Where Have all of the Warm Coats Gone?
Welcome back!
Photo from Flickr
I have two coats, one is a Columbia brand winter coat and the other is a wool coat. I have gotten lots of wear out of both coats. I also got both on sale. I have had them both for about three years now. While the Columbia coat is looking a bit shabby, but it is still wearable. I wear it when I am working outside, so it’s a little dirty.
My wool coat however, really has seen better days. I got it about 4 years ago at Target. They had the coat on sale for $50. It was made well, and most important it was warm. I live in Chicago and a warm coat is priceless when it gets really cold, and it does. My wool coat is warm. I can wear it on the coldest day and be nice and toasty. It is showing it’s wear. I have sown and resown the buttons on, mended tears and so on. The bottom line is, it is time for a new wool coat.
I began looking for a new coat in September. I have been amazed how thin women’s coats are being made, and women are buying them! I have looked from Nordstroms to K-Mart and everywhere in between. I am still searching for a reasonably priced, warm coat. I consider a reasonably priced coat to cost me between $50 and $70. Do these coats exist? I am starting to think that they do not.
Last weekend I saw an ad from Target advertising wool pea coats for $30. I figured that I would go take a look. The styles were cute and they came in lots of colors, there was just one problem, they were paper thin! I just don’t get it, why aren’t warm coats being made anymore? I have looked at many stores that sell coats at many different prices and the result is the same the coats are flimsy. I don’t want to be waiting for a train shivering in my winter coat.
Virginia asked if there was a Santa Clause, I ask is there a warm coat at a reasonable price out there?
To be continued…. (as the coat hunt continues)
Forget the “Christmas Creep.” It’s More like the Christmas SHOVE!
Photo from Flickr
Every year I complain how the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year. This year I started to see Christmas items creeping on to store shelves in August! I would just shrug my shoulders and walk by. However this year, it has been decided that we as a nation will just skip thanksgiving. The Sunday after Halloween my husband and I were reading the Sunday paper and the sales flyers were decked out for the holidays. We also noticed Christmas commercials on television on November 1st.
I don’t know about all of you, but I still have pumpkins on my porch, and as far as I know pumpkins are not a Christmas decoration. I see more and more houses lighting up their Christmas decorations. Has America forgotten that there is a between Halloween and Christmas? I admit it is usually pretty common to see Christmas decor before Thanksgiving, but I cannot recall seeing it this early. A few of my local radio stations have started playing Christmas music only.
I understand that with the economy still recovering that stores do not quite know what the retail sales will look like this holiday season. I went into a Kohls this past weekend and was amazed that they had decked their halls, with Christmas music included! My husband and I just looked at each other as if we had stepped into another dimension. It’s just too early.
The last thing I would like to say on this topic; keep a good eye on those advertisements for amazing deals. I was watching tv about two weeks ago when an advertisement for Walmart came on. They were advertising a gaming system for a deeply discounted price along with a $100. gift card for purchasing the system. This sale was to take place on a Saturday morning starting at 8am. I thought to myself, wow what a great deal. Then the commercial aired again, this time I read the small print at the bottom of the screen and it said, “limit 10 consols per store.” WHAT? That just seemed so wrong to me as desperate parents would be crowded in to their local Walmart stores to take advantage of this sale, and learn that the store only had 10 gamming consols.
There are good deals to be had out there, I am sure of it. Just make sure to read the small print. As for me, I will not be hanging my Christmas lights until AFTER Thanksgiving.
