My Softshell Jacket Lesson.

OK, so this will probably come as a shock to some of you, and for some, probably not so much, but here goes...I hate trends. Like you know, cutting edge, this seasons runway style, all the rage, kind of trends. That said, I wouldn't necessarily say I'm not trendy, but for the most part you will not see me sporting Lulu or Bench or whatever other brand name you can come up with. If a shirt or pant has a GIANT logo on the front, I generally do not buy it. 

I would say that 75% of my closet right now has come from a thirft store. No joke. And with my newest thrifty find, the MCC Thrift Store, its pretty rare I buy anything new these days. Lets tally up my current outfit for instance.

Shirt: $2.50 (MCC Thrift Shop)

Black tank: $0 (Old Navy)

Jeans: $0 (Old Navy)

And well, anything unmentionable, I can assure you is purchased new. And just to clarify, my Mom gave me a $100 Old Navy gift card earlier this year, hence why the tank and jeans were free. I stretched that bad boy like nobodies business. Although just to clarify, the black tank top cost me $2 (one of their Saturday morning door-crashers) and the Rockstar Jeans were originally $39.94, but I got them down to $19 with price adjustments.

But this softshell jacket phenomenon, I have been a fan since they started popping up on the sidewalks and in the malls. Of course, as trends emerge, I generally watch from the sidelines for quite awhile. I decide what I like, what I don't like, what works, what doesn't. When I finally get over my fear of being "trendy" I consider the purchase. 

I was at Costco earlier this week and stumbled upon the jacket pictured below, for $39.99. That's a pretty good deal. And let me clarify, Costco's clothing is great. Comparable to name brands, just as hip, lasts just as long. So I left it and figured I should think on it. By the next day I was convinced the time had come for me to enter the world of softshell jackets and went back to purchase it. It was literally exactly where I left it (mixed in with the mens softshells), which NEVER happens at Costco. It was jacket fate I'd say. But then I got it home and it just wasn't fitting right. Too much action on the midsection, a spot where no lady needs attention drawn to. Rob came home and wasn't giving it the two thumbs up. Not a good sign.

That same night I went over to the mall to check out the going out of business sale at SportMart. 30% off. Seems like it should be good right? I found another softshell, one that fit right, looked right, but the price wasn't right...30% off of $99.99. Um, lets be serious, I'm the lady who is wearing an outfit that cost $2.50! Not gonna happen.

To be honest, I loved it so much, I almost bought it right there, but decided to do my typical "think on it, before I buy it" test. I got home and was pondering the purchase when it occurred to me that I should just google the jacket name and see if anything cheaper comes up. Firefly Jain is the name. Well, it most certainly did! Turns out SportChek had the exact same jacket on for 50% off. Hello SportChek! So I phoned in, put the jacket on hold and picked it up the next day. I paid $45.53 (pre-tax). So that's $20 less than what SportMart was asking and only $6 more than the Costco schmeh jacket. AND the best part of all, I love it. Its a nice fit, its flattering and I feel like I got a good deal.

Of course this entire drama did require some serious gas mileage and returning and general nonsense, but in the end, I got a jacket I loved, for a price I could live with and I learned a very important lesson. When making a purchase of a bigger ticket item or major brand name item, do a quick google search to see if you can find it elsewhere or online for less.

Soft Shell Update...

So the story gets even better. This weekend the family was over at the mall checking out the SportMart Going Out of Business sale, looking for runners for the husband. Now my husband has had his current runners for probably 3-5 years. They have been well worn and certainly look it. And because they are "sooo comfortable," he insists on wearing them everywhere (much to my chagrin)! So we found a new pair, originally $69.99, which we paid $39! A great (and much-needed) bargain.

 The even better part about this shopping trip? Turns out my soft shell was sitting on the rack, still with that blasted $99.99 price tag. It finally occured to me to ask for a price check considering everything else in the store was on sale. Well, it turns out, it was on sale for $49.99, with an additional 40% off. This made the jacket $27.91! A whopping $17.62 less than what I paid over at SportChek!

Now, I get it, this seems like a lot of work considering I now need to return the other jacket, although the store is directly across the parking lot from my gym, and well, lets be serious, its $17.62! The most important part of the story, I snagged a really nice, originally $100 soft shell for under $30!

So the moral of all this, do your homework, price check, look at other stores (online is easiest, although sales may be different in store) and if it comes down to it, return something and buy it elsewhere if its cheaper. And for goodness sakes, get price adjustments when possible! Most stores offer them, 14 days afterward you can get the price adjusted, and stores like SportMart and SportChek offer 30 days for price adjustments.