In the months leading up to my graduation this past
May, my sister Lindsay had constantly been asking me what I wanted for a
graduation present. My sister and I are polar opposites when it comes
to shopping. She could shop online all day, but when it comes to shopping in an actual store she has a mini heart attack.
I, on the other hand, live for that kind of stuff. Working at Marshalls for
four years has really transformed me into a bargain shopper (or hunter, whichever you may prefer). I am not afraid to
weasel my way into places to get what I came for (or even something that I
didn't particularly need at all).
I personally hate online shopping. I worry about
how things will fit, what the quality of the material will be like, whether or
not I can send it back if I am not satisfied, and so on. I find myself stressing about whether the order will get here on time, what the return policy is, if it will somehow get damaged in transit, if it will get lost, etc. I would rather push people out of the way for a chance to get a one of a kind
handbag then sit on a flash site and constantly refresh my
page until finally I see the words "SOLD OUT" plastered across the item. The worst. Atleast if I went to the
store, I put in more effort than simply right clicking a mouse (it makes me feel as
if I worked harder for it). That’s just the way I am...
Some call my sister the world traveler. She has been all over the world, and experienced so many amazing things. She likes sipping the most expensive wine inside a villa in Italy, and I like the latest Michael Kors bag. She feels as passionate about traveling, as I do fashion. Don't get me
wrong I love to travel, and she loves to wear nice things... our order of
preference is just slightly altered. So when it came down to getting me a
graduation present, I was not surprised to hear her say she wanted to take me
on a trip! “Beach or City?” she asked me. My response: Beach. Not sure if she
was taken aback by that based on my shopaholic tendencies, but she was in total
agreement. Next thing she told me... “Okay, pack a suitcase of bathing suits and your passport and meet me in NYC.”
Where was she taking me? She knows I hate surprises. Every day she would send me pictures of the resort, the beach, the pool, the swim up bar, and the night clubs. Nothing to complain about there.
Puerto Rico here we come! Bathing suits and
passport were packed and of course a wide array of clothing (hurricane Isaac would be passing through the island RIGHT at the time our flight
would be taking off so we weren't exactly sure what to pack).
Some of the essentials for the trip!
Every girl needs a new bikini, some shades, WATER (so you don’t dehydrate from all the tanning that you will be doing), toothpaste, sunscreen, chapstick (ALWAYS a must) and some fun bracelets.
It took me a very long time to debate which clothing
deserved a spot in my carry-on sized piece of luggage. I have become a pro
packer. Key to being as clever as I am at packing—roll EVERYTHING! It takes up
WAY LESS space, which essentially means you can bring WAY MORE stuff.
The week before the trip I bought a lot of new swim-related
attire. My favorite purchase was this black cover-up. It
seriously made me feel like a supermodel as soon as I put it on. Flowy,
bedazzled, and black= hi I’m Kim Kardashian.
Hello Paradise! A day at the beach calls for a great book…
mine… BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey. If you haven’t already read it several times, I
suggest you do so. Hilarious.
So...the obvious... most people go on vacation to escape work for a week or
so. I, on the other hand, was DYING to step foot into the Puerto Rican Mega
Marshalls! So minus sunning, snacking by the pool, hiking in El Yunque, playing
slots, and having a few cocktails… I was desperately looking forward to see the
differences in our stores—setup wise, merchandise wise, and style wise.
Our setup was exactly the same, the style was as I presumed it
to be, but the BIG shocker to me was that the store did not sell perfume, handbags, and most
importantly SHOES. I am a very detail-oriented person and I pay close
attention to the buying behavior of consumers. Coming from a highly populated
Puerto Rican town, I was very surprised to see that the store lacked these major departments. I find that most people that fit this same demographic shop in
my store and are huge purchasers of designer handbags, perfumes, and shoes.
Pictures from the rest of the trip!
El Yunque
La piscina
Wine Bar
Castillo de Cristobal Colon
Hotel
I purchased the dress above from the PR Marshalls.
Can't seem to leave the store without a bag! xx
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