Hi-Lo Shopping Weekend

Yesterday Robert and I took the light rail (and also, for a short distance, a shuttle bus due to a disruption on the track) to the Mall of America so that I could get a bra fitting at Nordstrom and he could look at new shoes for work.  $318 later, I had purchased 4 bras.  $170 later, Robert had purchased a pair of shoes from Bostonian. 

Today Robert and I drove to the suburbs so I could buy a bunch of craft supplies at Wal-Mart ($96), he could buy some hiking shoes at a sporting goods store ($??), and I could check out the new Goodwill location, where I purchased 7 skirts, 8 knit shirts, and 3 button-up shirts (and Robert got a brand-new looking belt, which he really needed).  Total price: under $64.  Average price per item: $3.37.

Most of the brands I was familiar with -- Merona (Target), Croft & Barrow and Apt 9 (Kohl's), Old Navy, H&M (the Swedish brand that looks/feels a lot like Target to me), Style & Co (Macy's), Lands End, Liz Claiborne, Talbots.  I have also purchased Studio Works at Goodwill before -- apparently it is sold at the Bon-Ton chain of stores, with which I am unfamiliar (the Studio Works clothes I've purchased seem like Kohl's type things to me).  My google fu is not up to the task of identifying "Bass" as a brand of clothing.  I have purchased Christopher & Banks items at Goodwill several times before, and they are a very common brand there.  I wondered why this brand has such a large presence here (more so than other places I've lived) and ... oh, their headquarters is located in a suburb of Snow City.  (As for the fact that the brand targets the age 40-60 demographic?  I guess I'm just ahead of my time.)  Finally, I was previously totally unfamiliar with the brand Monsoon, which turns out to be a UK brand; their cheapest skirt is 45 pounds (i.e., $68.50) so I can feel happy that I bought this whole set of clothing for less than one of the skirts brand-new.

I'm also happy that any of several of the skirts I bought should work well to form the basis of the outfit I will need to put together for my cousin's wedding in early June.  If all else fails, I can always walk over to the Neiman Marcus on the pedestrian mall and buy a $250 blouse to go with the $3 skirt.

Check out the lovely stripes on the mysterious Bass shirt!