Retail Fail

With the following entry, I hope to teach you why it is important to never load a $20 collapsible rolling rack beyond its maximum capacity.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

I'm standing at the cash wrap on the sales floor completing the usual mundane paperwork that is required to kick off a day in the retail business. As this process requires little thought, I'm probably daydreaming about what I might buy that day, or what I might blog about that evening. Perhaps what I'll eat for dinner. Lord only knows where this mind might stray when I should be concentrating on how many credit cards we need to make our monthly goal or other things of the sort.

I'm suddenly snapped out of my reverie by my associate (and best friend) loudly hollering from the back room, "CAROLINE!" with utter urgency in her voice.

Not wanting to be bothered with tottering back there in my heels, I holler back, and receive the following response: "GET BACK HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

I grudgingly make my way to the back of the store, where I find said associate, who in this entry will be known as Angry Eyebrows Associate, holding on with all her might to the rolling rack below. Veins were throbbing on her forehead with strain as she attempted to keep its contents from splattering to the floor in disorder.

Angry Eyebrows Associate barks for me to grab the rapidly collapsing rolling rack from the other side. We heave upwards, but strangely, nothing happens. The rolling rack does not move. Angry Eyebrows' face gets redder and redder. Thus, not only does this experience teach me that rolling racks are incompetent, but so is my upper arm strength. Note to self: Buy some 10-pounders.

In the end, we let the whole thing fall to the floor. It wasn't worth our sweat.

Exhibit A:

Now you may be thinking, "That doesn't look like a very big mess," but I beg to differ. Unfortunately for the credibility of this blog, I only collected my thoughts enough to snap this picture after about a third of the carnage had been cleaned up.

You see, our stock procedure is very delicate. These clothes, now strewn haphazardly on a dirty, dusty floor, had previously been unfolded, hung, buttoned, zipped, steamed, and organized into size order before being given a temporary home on this clearly unworthy rolling rack.

We made a decision to not tell any of our stock co-workers about this experience. Keep the secret for us, will you?

So, fashionistas with small closets beware: Adding a spare rolling rack may not be the answer.

But if you find yourself with a collapsing bar of clothes anyway, don't call me for help. Call the Incredible Hulk instead.

Sherlock Holmes or an expressive mutt?

This is my dad's dog Cletus. His front paws stick out in opposite directions as though he is perpetually posing in the second position, and his underbite is noticeable from approximately a mile away.

Doesn't he look suspicious? All he needs is a pipe and a fedora and he could star alongside Rachel McAdams in this year's Sherlock Holmes. Plus, his sense of smell would help him solve mysteries.

Warning: For Chocolate Lovers ONLY

On the particular day that these cookies were made, their purpose was to win over a boy's heart. On the three days that followed, however, they won over my heart. (Though I can't say it actually took that long).

Disclaimer: These cookies should only be eaten by those who can handle extreme chocolate.

Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 bag Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag Ghiradelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 bag chopped walnuts

Melt bittersweet chocolate chips and butter together in a large bowl. Fold in other ingredients, along with semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts. Once batter is thoroughly mixed, create logs of dough using plastic wrap, each about a foot long. Refrigerate for an hour. Once logs have hardened, unwrap and cut dough into 1/2 inch slices. Place cookies on parchment-lined paper and bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Gifts from a Grateful Client

Earlier this week, I went in to work to find a gift waiting for me on my desk. My store manager had received the gift from the client and left it for me on the desk, with a sticky note attached that passed on the following message:

"Thanks for all the styling help last week, Caroline!"

I opened the bag to find the following:

I imagine you all squinting to see what's pictured here. What is it, you ask?

Sensura Almond Massage Oil and Sparkling Body Moisturizer (edible, of course). Compliments of a sex toy party enthusiast.

I tell you what, being in retail is never boring...

Meet the Predecessors

Before Holly and Paddington, there were a few other chows in my life... The ones who started it all.

