On shopping (and how it relates to my weekend.)

Preface: I try not to complain. I consider myself a positive person, though there are times where I can't keep anything in and I need a serious vent session (thank you, Jesse, Curbside for being my sounding boards...) That said...

There are certain types of shoppers. I've evolved into a frugal type. I only shop when I have a reason to and I know the basics of what I want. It sometimes takes a few minutes for me to pro/con something in the store, but once I've made it, I love what I'm getting. However, this usually happens 5% of the time I go shopping, as my biggest con ("too much money") overrides my need to have the object. I tend to come home empty-handed.

Also, I despise shopping in New York. When I moved here, I thought I'd love it. I mean, I would make trips growing up to New York just to shop. However, the only times I can shop now are after work and on weekends - as in, the only time everybody else can and touristville. I have nightmares about the crowds! People are rude! I get rude! I simply cannot deal.

This weekend's dalliances in shopping adventure both upheld and swayed my belief system on shopping.

I try not to inject too much of the wedding plans or details here - I like to keep things like that private, and I have a separate forum for that which is only accessible to those in the wedding and family members. We're planning for next year (we have a date) and have many of the details set cause we're nerds.

I also have a dress in mind. It's one of the only ones I saw online that I liked (um, why is everything strapless?). The designer was available in only one store in New York, which happened to be in Long Island. We called a few weeks ago to ask if the dress I wanted was available, would be available to see in person. It would be on April 26th - Saturday. So, my mother got a train ticket, and on Saturday morning, we got on the LIRR along with Kelly and Jiscilla to "Beautiful Bride" in Lynbrook. I was a bit skeptical about the place, but I have a lot of time, and what's the hurt of going out to Long Island if it has a dress that could very possibly be the one I want? We were up bright and early and happy for the trip. It would be my first time ever trying on a wedding dress!

And now: I'm blacklisting "Beautiful Bride." Here, and probably on any bridal salon reviewing sites (are there any?? ha.) and places like TheKnot.com. Worst. Experience. Ever.

First, they didn't have the dress. "Oh, that dress was here last weekend." Kelly (my amazing fakey-but-not wedding planner) had called TWICE to make sure it would be there that day...she's thorough. It was their mistake. I decided it wasn't the end of the world, but I was disappointed as we'd been talking about it for weeks and staring eyes-glazed at its picture on my computer. I remained tight-lipped but agreed to try on other dresses.

Second, everything is fucking strapless. This is just me - there are gorgeous strapless wedding dresses, and brides who look gorgeous in them, but it's just not my style.

Third, I was getting asked questions left and right by the clerks as to my style and they SHOT IT DOWN. Everything. They kept on dismissing the dress I had picked out - "Oh, it's too nightgown-like. It doesn't show off your great figure. It's lace is too soft (me: YEAH!!! EXACTLY!!!!). It's not the right season. Or time of day."

Fourth, Me (trying on a strapless dress): "See, I can't deal with boning. I don't like that." Clerk: "Well, that dress you wanted basically has boning." No. It doesn't.

Fifth, with that strapless dress on, feeling uncomfortable, the nasally-voice clerk goes, "This is your first time trying on weddin' dresses, why don't you smile a little!" STABBY. I FEEL STABBY.

Sixth, they didn't ask my price range. I ended up trying a beautiful dress (non-strapless), but when I looked at the price tag, I felt the air go out of me. (Kelly, the only one who's done this before and has a contact at Kleinfeld's because of her media job, said this was completely unprofessional.)

Seventh, at no time did anybody apologize for telling us the dress would be there on the 26th.

Like I said before: when I go out to shop, I know what I want. I don't peruse. I'm just not that kind of shopper. I went to the store with the expectation of checking it out - even if I ended up not liking it. I like the dress I had come for EVEN MORE now that they kept trying to talk me out of it. It may not be the dress I end up walking down the aisle in, but holy crap, I just want to take a picture of me in it in another salon and mail it to them with a "thanks for the worst bridal salon experience ever, here's me in the dress I wanted and here's the amount of money I'm throwing towards these clerks, losers."

This isn't a bridezilla post. This is a bad service post. If I had been looking for a freakin' prom dress I would have been just as offended. I don't care that I don't have a dress or anything - I care that "Beautiful Bride" is a bullshit salon.

GARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

End. See? I was a little worked up the other night. And venting to my mother, Curbside, and Jesse didn't even work. This has been a therapeutic writing session. Because right after I wrote it, I felt calm. I didn't even have to post it. Just the fact that I wrote it made me feel better. But I thought I'd share, cause I already mentioned it, and I'm not a withholder.

Moving on to the positive! The rest of Saturday was wonderful: all of us girls went out to brunch and then we went to a pet store to look at kittens and then we saw Baby Mama (highly recommend it) and then my mother and I went to Macy's, because she'd never been to the NYC landmark (I got a pair of shoes!). The day took its toll on us, though, and we headed home to collapse on the couch for tv.

On Sunday, I dropped my mom off at Grand Central and - I think I defeated my shopping rut! It'd been going on months where I would shop and come home empty-handed. I don't know why. After taking in an afternoon showing of Forgetting Sarah Marshall (funny, but Baby Mama was funnier in my opinion), I went to H&M and bought some work clothes, I went to TJ Maxx and bought two pairs of shoes, and I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and bought a table and lamp. Then I carried all that home via the subway. This, my non-New York friends, was quite a journey.

My new dancin' shoes.

And I'll end here, as the length of this post is probably way out of proportion with your interest in it.