Endless.com

I recently started a new job working on Endless.com, a website dedicated to shoes, handbags and accessories built by Amazon.com. As excited as I am to be working on a website selling shoes and accessories, so far it's been really bad for my wallet. One of Amazon's core principles is that we strive to be Earth's most customer centric company, and to be customer centric you have to really put yourself in the customer's shoes and be a customer. Which is exactly what I've been doing. Endless offers free overnight shipping, free returns for 365 days. And when I say free overnight shipping, it's literally you order your shoes today and they show up at your door tomorrow. How awesome is that? It's not quite like having the salesperson at Nordstrom bringing over those 10 pairs of shoes that you want to try on and you get to choose which ones you want to buy, but it's as close to it as it gets when it comes to online shopping. I've been in this new job for 2 weeks and I've already bought 2 pairs of shoes. At this rate, you do that math...

Matisse Women's Swirl Scrunch Flat - $58. After the hateful Coach metallic flats, I wanted a pair of actual comfy gold flats. These are really soft and hug your feet. I have never heard of Matisse as a brand but I'm giving these a shot.

Madden Girl Women's Singerr Mid Shaft Boot - $64.95 I have never tried Madden Girl. It must be their lower end junior brand like BCBGirls. I totally have a thing for boots right now because it's getting to be winter and I'm taking the bus to work. I really liked the idea of grey scrunchy boots and these boots got good reviews on Endless. However, I was weary because these are not real leather. Well, I tried them on and they are quite adorable and comfortable. I actually do think I could go shopping all day in them. However, I feel like you're sacrificing a bit of quality for this line. You're trading leather for synthetics and stitching for glue. I think I'd rather spend a bit more for something that's well made.

Banana Republic Review

Banana Republic's look is simple, classic and affordable. Almost everything eventually goes on sale so you can often find nice tops for around $20 and pants for $50. At that price you can feel guilt-free when you buy new clothes every season. A couple of years ago I was talked into getting a Banana Republic credit card. I don't usually like to get store brand cards but I knew I was already spending a few hundred dollars a year at BR that I might as well get something extra out of it. You get a 5% reward on what you spend with your BR card that you can spend at BR, the Gap and Old Navy. So I'd often get $10 cards after I've spent $200. You also get 15% off coupons regularly to use online or in store. In the first year I spent enough using my BR card that I became a Luxe member. I don't even want to know what I spent to qualify for that. But with the Luxe card I get free shipping on everything online. That just opened the flood gates and I'm now a more loyal BR shopper than ever. Everything I buy online can be returned at the store for an instant credit. There's little hesitation towards ordering something on a whim and just return it when you get buyer's remorse a week later.

Flutter sleeve stirred top - $39.00. I usually go for the basics at BR. A simple top like this is flattering and comfortable and you can easily dress up with a necklace. It's good for the office but also casual enough for the weekends. I've noticed that the quality of the BR tops are much better than the Gap (same company) , even though when you buy things on sale, the prices are more or less the same.

Knotted necklace - $44. BR has some really gorgeous fashion jewelry. They look high quality but they're not as expensive as something you would find at say, Nordstrom. The pieces last much longer than cheaper jewelry that you would find at Forever 21 or Aldo. I usually wait for these to go on sale and then scoop up a few necklaces to pair with basic tops.

The important details about BananaRepublic.com

Shipping: $7 for standard shipping, free for BR card holders for over $100 and free for all Luxe card holders.
Returns: free to return in store. They ship their clothes in convenient resealable bags so that they're also easy to send back in the mail. Return by mail is also free, BR pays the shipping.

Rating: 4 out of 5
The bottom line: So I admit that Banana Republic won't suit everyone's taste. Their styles are not cutting edge or overly trendy. But if you love the classics and you like Banana Republic, then this integrated experience between the BR stores, website and the Luxe card really rounds out a great shopping experience. You should take advantage of it!

BCBG.com Review

I've been in love with BCBG dresses long before I could afford them. Their intricate bead work, feminine sillouettes and silky textures are just my taste. Whenever BCBG had one of their 50% - 70% sales on dresses I would scoop one up even if I didn't have an occasion to wear it. I still have a full length satin gown that's been hanging in my closet for over 4 years. BCBG.com has a full display of those same gorgeous dresses along with the rest of their collection. However the experience is labored and unsatisfying. It takes 4 clicks before you get to zoom in on a picture to get a full appreciation of the details on a dress. Repeat this process a couple times and you'll be wishing you were in the store touching and feeling the pieces or shopping elsewhere online. Sale items at BCBG have always been "final sales" and the same rule applies to sale items online. If you have ever bought clothes online you know how risky that is especially since their pieces are usually in the $100 and above range. In the end, my heart still fills with desire at the sight of those pretty dresses but I will not be buying them at BCBG.com.

