Free Online Shipping at Any Price?

“Carrie: Honey, if it hurts so much, why are we going shopping? Samantha: I have a broken toe, not a broken spirit.” Sex and the City

Free Online Shipping at Any Price? Magnificent Mile - Saks and more on Fifth Avenue

I must confess that even I never thought I’d see the day when Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue (SFA) would offer fashionistas; essentially all consumers, the shopping expedition of a lifetime! Oh yes, the shop-till-you-drop retail Gods are alive and well and delivering mega doses of discounted luxury goods for all to enjoy.

Lately, you can sashay into these stores online/offline and walk out with discounted merchandise that will make an eBay seller weep. Yes Ms. Shopaholic, the downturn economy has a light at the end of the tunnel and it is called adjusted-prices-we-could-only-dream-of-back-in-the-day.

My word of caution is that as you speed through the designer shoes, bags, and clothing sections, grabbing every Manolo, Louis V, Chanel, YSL and every imaginable ultra couture item in sight, put a mental limit on that plastic or simply put it away honey!

Why? When you choose to play this new shopping frenzy game, you have got to plan a way to pay. Read my lips; that ostrich and lizard clutch looks cute on the counter today and at 75% off, what’s not to love? How about shopper’s remorse tomorrow, next week, next month?

Ah, in case you choose right now to forget, the huge bill at the end of the month will remind you, rather unkindly, of the damage you wroth as you took that rather exhilarating walk down 5th Avenue, charging your way in and out of every luxury store until your Louboutin clad feet could take it no more.

Right… and is that a huge headache I detect as the lender, more conscious of the unsecured nature of your loan, rallies to cut your limit in half, up the ante on your interest rate, and have one of its outsourced underlings call you just before dinner time to let you know your minimum payment has gone up and they just declined the payment for that fabulous Hermes bag you thought you now owned?

Skip the headache pills and get real. If the news on rising unemployment is any indication of where we are headed for 2009, may I humbly suggest that we take a moment to consider that the money we choose to burn now, could represent the mortgage/car/rent payments we will need to address if/when those regular pay checks go south?

This is the time to use our hard earned money to shore up our skills for work, invest in substantive, meaningful items or household repairs, or simply put some away for possible future emergencies. We can still treat ourselves to holiday gifts and pat-on-the-back specials, just don’t get carried away!

“George Washington had a vision for this country. Was it three days of uninterrupted shopping?”  Jeff Melvoin

Free Online Shipping at Any Price? Bergdorf Goodman window display via workinpana (credits below)

While my blog might seem focused on women and shopping, guys you know the drift… you are not exempt from this conversation. The Brionis, hot rods and other male indulgent tchotkas must be tempered too. After all, we are in a downturn economic shift and every 80% off item is costing us that little 20% that could be saved for 2009 and beyond.

Of course, the current perspective is that now is the time to stock up on food and necessary household items and do required home repairs because prices for goods and services are coming down.

Granted, we can get good deals in the marketplace but we still need to act with logic and be judicious about taking advantage of only those much needed goods and services. We could all do much good this holiday season sharing some of our abundance, by reaching out to other families in our communities.

I truly believe that in the coming months, the shifting market conditions will force us to not only find new ways to rebuild but will also empower us to find new ways to service the growing needs in our local and global communities. What are your thoughts?

Related articles

• Free shipping is here to stay, but challenges exist (econsultancy.com)
• Zoe You Want To Be A Stylista: See Neiman Marcus First (brilliantmagazine.com)
• The High Cost of Selling on Ebay (rubylane.com)
• Nicole Richie’s House of Harlow 1960 Brand Launches Handbag Collection (shoppingblog.com)

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Photos BG window display via Workinpana on Flickr and Magnificent Mile by Tony The Tiger via Wikipedia

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank