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Friday

Black Purses

Today I have a tale to tell about purses, JC Penney, and a random act of kindness I received.

~ The Purses ~
Now I am not a purse snob in any way shape or form.  I can use a $10 purse just as easy as a $100 one.  I've got Gucci and I've got Garage Sale.

It always comes back to features for me, so in that way I am a purse snob, I like what I like for comfort and ease.

I don't like to fiddle around looking for my phone when it rings, in fact I don't like to answer my phone at all so there is a good chance I won't even if I can find it.

I need a certain kind of handle to fit comfortably in my small hands.  Not too long so it drags on the ground, and in the perfect purse world the handles would be just long enough to also wear on my shoulder.

Notice the rounded handles on all those retired purses.
I like at least one outside pocket or open spot, with the main body not so deep as to become a bottomless pit.


And it seems I'm partial to black.  I do have some other colors I just don't use them.

It could be the most amazing purse in the world, but if it's got the wrong kind of handles it won't work for me.

The days of being truly fashionable with accessories before I run out the door has been over and done for years.

This was my last purse, may it RIP.

And RIP it did, all along the handles where the materical flaked off and then the cord started to rip.  It was only a matter of time before I was walking along and my purse would fall to the floor.

That purse was only a year old, purchased from JC Penney where I tend to find a lot of affordable purses in black with the handles I like, and they normally hold up well.

I have been coveting one of these feed sack purses for a while now, think I'd like a big one for an overnight bag, and notice they DO have the kind of handles I prefer.
Feed bag Purse Etsy Shop At Wits End
This one is from the Etsy Shop At Wit's EndI love it.

I could use a little fox chow these days, I feel fugly not foxy so I've probably been eating the wrong feed, dog chow perhaps?

~ JC Penney ~
While shopping with a friend recently who needed to make a return at Penney's I used my time to look at purses and pajamas.  It's clearance time on bathrobes and my painting jammies ripped and had to RIP too.

Come on admit it - you paint DIY projects in your jammies too, right?

~  Random Act of Kindness AKA The Exceptional Customer Service  ~
I took my new bathrobe and jammies - $110 retail, clearance of $23 total for both - to the register where one lady was checking out with one cashier.  In the corner of my eye I could see another employee bustling about and as she flew by me she said "I'll help you".  It was the store manager.

When she said what most sales associates say at most stores, "did you find what you were looking for today?", I answered different that I normally would.  Normally I would just say yes.

She asked the question as I was fetching my cash from my purse with the rotting handles so I answered by saying, "well, I came in to look at purses but I didn't find anything. This one is only a year old so I'm leery to get the same brand".

I told her I didn't need jammies but wanted to treat myself since I was going to be having some surgery.  It seemed more reasonable to tell her something personal than to admit I could no longer paint in my ratty old jammies.

Then she looked at me and said, "go back to purses and find yourself a new one, I'll change this one out as damaged goods".  I was stunned.

And it was just the type thing I needed that day to brighten up the cold winter.

The New Purse, Black of Course
I hadn't really found one I wanted, but I figured the old one maybe had a week of life left before the handle completely split.  I decided she offered, so I would look till I could find one I could live with.

The new one is actually great.  It is deeper than I normally like, but these days I tend to take my Ipad everywhere with me and it fits in perfectly without sticking out.

My phone has a spot, as does everything else, and best of all it has rounded handles that also fit on my shoulders.  I had to empty out all the crap in mine right at the register, (yikes!.... remember "Adam" from my Tongue in Cheek purse post {here}, well he made a fast transfer so no one would see him, but I did notice his calendar was outdated).
When I got the new purse home, Adam made a discrete exit.  May he RIP too.




25 comments :

  1. Oh good bye dear Adam!!! May he and your old purse RIP! How lucky about your new one and that is GREAT customer service! Love the new bag!

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  2. I am a cheap purse person. Give me one with the right amount of pockets in black and I'm good to go. At Target, Kmart, Walmart...

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  3. What a nice bonus! I am someone who likes to change my purse out a lot. I guess I have purse ADD.

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  4. Hmmmm.......maybe I need to start shopping for purses at JCP! I love the one you got. I like one with compartments like you showed. I always have trouble finding things dumped into one big bag. That was a great deal that JCP gave you. Kudos to them for great customer service. I bet you're glad you spoke up now.

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  5. I just want one purse. Carry it until RIP. If I have more than one, I get all flustered. So you got a purse and 110 dollars in pjs for 23 dollars? That's a damn good day!

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  6. Forget Colbert. You should be the replacement! What a great story. Love to hear that penny's step up. I am a 2 purse gal. Onecforvthe Sumner months and onecforvthe others. Whats up with surgery...did I miss something?

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  7. you know, I need a purse and hadn't thought of looking at JCP. Now I'm going to go there cuz this is good advertisement. I love when a manager steps up. thanks for sharing this.

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  8. Good shopping day, B! I have a lot of purses but I'm lazy about changing them out. I hate digging around in the bottom of an unstructured purse. I don't wear black or carry black purses, so mine are various shades of cream/tan/saddle/dark brown with a few navy and gray. I like classic and I might have a tote hoarding problem, too. Shhhh.
    You know I paint in my jammies and they are pretty sorry looking. It's time for new painting jammies.

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  9. It's so hard to find the perfect purse! First I get the ones with lots of compartments to "organize" myself - then I can't find a fricken thing EVER without tipping the contents out and searching. Next I get the small purse, you know, to encourage me to only carry essentials - then nothing fits in the purse and I get frustrated so back to the big purse, then the small, then a mid size, then... sigh. Why do we need to carry so much stuff all the time anyway?! lol oh and I paint in all my clothes, pjs, office clothes, yoga clothes as I am on my way to the gym, and so on.

