Retail Is in Bad Shape--I've Got to Do My Part

Below is the retail news from NPR. It isn't pretty fellow shoppers. I fear for the under-construction Nordstrom at The Mall that's this close to being finished.

October Retail Sales Plummet Amid Financial Crisis

U.S. retail chains posted the worst monthly sales data in more than 30 years, as the financial crisis forced consumers to cut spending sharply in October.

The International Council of Shopping Centers called the retail sales environment "simply awful" and said the October results were the worst it had seen in 35 years.

The ICSC said it pared its forecast for what were already expected to be dismal holiday season sales. It now expect sales in November and December to rise 1 percent, down from its prior view for a gain of 1.7 percent.

The picture was particularly bleak for high-end retail stores. Saks and Nordstrom both had double digit declines in same store sales last month. In stores open more than a year, Saks' sales dropped more than 16 percent, while sales at Nordstrom were down 15.7 percent.

Kohl's, J.C. Penney and Macy's fared a little better, but they still saw sales slump in October. Kohl's same-store sales fell 9 percent in October, below expectations of a 6.4 percent decline. Department store operator Macy's, parent of Macy's and Bloomingdale's chains, reported a 6.3 percent drop.

J.C. Penney's October sales fell 13 percent, beating analyst expectations of a 13.2 percent slide.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. provided a bright spot in the report. Its sales increased 2.4 percent. The company now says it will introduce new price cuts every week until Christmas -- trying to win an even bigger market share.

Lest you think I've been a bad blogger lately, I've actually just been a bad shopper. I don't have much to report--not much, but a little. There's a boot, some accessories, and maybe an eBay find or two. Watch for some weekend posts.

(In addition to my uncharacteristic lack of retailing, I've also been awash in everything election. Material Girl is happy with the results--yesterday I dressed in blue to match Ohio.)

Now let's all do our duty and get out there and shop--I assure you there are sales and lot of 'em. The bad economy can be good for bargain hunters. (And if Sarah Palin can spend $150,000 on an election wardrobe, we all deserve an on-sale new outfit or two at the very least.)

Marc by Marc Tee: Off the Deep End

Every so often, as I read through the many emails I get from online retailers, something speaks to me and for whatever reason it must become part of my wardrobe. A few weeks ago it was a t-shirt. Literary. Speaking to me. With words.



This was a t-shirt I needed under my favorite Nanette Lepore jacket at the office, a silent comment on my average work day. I decided I would buy it even though $68 was more than I normally plunk down for a t-shirt. Then I decided I really shouldn't pay $68 for a t-shirt. Then I decided I should. This went on for a few days before I was ready to take the plunge.

So I popped into shopbop to order the tee. They'd had already sold out in black in my size. I choose shopbop as the best place to buy the shirt because their shipping is free. The tee was for sale other places online like Saks and Nordstrom. Saks shipping was way too much (into two digits). Nordstrom has a set fee (five or six bucks). I knew I could do better. With a few minutes of googling, I found a free shipping code for Nordstrom. Hurray! I got my tee in the color I wanted with no shipping charge. And I love it.

Your lessons for the day fellow shoppers: Number one--and I can't tell you this enough--always google for free shipping. Why spend money on UPS when you could spend it on stuff? Number two--when you want something, jump on it. If you wait you could miss out.

In other news, the Frye boots I blogged about below: Hated. Returned. Done with Frye.

I Told You I Really Really Wanted Those Cute Nanette Lepore Sandals

My day at the office sorta beat me down which generally leads me down one of two paths: emotionally eating or emotionally shopping. Today I opted for choice number two. (And I might have eaten half a jar of bean dip and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter first. And maybe a chocolate bar.)

I knew the thing that could ultimately make me feel better were these:


Because look how cute they are. Bows. Metallic. Very girly/gladiator. And a nice sturdy heel. They have Material Girl written all over them. But as I mentioned in my last post, they are $350 shoes and Cheapy and I just dropped a lot of cash in Vegas, what with all the eating and shopping and gambling and spa-ing and hotel-paying-for. (The plane tickets were free thanks to earning lots of flight miles by shopping with my AmEx.)

I hoped that if I did some googling I could find the shoes a bit cheaper. And, hurrah, fellow shoppers--I did!

Nordstrom had them for $99 in hot pink suede. But they were sold out. And they were hot pink. And they were suede.

Bloomingdale's had them for $238 in hot pink suede and they were in stock. But they were hot pink. And they were suede.

Then I found them at Neiman Marcus in the olive metallic. They were on sale for $245. But wait--for a limited time they were taking 40% off existing sale prices said the site. Now we're talking! Once in my shopping cart they were $147. Sold. But then the shipping charge of $14.50 popped up in my cart. I'm not used to paying for shoe shipping. I don't like paying for shoe shipping. I knew there had to be a way around that way-too-high shipping fee.

Again I googled--"Neiman Marcus free shipping." I found this page featuring a handy code. I entered it and that $14.50 disappeared. I've tried this trick before, fellow shoppers, and I recommend you do it too--the majority of the time there is a free shipping code floating around on e-tailers websites. Always check this before you check out.

When my Nanette Lepore Bad Girl Sandals (the items in the Nanette Lepore line have terrific names!) show up I'll let you know how they work out. And I'll post more about Vegas shopping tomorrow.

Dress for Donya's Wedding: I Have a (Probably) Winner

The mailman dropped a big box of brown dresses from Nordstrom on my porch this morning so I did a little brown dress fashion show for Cheapy (who asked which one cost the least). This one at left by JS Boutique was the winner! (I will, however, still keep looking around just in case.) Note: I wasn't really wild about this one as I shopped online--I just sort of threw it in at the last minute since it wouldn't make a difference in the shipping cost--go figure!)

The Calvin Klein (which they sent me in black) was disapointing--
poorly made, all lumpy by the zipper. The strapless Cachet taffeta number was just really bad on. The Tadashi was nice, but too small for me (and the most expensive by a good hundred bucks). The Shelli Segal was sort of confusing. They showed it with the belt at the waist, but the holes for the buckle were way at the end of the belt so it was slung low, and it looked funky from the back (although the fabric was lovely and it had pockets. I love a dress with pockets.) The BCBG was nice, but pretty pedestrian in matte jersey ("like all the other dresses you have," said Cheapy). And there would be a potential visible panty line issue.

The JS dress is also matte jersey, but it's really heavy with good movement. And there's a built in support system for the girls so no special undergarments will be required. (It came in petite and regular and I ordered regular--I thought petite might hit me higher at the waist and I wanted some room at the top since I can, you know, fill out a dress.) I also like that it's embellished so I don't need to worry about jewelry aside from earrings. (It's sort of got a Grecian feel, so I was thinking maybe a smallish coppery bangle would be cool.) I did go back and forth with can-you-wear-sequins-
to-an-11:30 a.m.-wedding? thoughts, but I decided if you are actually in said wedding it would be okay.

I'm thinking in terms of footware now. The gold Kenzie shoes in my last post are not going to work (besides which the next half size up was still too small for me). I'll need something more bronze-y than gold or something pretty in brown, perhaps an lightly embellished brown sandal with a decent heel. I have a good dozen in my Zappos cart right now, so I'm mulling over shoes (as usual).