First I will start with my latest shopping trip which was yesterday. With MS I have to pace myself. The morning is the best time for me, when I have most of my energy, Unfortunately, my husband who I depend on to take me, likes to go in the afternoon, no matter how many times I say morning is best. I take what I can get since I have no friends to go with and it is too exhausting to go by myself.
Another of my favorite stores is going out of business, Stein Mart. We went the other day before it was announced to the public. They had huge sales and Pete even asked the manager if they were going out of business. He said no that they just had too much older stuff they had to get rid of before the new stuff could go out. We did really good! I got a couple of necklaces, a pair of earrings, a baby outfit, and a pair of pants.
Yesterday, after it was announced that they were going out of business, we went to another location to see what they had. They did not have the great sales that the previous Stein Mart had. They had most things 10% off of lowest price and some things 30% off lowest price. The jewelry was all marked 10% off with no other sale. The same earrings I paid 4.94 for were 14.99 and you got 10% off of that! I do believe that other manager didn’t know they would be going out of business. The next thing was the original store was back to regular pricing with the same 10 and 30% off.
This seems representative of what I have encountered when stores go out of business. At first you get a great discount on 1 or 2 items and maybe 10 or 20% off everything else. Well 10 or 20% to me is not a “sale.” Each week, something new will be marked down and if your vigilant maybe you will score a deal. When Pier 1 first had their going out of business sale, I did great buying Easter stuff at 70%off. A couple of weeks later some furniture was 40% off and we bought a nice chest. Following week furniture was 50% off but if we had waited the chest wouldn’t have been there.
At some point the merchandise is sold by another vendor and when that happens its hard to get a deal. They will give meager savings as long as they can and by the time there are substantial savings, all that is left is junk.
I regress, as usual. I do like to clothes shop. While in Stein Mart yesterday they had 30% off of dressy clothes on top of the sale prices. I am always in jeans, my life doesn’t call for anything dressier. I don’t work and live a fancy life. BUT I was always well dressed, when I did work. If there was a wedding, Christmas party, any dressy occasion, I had to have a new dress. For awhile after I stopped working I shopped like I still was until I saw the clothes were piling up in my closet and never being worn.
For quite a few years now I stopped that, but if there was a dressy occasion I still wanted something new and pretty. I still do. I was looking at the dresses on sale and started to get depressed. I could see myself so easily in some of these dresses; dancing, moving. When you wear a dress its great to have one with movement, When your sitting in a wheelchair, not so much. Same with shoes; I loved high heels, I get serious shoe envy when I see beautiful sexy sandals. I saw a gorgeous silver flouncy dress that I pictured with sandals that I saw in Macy’s. Did nothing but depress me.
Two years ago I was obsessed with getting a jumpsuit for a wedding we were going to. Couldn’t find any, on line or in stores. On a side note, I have always been good with predicting trends. This has helped me greatly when I had the gift shop, and still does, that’s why they asked me, where I volunteer now, to help with the buying. ANYWAY, now everywhere you go there are great selections of jumpsuits, including Stein Mart. Now I can’t get one because of the problem of urgency, (effect of MS). I’d be afraid I couldn’t get if down fast enough to pee!
I still long for my life before MS. I don’t mind my age or body so much, (I’m still a size 6 to 8. Again, my never ending battle with myself is not accepting the way I am as far as physically being unable to do the things I want to do. I am tired of sitting, sitting and more sitting.