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Looking like sisters
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If there’s one good thing about being a young mom, it’s
having a rather close age gap with my daughter. I’m almost at my mid-30’s and
Mika’s 16. So I pretty much still dig her likes and dislikes as much as she
digs mine.
But when we entered the premier Philippine outlet of Forever
21 at SM megamall last July 2010, we were like opposite poles. To her it was
love at first sight. For me, the feeling was like eating sushi for the first
time. I didn’t really like all their stuff that much. Tried a second time and realized
they were not at all that bad. By the time I reached the third, I’ve already
acquired the taste.
Frankly, I was at a loss when we first got in to Forever 21.
Never knowing where to begin as the place was so huge; I just tagged along with
Mika. Where she went I simply followed.
As we frequented the shop, I’ve observed that she has eventually devised
a system. Initially, she would take me to the accessories corner, then to the
shoe section, and finally through the apparels.
While she’s rummaging rack after rack of merchandise,
sometimes I would pretend that I was also checking them out. She didn’t know that
I was actually trying to figure out her shopping strategies because most often
than not, she unearths the most fabulous finds.
These are my 2 major
observations:
Strategy 1. DIG IN
When Mika digs in, she really means it. In order for her to find
super nice yet budget-friendly pieces, she meticulously eyes each rack. Whenever
luck finds her, she even comes across some remarkably discounted ones concealed
among regular-priced items. Sections of
clothes, accessories, and shoes cover vast areas so going through all these can
take hours up to an entire day. Having said so, I see to it that I don’t have
any other appointments/errands whenever I accompany Mika. Wearing flip flops or
comfortable flats also help keep me going.
Strategy 2. GRAB A
BLACK BAG
Mika never fails to grab one or two of those big black
shopping bags at the entrance. Once she finds something she likes, she dumps it
in the bag a.s.a.p. I remember her deliberating on a pair of mint green
sneakers. I told her to return them to the rack because we can always come back
for them later on, anyway. She explained that if she does, there’s 90% chances
that they would no longer be there by the time she makes a decision. No matter
what she said, I still insisted so she very hesitantly conceded. A while after, we indeed went back to where we
left the pair of sneakers and true enough they were no longer there. She gave
me a smug “I told you so” look signaling me that I lost my case. So I waved a little
white flag, mustered a smile, and said, “Maybe it was not just for you”. I felt
another piercing stare.
I found myself going back to Forever 21 to see if I could
replicate Mika’s techniques. Strategy 1 was a success! At the back most part of
one of the accessory racks, I noticed gold-toned earrings for only Php95. On a separate occasion, I found a peplum shirt
with red belt hanging on an inconspicuous corner for only Php407.
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Dangling gold-toned earrings (Php95)
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Black & white striped sleeveless peplum shirt with red belt
(Php407)
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I've tried Strategy 2, as well. Placed everything I thought was
nice inside the black bag but ended up buying them all. Totally regretted spending
more than I should and promised myself I will never shop like there’s no
tomorrow ever again. It would be best if I just stick to Strategy 1.
The most important thing I realized, though, was shopping all
alone was not as much fun as when my shopping partner’s around. No matter how
crazy a shopper Mika might be or how my purse feels light as a feather after
she literally shops until she drops, I wouldn’t bargain my time with her for
anything in the world. Being a teenager comes only once so I might as well let
her enjoy her moment while it lasts and somehow let her feel she’s forever
young at Forever 21.
