It has been a very long time since I was a V.I.P. of anything, and even then, in retrospect… that was probably all in my head.
No… more recently and somewhat reluctantly, I’ve realized I’m more O.P.
Ordinary person.
But I didn’t feel very ordinary today, and neither did Jordie.
Today… we were Rock Stars!
It all started oddly enough with Mikey telling me about a sale at Nordstrom.
I’ll admit I like new stuff, but I also hate to shop.
I’m an online gal, or if I have to go to a store, it more than likely has a parking spot right out in front of it.
I am definitely not a Mall girl.
But it started to rain mid-day, I needed a break from what I was doing and Jordie was still without a birthday gift from last weekend when she turned 15.
We decided to hit Nordstrom.
It should be noted at this point that when I decide to do something on a whim, I tend to not pay too close attention to what I look like.
Suffice it to say I was none to “Nordstromy” looking!
The rain was coming down sideways when we pulled up to the Mall.
I had about 3 minutes worth of patience to find an open parking space in the covered lot which came and went quickly.
“We’re runnin and gunnin Jordie” I said, and with that I whipped into a space and we ran like the wind to dry land.
As luck would have it, we entered into the Men’s department.
“We’re just checking out the sale rack Mark, my husband needs some new shirts for the office” I told the clerk when he offered his services.
Being the efficient shopper that I am, I scooped 4 shirts up and looked around for Jordie to check out but she had moseyed over to the shoe department by now.
I asked Mark if he could hold my stash at his register, we were apparently going to look around the store some.
No problem he said asking me my name; I told him we’d be about an hour.
I didn’t immediately find Jordan in the shoes but I did run into a neighbor/friend of mine. She has 3 boys and a husband… a day out shopping alone must be a dream to her!
What caught my attention first actually is she had on a shirt that I had just this morning received in the mail… further proof of my online shopping habit.
It looked completely different on Dana than me, she’s tall and thin and I’m, um… not!
When I actually looked up at the face behind “my” shirt I was thrilled it was Dana.
She was trying on a pair of fancy shoes for her brand new fancy dress she needs for a party in Switzerland next month.
She also had several pair of boots spread out around her; when touring the Alps, one must have proper footwear!
That was a defining moment in my day.
As I stood there in shorts and a T-shirt from Target that I am almost certain did not cost a combined total of $20, I felt invigorated by my pricey surroundings.
I asked the “shoe salesman” who was helping Dana if the new season’s “must-have” UGG® boots were in yet.
“Michael”, in a very professional way, let me know that he is not merely a shoe salesman.
Michael is a “personal shopper”.
Michael… is Dana’s personal shopper!!!
He has worked for Nordstrom’s for 13 years, and has opened stores on both coasts.
I fell in love with Michael; he’s the perfect combination of fashionista with just a hint of snarkyness.
I want him to be MY personal shopper!
About this time Jordie sauntered up; she’d been hunting for the new UGG’s.
Michael asked if we were V.I.P.’s.
“Not that I’m aware of Sir, and I’m typically pretty well aware”.
“Do you have a Nordstrom card?”
“Nah… I’m a cash and carry gal I told him. If I don’t have the cash, I got no business carrying it home.”
He seemed to like that answer and said “come with me”.
Jordie and I were very excited when he led us into the back of the store; he had to use a key!
Once back there he explained what all the shelves full of beautiful shoes and boots represented; the newest fall line from the biggest designers.
We, meaning Jordie and I, can pick from them now before the “general public”… (boo-hiss on them)… AND we get very special-won’t–happen-again prices!
“What a deal” my friend Dini used to say.
She would have LOVED Michael… Dini was a shopper!
Jordie picked out a pair of “Cardy’s” by UGG®, and a sweet pair of Ed Hardy’s.
When Michael heard us discussing a designer purse, he brought us over to that department’s “locked doors” to peruse those too. As I was trying to explain to Jordan how important it is to dollar-cost-average an expensive bag over a few years, Michael stepped in and said she could buy 3 or 4 fun purses instead of the one Juicy Couture® she had her eye on that will be “oh so last year” in a matter of months. “There will come a time Jordan, when a nice designer bag is important to you, but it shouldn’t be now” he told her.
I liked Michael even more after that.
Since his next appointment wasn’t coming in until 3, and he seemed to like slumming it with Jordie and I, he insisted that he take us up to the 3rd floor and introduce us to Sarah, another Personal Shopper only a few years older than Jordie. Brass Plumb is the name of the department up there and it is chock full of great teen clothes at un-Nordstrom-like prices. They too had a room locked and loaded full of the Fall Season’s must-have’s. Jordan chose a pair of skinny jeans, and a great cable knit and wool vest. The wool pattern is that of a man’s plaid/hound’s-tooth combo, all the rage this year according to those in the know! She got the newest Northface that was just put out and a cable knit cardigan with cap sleeves… cute, cute, cute.
Everyone gave us their card; Michael even put my # in his cell phone.
Sara and Jordie exchanged phone numbers and voila…
We have personal shoppers at Nordstrom!
3 and a half hours later, we tried to slither past Mark in the men’s department who was holding those 4 shirts for Mikey.
I didn’t know which I was more mortified over, the fact I was 2 and a half hours late, or that I pretty much ran out of money in that time.
But as luck would have it, Mark spotted me and asked me if I was ready to ring up.
I told him about our huge haul in the rest of the store and how we spent all kinds of money but won’t actually have anything to show for it until next week, which is odd.
“Oh, he said. You must be a V.I.P. That’s when instead of “buy now, pay later… you pay now, buy later”.
Well yes, yes I am a V.I.P. Mark”, somewhat confused how I just dropped all that cash but have not one shopping bag for all my trouble!
(The “I” in V.I.P. apparently does not stand for intelligent!)
“I’ll tell you what” he said. “Can you get your husband to come in here and let me give him a good once over with a measuring tape? That way we will know his exact size and you won’t be having to be comb over the sale rack, take a gamble by bringing it home to him just to bring it all the way back here if it doesn’t fit.”
My thought is again like Dini’s… what a deal, now Mike has a personal shopper too! But could I get it past him?
We took 2 of the 4 shirts (that’s all we could afford!) with us and promised Mark I would run his idea past Mikey, of which I did.
“As long as he doesn’t touch my junk” is all Mikey had to say.
So now I’m broke, have nothing but 2 sale-rack shirts to show for it, and am for some reason ecstatic with my new V.I.P. status.
Michael says he’s going to call me next week; that’s when we get to come back and pick up our "V.I.P. only” stash.
Gosh… I hope it’s not a zoo.
But I doubt it will be; they obviously keep out the riff-raff.
Cha-Ching!