The important details:
Shipping: $6 - $12 based on the cost of the order
Returns: You pay for the return shipping. No returns on sale items. Ouch! Just think, you could be paying $20 if you buy something you don't like and have to send it back.

Rating: 1 out of 5
The bottom line: BCBG really missed the mark with their online store. The site needs to be faster, the shipping needs to be way cheaper and the return policy needs to be much, much improved.

Nordstrom.com Review

If you are already a loyal Nordstrom shopper then you know about their excellent attention to customer service. Urban legends have it that someone successfully returned a tire to Nordstrom even though they don't even sell tires. Nordstrom.com is well integrated into the overall Nordstrom experience. Anything you buy online you can return in store and instantly receive the refund. No messing around with return packaging and waiting for the refund to process! The selection online is different than what you may see in you local stores. The selection online seems more limited. For example, the store in Seattle has a wide selection of Gucci and Chanel handbags but there's no Gucci or Chanel online. This makes for a less fulfilling browsing (and yearning) experience. However, if you find something online that's carried in your store but not in the size or color you want, you can ask them to ship it to your home for free! I've shopped for items online this way and went in to ask for it to be shipped to avoid the shipping fee but getting exactly what I wanted.

The important details:

Shipping: Free over $200. It's not hard to hit $200 shopping at Nordstrom but I'd love it if the minimum was lower.
Returns: Nordstorm charges $6 to return by mail. So your best bet is to return in store. You get your refund immediately.

Rating: 4 out of 5
The bottom line: I'm already a full on Nordstrom convert so in my mind, Nordstrom will always make it right for their customers. I'm just anxiously waiting for their online selection to catch up so that I can buy more online!

VictoriasSecret.com Review

It's easy to fall for the allure of those incredibly beautiful Victoria's Secret models. So when I got an email about the semi annual sale with full color images of the sexy girls in cute summer dresses, I decided to give Victoria's Secret.com another shot after a few disappointing experiences years ago. I quickly racked up over $200 of clothes in my shopping bag to qualify for free shipping over $75. Some of them were back-ordered so they won't ship right away but the ETA was soon enough to still make me place the purchase. When the items arrived a week or so later, I was pleased, bewildered and disappointed at once.

• the squareneck babydoll bra top dress fit way too tight. For $29, I wasn't going to keep it if I didn't like it. Oh yeah, I don't look like the model in the picture. Darn it.
  
• they mistakenly shipped a bra top instead of the babydoll halter bra top dress. I had to call customer service to get that sorted out and get the real dress shipped.
• I ordered a couple of baby doll tees and they look very cheaply made. They were cheap, just $10 or so each. I kept one and returned one that had a stain on it.
  
• I ordered a sequined silk baby doll top for $30 and that was cute and well made. It was a keeper.

Squareneck babydoll Bra Top dress - $29

O-ring babydoll halter bra top dress - $19

Ruffle Rim Babydoll Tee - $9.99

The Important Details:

Shipping: free over $75, promotion varies
Returns: returns are easy to make since they provide resealable envelopes with pre-printed return labels. Although you do have to pay for return shipping. It takes many weeks for the return to process. It's a real pain.

Rating: 2 out of 5
The bottom line: You get what you paid for. Spend a little more to ensure that the pieces will be well made but the cheaper items are exactly that. Given that shipping is not free, you're better off shopping at brick & mortar stores to make sure that you can see the quality of the pieces.

Forever21.com Review

Shopping at Forever 21 is like satisfying a craving at your favorite fast food restaurant. You know it's not that good for you. Forever21 hardly offers high quality pieces. You know that you may regret it later. They have a wide selection of current fads that can fade away the next week. But sometimes, you just want to experiment with the latest trend you saw in a magazine. And sometimes, you may just find a stylish piece that looks good on you and is a great bargain. Kind of like the new latte at McDonald's.




Alexia Lace Dress $24.88. I ordered this dress online because it looked cute in the picture and is a bargain. When I got it, I realized that this dress is cut for a teenager. The waist is high and the skirt is short. It's not something I would feel comfortable wearing. The dress has a tulle like lining that was scratchy against my legs. I didn't expect high quality materials but since it also didn't look good, I decided to return it.






Tiered Silk Top $22.80. In real life this top doesn't feel like silk and doesn't flow like silk. It didn't look flattering on me, so I sent it back also.









Isocolina Sequin Top $24.80 I ordered this top in a mauve like color instead of white. In person, this top is much heavier than I expected and the sleeves are wider than in the picture. It would be a cute top to wear with short shorts for a night out. This one was a keeper.







The Important Details:

Shipping: free over $75
Returns: can return in store for store credit only, or return by mail for full refund with 30 days of ship date

I <3 to Shop Rating : 2 out of 5
The bottom line: I probably won't shop here again soon. Too much of a crap shoot.