Real vs. Virtual
We may think that much of our life can get handled in a global way, with online resources. But a couple of things in the last day have proved that wrong, at least for me.
On September 30, thanks to a coupon code from a friend, I decided to try out Gwynnie Bee (basically, a clothing rental place, you pay a monthly fee and they send you outfits which you can either wear and return or buy). I have to say, I am not impressed. The selection is not great; what's more, I am on the low end of the size range, and often things I want are unavailable. Clothes that are in banner pics are not actually available. It took over a week (or a 4 week trial period) to get my first outfit — and what a disappointment that was! It reeked of dry cleaning fluids, I put it on and immediately took it off — it looked terrible. (I replaced it with a maxi skirt, tee shirt, and cardigan for a much-more-casual-than-planned outfit, and still looked 100x better). I have another couple of weeks on the membership and things are "in my closet" so I will give it another chance, but I am not thrilled.
So, as a much better alternative, may I suggest Poppy? It's a great locally owned place on St. Clair and Snelling. The owner, Jill, has a fantastic sense of style and will always work with you to find the best possible alternative, all at reasonable prices. Head to her sale tomorrow (10/10) and not only are all sweaters 15% off, but there is a fun atmosphere with a bar and snacks at night. And tell her I sent you (and that I should have gone there instead of trying some dumb online thing).
Then, as I went up to finish my book yesterday, I realized that my Kindle was dead (I am pretty sure Beatrix stepped on it, but it's my first electronic breakage casualty so far, so I can't be too annoyed, and hey, it's DARK in the mornings!)
Amazon was nice enough, and offered me a slight discount on a new one, but there was not much they could do really, and with property taxes due next week and the unsuccessful dog vet bills still lingering on the credit card, I just could not pay for a new one anyway. But then Patrick connected in with his (virtual) Twitter network — to find a real-life solution where someone is giving him their old one. So once again, a person could do what a company cannot.
Follow-Ups:
1) 2nd shipment from Gwynnie Bee equally disappointing — fir a little better but still not well, and the dress was in bad shape (pilling and stretched out). Plus their website is glitchy. Not impressed.
2) Patrick has some leads, but still no Kindle. Went out to our Little Free Library last night to see if anyone had left anything interesting, but the only one I had not read was "How to Build Decks." I won't ruin the cliffhanger ending for you.
On September 30, thanks to a coupon code from a friend, I decided to try out Gwynnie Bee (basically, a clothing rental place, you pay a monthly fee and they send you outfits which you can either wear and return or buy). I have to say, I am not impressed. The selection is not great; what's more, I am on the low end of the size range, and often things I want are unavailable. Clothes that are in banner pics are not actually available. It took over a week (or a 4 week trial period) to get my first outfit — and what a disappointment that was! It reeked of dry cleaning fluids, I put it on and immediately took it off — it looked terrible. (I replaced it with a maxi skirt, tee shirt, and cardigan for a much-more-casual-than-planned outfit, and still looked 100x better). I have another couple of weeks on the membership and things are "in my closet" so I will give it another chance, but I am not thrilled.
So, as a much better alternative, may I suggest Poppy? It's a great locally owned place on St. Clair and Snelling. The owner, Jill, has a fantastic sense of style and will always work with you to find the best possible alternative, all at reasonable prices. Head to her sale tomorrow (10/10) and not only are all sweaters 15% off, but there is a fun atmosphere with a bar and snacks at night. And tell her I sent you (and that I should have gone there instead of trying some dumb online thing).
Then, as I went up to finish my book yesterday, I realized that my Kindle was dead (I am pretty sure Beatrix stepped on it, but it's my first electronic breakage casualty so far, so I can't be too annoyed, and hey, it's DARK in the mornings!)
Amazon was nice enough, and offered me a slight discount on a new one, but there was not much they could do really, and with property taxes due next week and the unsuccessful dog vet bills still lingering on the credit card, I just could not pay for a new one anyway. But then Patrick connected in with his (virtual) Twitter network — to find a real-life solution where someone is giving him their old one. So once again, a person could do what a company cannot.
Follow-Ups:
1) 2nd shipment from Gwynnie Bee equally disappointing — fir a little better but still not well, and the dress was in bad shape (pilling and stretched out). Plus their website is glitchy. Not impressed.
2) Patrick has some leads, but still no Kindle. Went out to our Little Free Library last night to see if anyone had left anything interesting, but the only one I had not read was "How to Build Decks." I won't ruin the cliffhanger ending for you.
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