"Well, I'll Be Darn..."

This past Friday one of my consulting clients presented me with a $300.00 gift card to Nordstrom. Being the prolific, proficient and prodigious shopper that I am, I instantly recognized this name brand as one of the most prestigious and premiere retail outlets (five Ps in one sentence...don't you just love alliteration?) . Thought I, "Sounds to me like a place to buy expensive furniture." (So much for being a seasoned shopper. If it ain't Home Depot or the local super market, I'm basically clueless.)

But being a firm believer that if one needs to know anything at all one need only type in the word "G-O-O-G-L-E," then the particular area of interest, and "Presto!," one has the information sought after. Once I worked my way to Nordstrom's main page, I typed in "Men's Apparel," thinking perhaps that I would browse around their dress shirt offerings. That turned out to be a short browse. They have plenty of shirts...mostly in the $100.00 and up range. You do the math. I'm thinking, "I just want to purchase a few nice dress shirts. I don't want to buy stock in the company!" Now what?

Idea... Why not be really smart and let Judi have the entire gift card amount to purchase for herself (at my behest and certainly with my blessings) some really nice quality lingerie? (Some times I amaze even myself with my brilliance!!) So...I sundered over to Nordstrom's lingerie section on their WEB site to have a look around. Let's just say that I browsed there a wee bit longer that I lingered in Men's Shirts. The possibilities are endless, I must say. Re-doing the math, I am assuming that with some select purchases she will fair far better than would I, perhaps my being only able, with any luck, to exit the store with maybe two shirts and a reduced priced necktie.

I presented her with the card later than evening and explained how I had arrived at my painstaking decision..telling her about the two shirts and a tie scenario. With a twinkle in her eye, she said, "Are you sure?" "Absolutely," said I, matching her twinkle and raising her a sly grin. "I do so gladly," I continued, "but under two conditions. #1) Don't buy anything practical, and #2) stay away from any clothing article that has the word 'flannel' associated with it!" (We spark whenever she wears flannel night clothes and it has nothing to do with being amorous). "It's a deal," she replied, and placed her new lease on shopping adventure in her breast pocket...a good place to start.

I'm expecting a very Merry Christmas and the prospect for a wonderful New Year.