This kindof freaks me out.  I know they use computers, but do they have our shopping profile at their fingertips?  Kindof makes me want to pay cash!

2.  Am I supposed to be loyal to one PS at one store?  Have I broken some unwritten shopping etiquette law in having more than one PS at more than one store? 
I am an instant gratification gal; if one store doesn't have something I want, I'll drive to another to get it (there are 5 B&M stores within driving distance for me to choose from.  Only one is a chore to get to on a regular basis, and I like each store for different reasons).  I have never used the 'open the store early/stay open late to let me shop' or the 'put a bunch of different outfits together in my size appointment' options with my PS.  I have asked them to keep an eye out for particular items on sale for me.  I try to make purchases when they are working, although I won't not buy if they're not there.
 
Thoughts?  Maybe I'm giving it too much thought.  I'd love to hear what you think.  I'm planning to post this query on the JCA mothership to see what others think; I know there's at least one SA who frequents and comments regularly.  Would love to hear her answer to #1!

Anyways, I am posting a few outfits I was mindful enough to snap photos of over the past few weeks.  They feature one of my NYC buys at the Madison Ave J.Crew Collection Store:  the Stripe tie-front top.  {{Love!!}} I've already gotten my money's worth on this shirt (which was on sale!)

Sorry you can't really see the stripes in either photo.  The first pairing is with the knit maxi skirt that I've surprised myself and have worn the heck out of since I bought it this past spring (thanks for the push, Ina!).  The other outfit is the same top, tucked, with a sweater from last summer and a 'vintage' skirt I found on eBay.  (Mom said,  "That's what they call color chunking, right?"  I love my mom.)

As I've said already, other than the tippis, I really am not a fan of much of the new merchandise @ JC.  I troll the website and eBay every morning watching for pop-backs, super deals and 'vintage' items, but I'm happy to report that I'm feeling happy not finding much!  For some reason, I feel like putting my energy into my home has removed some of my clothing shopping fanaticism.  Or, I may have just refocused my obsessive/compulsive habits in another direction...

I have spent the past month or so raking through my closets and hauling many, many, many loads to the consignment store/donation drop-off.  I've also taken care of some necessary projects:  I've painted the bathroom, hallway--including doors and frames, stairway wall and my bedroom.  I've begun to sort through and weed out stuff in the basement, and I've organized my husband's clutter in our back room and garage a bit.  Phew!  I'd love to have gotten the basement done and the kitchen painted, but I honestly don't see it happening.  I yet plan to get some prints framed and hung and make a visit up to mom's before school starts.  My favorite fruit of my labor (other than the total peace and calmness I feel from having the space around me organized/de-cluttered and clean) is the bedroom painting that I did. 

The first photo is my inspiration:  http://www.houzz.com/photos/41207/Our-Home-eclectic-bedroom-seattle
The next photo is the finished accent wall in my bedroom--just after painting.  LOVE this color!  I will post more photos when the room gets finished.  The other three walls are dark brown.  I found white curtains on sale at JCP, a quilt that matches the teal wall perfectly at Herbergers, and we'll be picking up a bedroom set that I found on Craigslist before the end of August. 

Now if I could only find a sweater in that deep teal color and a wool pencil skirt in chocolate brown. 

Thanks for reading!

4 comments:

  1. I wish i would have a PS,but they dont do this for the international customer.
    I am not sure of the rules,but it would be a great topic on the JCA like you said.
    Thanks for the shout-out,i wear my skirt a lot too and regret that i didnt buy the striped version.
    I just got two tippis and the kelly green one will be next:).

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    1. Side note- the short sleeved sweatshirt popped back this morning! Thought I was done buying...at least it was not expensive!

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  2. Good reminder about JCP and drapes. I am looking for a special pair and didn't think to look there. I have no idea what I want, but I'm sure I'll know it when I see it. Your outfit w/the cobalt blue is adorable.

    About the SA. Frankly, I think it's a violation of privacy. They should not be making comments about the size of the rewards cards. I don't even know why J Crew provides the specific dollar amount to the stores. Is it so they can cross reference it for the customer? That doesn't make sense because if the customer needs to know the amt we can look at our accounts online or call customer service. My PS has referred to the list, but has never commented on the size of my card, which I appreciate. I recently had a situation w/UPS where the woman at the customer center kept making comments about me being a shopaholic, the number of packages I recvd, etc... She was laughing, but I was sure she was wondering all sorts of things, what I do for a living, etc... I haven't volunteered any info at all. I'm nice and friendly about the weather or whatever she brings up, but don't care to share any personal information. I don't want or need to get into how I order 5 things from J Crew and they end up sending them in 3 packages, or how I'm doing a re-buy, blah, blah. I thought my silence was enough, but it wasn't. She wasn't incessant, but I felt it was a violation of my privacy and I didn't know what words to use without coming off mean. Most ppl don't like confrontation. So I contacted customer service and a local mgr called me. I explained that I didn't want the cs rep to know it was me. The mgr said she would make sure, understanding that I didn't want my service to be affected. I *did* feeel like she changed a little bit with her attitude for a week or so. She was more formal and not so friendly. I'm thinking she must've guessed it was me. I decided not to care because I'm much happier without the extra comments. Surely she must discuss my business w/co-workers. One day she & another woman were chatting on about how so-and-so customer is on a fixed income, after he left the office. That's not my business. Or theirs! I can only imagine what they said about me. Anyway, I'm ranting and hogging space, but I just wanted to share. If you feel bugged, you have every right to.

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    1. Gigi,
      Thanks for the thoughtful response. It's tough thinking about taking a stand when it has potential to make future visits to places you use a s a consumer uncomfortable; I applaud your courage in your situation. I wish I had had the wherewithal to make my concerns and apprehension known when it happened. That would have been best, I think. Maybe, too, since I have a quasi relationship with my PS, vs. your UPS person, that makes it a bit more tricky.

      Good luck with your search for curtains; that's a tough one! Bed Bath & Beyond also has a nice selection, but isn't nearly as good with prices as JCP.

      Thanks again for your response! You are amazing!

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