This is my beautiful mom at age 22, sitting on her parents' front porch in good ol' Tallapoosa, with the two sweetest balls of fluff. (Please note her footwear - blue jellies!) She worked for a while at a Pike's Nursery, and one day, someone left these pups there in a cardboard box. (!) Well of course, they promptly found themselves a home with Mom, and became known as Winnie and Teddy.

Two years later, I came along. This is me at age 6, hanging on my swing set, which I got for my birthday that year. (Please take a moment to note my acid-wash jean jacket.) Posing for the camera below is Winnie, Holly's poofier predecessor. (And she'd been shaved in this picture!) Doesn't she look like Grendel? Lord, I miss her.

This one was taken in our very leafy backyard. The lion on the right is Teddy, an absolute bear of a dog. Oh! They were so sweet.

The pug on the left is Cindy, whom I named after my aunt's best friend and spent my entire childhood smothering with love. (She's an exception to the blog post on chows, but a very key ingredient in my childhood, so you get to hear about her anyway.) I was known to paint her toenails with neon polish and trim her fur in designs. Poor thing. She lived a very long life for a pug, and died on Independence Day when I was 15.

On the right is Paddington's predecessor Pooh. The resemblance between these two is absolutely uncanny. She came along a little after Winnie and Teddy.

Tee hee.

Pets enrich our lives in so many ways. How can you not smile when you see faces like these?!

My Latest Quick Dinner Obsession

Lately I've been making this dish once a week or so for dinner. It is so easy and delicious. Not sure what I want to call it yet...

Ingredients:

Linguine pasta

Extra virgin olive oil

Reduced-fat feta cheese

Basil

Kalmata olives

Cook pasta over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. After draining, toss pasta in olive oil. Chop basil and kalmata olives and fold into pasta. Top with feta. Enjoy!

Outfit of the Day: Charlestonian Style

Disclaimer: I must admit that this is not my outfit of TODAY. In fact, it is an outfit from about a month ago, but if you saw my outfit at the moment, you'd scoff at my sweatpants-and-orange-socks combo.

Moving on.

After interviewing for what is now my first adult job, I had the weekend off and was ready to relieve my stress. I drove five hours to spend the weekend in Charleston with one of my best friends from high school, Elise, who also happens to be a fashionista (and a model for Charleston Fashion Week!).

On my way out of town, I spotted this bad boy driving down the road. What IS this?! It was huge. And ominous.

We spent the day Saturday lounging and watching a What Not To Wear Marathon. Great advice from Stacy: "You always have to go, but you don't always have to match." LOVE that!

We did Saturday night Charleston-style, with great fashion, great food and great places. Our first stop was dinner at a quaint little Italian restaurant, where I had the most delicious fresh ravioli with pesto.

After letting that settle, we went over to Kaminsky's for dessert, where I had the most delicious Tollhouse Cookie Pie:

Next was a bar called Shine, which had the most fabulous decor:

Look at those chandeliers!

And those window treatments!

The bathrooms were fabulous, too. Just testing out the lighting.

Shoes: Colin Stuart for Victoria's Secret

*Note: Nude heels do amazing things for legs. They make them seem longer!

The wallpaper was amazing, so of course we had to do a photo shoot. It reminded me of my scrapbooking papers!

My outfit:

Headband: LOFT

Bell-sleeve top: LOFT

Skirt: Moda International for Victoria's Secret

Crossbody purse: vintage Coach, found at Agora in Athens

Elise's outfit:

One-shoulder knit dress: American Apparel (current)

Tights: American Apparel

I love these two.

This one makes the magic happen at Charleston Fashion Week.

He'll be getting me backstage on March 17th. :-) Love you, Travis!

After getting home, we had to have a late-night snack of brie en croute with raspberries, strawberries and wine. Yum.

In terms of a relaxing and fabulous weekend, it just doesn't get better than that, ladies and gentlemen.