Online Dressing

 I'll try to be positive here but it's difficult. I can think of one particular North American outlet that boasts sales that aren't really sales. If you have to buy two of an item to get a discount, that's no sale. Another well known shoe company with comfort sneakers, simply raises their prices on line to accommodate the discount that ends up the same net price as the regular ones. To me, a sale is something that is the regular item in the regular size, discounted. Sales tactics are used by some unscrupulous sellers. One soon learns who to avoid. Their "tactics", just as in wartime tactics, are tactics meant to tempt you to buy more than you planned by making you think you are getting two for the price of one. Uh uh. Don't do it unless actually, you want two of an item. This particular store also boasts sales but when you go online to purchase, the sales items are in remainder sizes not the average. Very few women wear an ultra tiny size in anything, although I have had the misfortune of hearing some women in change rooms next to me, loudly asking for sizes far smaller than the average.  I always assume by the volume, they've aced some kind of diet and are out celebrating. At any rate, as we mature, women frequently change sizes up rather than down and that's natural and okay. No one wants to live in a gym or diet all the time. It means finding the right fit and forgetting about the numbers. Cut off the sizes if you must but let the garment fit. When I think of someone who got it all wrong, I recall a certain very attractive mother of four or five who had gained pounds.  Her mistake was buying garments that were her dream size and not the actual one. I prayed that she would find a wise dress clerk and get a size that hung well and was in a design that flattered her true beauty. She looked stuffed. We are told over and over again that the fashion magazines no longer use models who are having eating disorders. Not so. While there may be a token few larger models, the pathetic, skinny ones who are evidently starving themselves, abound. When I see skeletal young women with wan faces striding down a ramp like gangly ponies, I don't see the dress, I see an self-abused woman. Jutting ribs and hollow legs spoil the effect of the most finely engineered garment. Most of the fashion ramp clothing is not what humans would wear at any rate.  Perhaps so on Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive where the you-know-who film people are photographed sashaying along with their dangling three thousand dollar handbags and an Afghan or a French Poodle in hand. I guess the bottom line is find a sale that is a sale and not one where the merchant has hiked the tag as a sale when it's not.  When you find a store that does reduce its regular items regularly, it's a keeper. And you'll trust it and return. Shopping online has hazards and one pitfall you don't want to step into is the offshore ads with styles that look very attractive but when the item arrives, it is not in human fit or fabrics that are wearable and washable. One learns. The last time I erred in that direction I thought I would outsmart myself and order an XL to avoid  getting an "average" size that a Barbie Doll would reject. But the garment that came called XL, truly was more like a tent for a family of four. That's when I gave up taking a chance on some glitzy online company and decided from that moment on, to stick to the tried and true.

Reading King -The Outsider

Review - The Outsider 

As a King addict, of course, I enjoyed it. What I always find fascinating about the author, is his sack of endless ideas. It's also uncanny how he makes his people (they are more than mere characters) live. I suspect it is the dialogue that does it and the reason why his films are pretty much perfect matches to the books. His work comes alive, and not always in the ways you expect, and that's good, when the tale is character driven. You hear them speak what's going on. I found the struggle scene with certain animals and others (no spoilers here) utterly amazing since I have attempted to write such, and just give up. What also intrigues me, is King's complete attention to and comfort with correct language. Critical readers hate coming across even one error. It blows a whole book. King's scenes may be rough and tough but decent grammatical usage isn't something you have to trip over on his pages. Of course, get the book, and do savor every chapter, however long his books are getting these days. What isn't to love?

Temptation

 Most of us can resist temptation. To a point. Lots of times, if we are tempted enough, there's something about us that wears down and we stand on the brink of falling or failing and are tempted. Sometimes the temptations turn out as satisfying and at other times, they trouble us. "Out there " in the present land of online shopping, we are pegged. Once we enter into that realm and shop often on favorite sites, they know us. They know our likes and dislikes and if we linger on certain items, or go often enough to them, view certain styles or colours or models, our gazings are recorded. It takes a modicum of courage to resist all the little nag ads that we see inserted into other sites we go to. Aha, there's that sweater we thought about once. Or wow, how did that company know that I passed up this item. Hmmm, maybe now I can afford it. Or perhaps, riled, I think, "that's the last time I'll shop on that site and furthermore, I am going to unsubscribe!" In surprise ads, our first names are frequently used and we are reminded that the item we looked at previously, is still waiting for us. When we shop anywhere, on the street or in our homes, we spend a deal of time sorting and looking and pondering about what we are about to buy. Or should. In a store, we can leave and go out the door, but at home on our computers, where we spend a lot of hours lately, our cyber retailers don't forget us. We can click off but it doesn't end there.  Online sellers have memories that are one hundred percent. When you shop online, joining a site or enlisting in their promos such as newsletters or discount clubs, you are going to hear more. You're on the sellers lists. I bought a cast iron fry pan once and there is no way I can contact this company to stop sending me ads. I don't need Texas barbecue equipment or a bevy of big old cast iron anything.  Actually, they go right into my spam file now and that's easy enough.to empty. On your daily emails you'll find things like "we still have that bleep you looked at" or "we see you bought bleep and you might enjoy this similar one". Your first name is used and you are flattered as one of their "best" customers. One of the largest online shopping sites, has a subscription aspect that offers you the "convenience" of  a membership, with a new bleep automatically every month or so. Not a good membership because that little item will be there faithfully and you'll have paid for it whether you ran out or not. To unjoin is a hassle. It's a bit like my printer company that very kindly offers me their ink just about the time mine they surmise runs out. I didn't join because I don't run out at that rate.  And, as with any persuasive sales gimmicks, you learn to say a firm "no". My emails are too many and most of them, admittedly, are shopping sites, not friends or family. And that's okay with me because I am a window shopper. But I am not easily tempted. You could call my addiction, that of window shopping, Screen Peeping, Online Lolling, Mouse Meanders or some other such term. Being a Covid insider, it's merely a friendly stroll along a world shopper lane with no money spent. Anyway, who always buys  what they need only? We don't need automatic toothbrushes or rice cookers or cleanser toilet lids or scented candles or fairy lights. The best part of online advertising is that you can click it off very quickly. It's not like those annoying phone calls that take you away from what you're doing because you think it might be an important call. Hanging up on the caller who tells you to Stopwhatyouaredoing! is easy enough to stop. Let 'em leave a message. Your time is your precious choice.  Temptation is expensive but it's all yours, and its banishing is as easy as one click.