Strict Scrutiny

Hello again, folks. I apologize for not exercising due diligence when it comes to blogging for these last couple of weeks. Work got really busy, and when I come home, I have to cook, eat, and build up inventory for the holiday season. Once I get my license to sue, my crafting time would probably be drastically reduced, which is why I'm bulking up now. I'll still be blogging at least once a week, though I hope it'll be more than just the once.

OK, I'm done making excuses. On to the regular swing of things. Yesterday I actually went on a shopping spree, which is something I haven't done in a while. Another thing I haven't done in a while was to *gasp* pay full price for things. That's right, I actually paid full price. I've searched through many discounted items to find what I was looking for to no avail, and so I had to take that drastic step. You'll see what I got over the course of the next week or so, as I start wearing them.

Usually the things I buy are rather cheap, so I never had to worry about the possibility of returning them. At most, the damage would be a little snag or dirty spot--nothing that would have deterred me from buying or making the purchase not worth it. But with higher-priced items, I do worry about finding something wrong with it once I get home. If I'm going to spend more money on things, I expect them to last for a while; I don't want to think about that costly mistake every time I don my apparel.

Yes, that little phrase was totally intentional. We're getting closer and closer to the holiday shopping season, and it's time to really pay attention. When I bought a full-priced sweater from Forever 21 yesterday, I took a look at the store policy like I've never done before. To my surprise, they now allow only store credit and exchanges, no refunds. It wasn't like that before, to the best of my recollection.

I have no intention of returning my sweater, but this is good information to know when I start shopping for Christmas presents. I don't know if the policy will change for the holiday season, but that goes to show little details like this can sneak by if you don't pay attention. This isn't limited to Forever 21--other stores have either changed their policy permanently or roll out special policies just for the holidays. You certainly don't want your family and friends to be stuck with gifts that they don't want or can't use. Just something to think about when you start gift shoppinig.