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  10. Anonymous4/12/2014

    Just lost my comment! Drat and Blast! I hate it when that happens.

    Anyway,trying again----- I, too, have the problem of finding the right purse.

    Penney's needs all the good publicity it can get, thanks to being run for awhile by a Wall Street 'genius' who knew less than nothing about middle class women shoppers.

    I'm glad you found the purse for you. Next time I'm in the city, I'll look there for my next black one. (What is it about black? I wonder!!!).

    My bag was stolen awhile back and I found a temporary one in TX Maxx (or whatever it's called these days). It isn't what I want, but I now have hope of replacing it with one that will suit. A cell phone pocket on the outside is a must. Even if I don't answer, I like to know who's calling!

    I'm glad that manager happened along at just the right time, because she did the right thing, which is rare enough in my world. I'm happy for you.

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  11. I love that purse, Bliss...great customer service! I like purses like that, too, but try to get a messenger bag strap...I love not having to carry it, or have it slide off my shoulder. I need a new one...I will have to go there!

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  12. Good for the Penney's manager. I have an entire drawer dedicated to clothes-that-are-not-public-worthy-but-make-great-painting-attire. I am a sloppy painter. Sloppy everything else as well. My purse has to be big enough for my breakfast and a big slam Diet Mountain Dew. I believe that its heft is the reason why I have developed a permanent lean to the right.

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  13. My mom shared your link with me because she likes the way you write. I DON'T consider her a purse person at all do I had to check it out. She was right. You have a warm funny touch that invites immediate rapport. Also, I will get my next purse from Penney's.

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  14. Restores my faith in humanity! LOL!! How nice of the sales lady to do that! Your new purse is chic and cool! I'm a rounded arm gal myself. Poor Adam! Why did he have to leave???!!~~Angela

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  15. I've been waiting for some authority figure to give me permission to paint in my nightclothes. Now, you've gone and done it. I'm printing off this post and hanging it on my door for people that just "pop-in". In the amount of time it takes them to read it, I can change. Or not.

    I wear one purse until the duct tape no longer looks "fresh". It has to have a handle long enough to hang right from my shoulder, enough compartments to hold all my jazz, the right amount of heft to flatten a mugger, and, be black!

    La Verne@hopeandsalvage.com

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  16. Score!! My purse looks like a landfill. I pretty much know that when I go digging for something, a tampon is going to go flying out at the most inopportune moment. I used to think black was the only color for a purse, and I still love a black purse, but I've branched out over the years. Now I also carry gray. =D

    -andi

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  17. Yay for you Bliss! And as for those jammies.... I don't have one single pair of plaid flannel pajamas that don't have paint all over them. On the weekends I wear my painting jammies until at least 2:00. I had to laugh when you said that :)

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  18. Oh, gee. See, here I thought painting in your jammies was a given! Kudos on the great scores at Penney's!!
    Our Penney's is dying a quick death and will be gone by May.

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  19. Good to know that "random acts of kindness" have not gone by the way of R.I.P. What a nice replacement purse. Penney's always has great deals going on. I'm a small purse inside the big purse kind of person. The small is one of those long strapped over the torso type (is that tmi?) That's what I take with me when shopping so I have both hands free for better shopping.

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  20. How awesome for you Bliss! Good thing you decided to be chatty at the register. I have purse struggles. I recently bought one with a long strap so I can throw it across my body to load groceries..take my purse, I come with it haha, a pocket for my phone because it WILL ring when I'm out because I'm always needed for something...and holds my wallet. It's on the small side but therefore I don't put much in it. The bigger the purse, the bigger the junk hole for me.
    Our Penny's is closing soon.. since they changed things up, it's really gone down hill. A few years ago, it was where I always shopped but now, I hate shopping there, there selection is not good anymore.

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  21. Adam got RIP'd too?? I thought I knew you..........

    I'm now totally impressed with Penny's! We have one that I almost never go to.... Imma start.

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  22. I love hearing stories like this, random acts of kindness, they put your faith back in people and in this case, a store manager of a large chain! We don't have a JC Penny's up here (well, at least not in my neck of the woods, not sure about the big cities) but if we did, hearing about this kind of customer service would make me want to shop there.
    Debbie :)

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  23. Hi Bliss, I am picky about handbags too. These days I can't carry the ones I love which are satchels. The cane makes it an issue. All my favorite bags I had to give away and I am still sad about that. I tend to buy black too since it goes with everything. I have some big things coming up with bettering my life with MS. I can't wait to post about it and maybe it will help someone else. With a cane cross body bags are necessary and they just aren't my kind of bag. I know many love them but I am a bag girl at heart. I used to kind of hoard them, LOL. Sorry I am very behind with email. Trying to catch up but it seems it just keeps getting worse since I follow so many, LOL.

    Cynthia

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  24. You can be a "what-ever" snob... as long as you keep your awesomeness!
    And by your continued humor, I don't think that will ever RIP.

    And yippee for sweet people bringing sunshine to our days!

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  25. I have loads of lovely handbags in a wardrobe but use the same old black fabric one all the time, because I'm at work so often and everything starts to smell of a kitchen.
    I really need to cut back on the chocolate and sort myself out.
    I try and bring a bit of sunshine to our customers. Like a free drink if they spill one, or we make a mistake with an order. A little goes a long way !
    A new handbag though, that's pretty neat !

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