Fetishwear for 60% Off? I Don't Think So!

Everyone makes such a big deal out of Christmas shopping. I mean I'm not surprised or anything, it is the culture we live in and I guess a big part of it is that all the stores hype it up big time to squeeze more money from your wallet. I've always thought it was ironic that you read a newspaper or watch a news show and they always try to give you all this advice about not overspending and not charging your card too much and how not to get in too much debt for the holidays and then on the opposite page or the very next commercial is a great big ad about how your loved one will really enjoy some super overpriced piece of garbage that was marked up 200% and now has been marked down up to 60%. It's like they're saying here's our advice, but not really because the people who pay our bills really do want you to run up your credit cards and shop till you drop.

I like shopping usually, especially for myself though I don't like to shop around holiday time because the stores are way too crowded and often the sales people aren't as nice oryou don't get as good of service because of the crowds. I actually tend to do a lot less shopping around this time. I always get a crack out of those two words though when they have the sales. You know, "up to". I had to teach my friend about that. She got all excited because one of her favorite stores was having an after Thanksgiving sale and everything in the store was "up to" 60% off. I tried to explain to her that this meant the worst pieces of garbage in the store that they couldn't give away would be 60% off, the middle grade stuff that was moving but slowly would be 10-20% and anything that was new or halfway decent wouldn't be on sale but you'd end up buying it anyway because after all, there you are in the store. That's what the store is counting on anyway. So we went to the store because sometimes you just can't explain these things to people, they have to have the experience for themselves and sure enough the stuff that was 60% off was pretty crappy. We were told that they had a better selection earlier but that it was all gone now. We got there an hour after opening so either they had hoards of people who didn't have a Star Wars or Playstation line to get into so they decided to wait in front of the Banana Republic instead in the hopes of finally getting that new pair of capri pants they've been hearing rumors about for months, or there just wasn't that much to start with.

I love to window shop online though. I don't have the hassle of the stores and rude sales people and pushing and wondering if there's something better or cheaper or will the item go on sale tommorow for 20% off. I hate that a lot when you buy something today and there's a big sale tommorow. Sometimes the sales people will tell you not to buy something and they'll hold it for you until the next day or if they're really good, they'll just go ahead and give you the discount early, but those kinds of people are few and far between. Most sales people just aren't that interested in giving good service and for what a lot of them are paid, I guess they don't have a lot of motivation to do so.

The problem with actually buying online is mostly a sizing issue. We've discussed before the fact that I'm a very small girl and so it can be hard sometimes to find things that fit me right. People I go shopping with sometimes will see a shirt that on the rack looks like it would be too small for a 4 year old girl, but on me it's just way too big. I of course having the experience can often just look at it and get a feel for whether or not it will work. Let's face it, as America grows fatter and the people get bigger, the odds are that there will be fewer things that fit me, not more. Especially if clothing makers start upping the sizes on me. Then I'm totally screwed and I'll have to start running around naked. Which I guess isn't such a bad thing since I love to show off my cute little brown body so much and then there's the added benefit of all the money I'd save on clothes. Still, I'm pretty sure the police would come lock me up if I did that, even if they were impressed by the show and reluctant to end it.

I've tried buying some things online before and the sizing rarely works out. There are a few online stores that have very precise sizing charts and liberal return policies that make it easy, but generally its a pain. Especially for fetish outfits. I go to websites like Stockroom and a few others and I see all these gorgeous outfits that I would look SO hot it. Tight and shiny rubber, latex, leather. Delicious. It looks like they might have my size too. But it's hard to tell. Will their size 0 be the same as the size 0 I get from the Bebe store? And even if it is, how do I know the way the thing is cut will work for my body shape? I wouldn't mind giving it a try if they would let me return the thing and not pay for shipping back and not charge anything if it's returned, but a lot of these fetish stores charge a 15% restocking fee if it doesn't work out. Well that's a lot of money and can add up.

So as much as I like to shop, the next couple of weeks are like a shopping vacation for me. Don't worry though, I'll be back on the job again next month! Hey, someone has to keep the demand up for the petites section, otherwise the stores might stop selling it all together. Then my only option really will be to run around naked, which since I'm a total exhibitionist, might not be such a bad thing after all.