Last weekend, I took Friday off to extend my long weekend. I spent the day shopping at Ala Moana and Kahala Mall and wouldn’t you know it, the items that I really wanted to get were not available. There’s nothing worse than having a day to shop sans children and then you can’t find anything. Last night, I had to pick up take out from CPK Kahala and since I was early, I walked around Macy’s for a bit. Lo and behold, I found my DKNY jeans in the right size and length and it was on sale for $29! I also found a really cute INC cardigan on the clearance rack. Both pieces were roughly $52. I used one of those $20 off a $50 purchase coupon and the remaining $4 on a gift card and ended up paying less than $30 for both items. All that in 10 minutes. Go figure.
So this morning I got an email from Banana Republic promoting their red envelope event this weekend. Since I was in a funky mood from work and there was a beautiful A-line skirt that I had been eyeing, I decided I would check it out after work. When you walk into their store, they hand you a sealed envelope. Your envelope contains a discount from 20 to 50-percent.
I get to the store and get my envelope. I didn’t open it because I thought it might be void if I did (found out later that I could open it immediately). I head straight for the petite section, browse the sale racks and then found the skirt (still not on sale). After deciding there really wasn’t anything else I wanted, I proceeded to check out. The sales clerk opened my envelope and practically screamed. I had a 50% discount on my total purchase. I asked if that was hard to win and she said yes as most people only get a 20% discount. She was really sweet and asked if she could hold my skirt while I continue to shop!
I paused for a minute and nearly ran upstairs to grab the same skirt in a different color but I stopped myself. The poor sales clerk was clearly dumbfounded. To tell you the truth, so was I. Restraint in a clothing store is a skill I haven’t yet mastered. I don’t know why I didn’t buy more stuff. It’s highly unusual behavior for me. I wonder if I should try a different mall tomorrow?
