Are so many people really that rich? What am I doing wrong?

amother

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:14 pm

amother Mulberry wrote:

Cozy coup is $90 I think ( still expensive)
For coats you can always order online bec no tznius issue there

Cozy coop is $109 in local stores in my community.
Just afew short years ago, cozy coop was $60.

bsy

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:16 pm

amother DarkCyan wrote:

I’m not geshikt enough for sales a year ahead or Ali, spent too much money on things that didn’t fit for it to make sense.

I also find having very little works better for me- I buy a few things and then 1/2 more sale time and my kids have 5ish weekday things for the season. Im just finding the price for the basics going up and up every year.

Like the most expensive coat in the store (pramie) used to be 130? Ish. Now they don’t have a coat under 100. I got my kids appaman on sale for a great price last year bh:) but I think as a community it’s bizzare that we are feeding into this.

The only way to stop the craziness is to stop buying. In my whole life, we never bought coats in a Jewish store. Landsend etc worked just fine. My kids get most of their coats at a junk/sample store for 10 to 15 apiece and we just buy any nice coat there and someone ends up wearing it. Wouldn't dawn on me to walk into a Jewish store and buy a coat before winter. Either after winter for next year, or elsewhere.

Last edited by bsy on Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Sunflower

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:21 pm

bsy wrote:

They way to stop the craziness is to stop buying. In my whole life, we never bought coats in a Jewish store. Landsend etc worked just fine. My kids get most of their coats at a junk/sample store for 10 to 15 apiece and we just buy any nice coat there and someone ends up wearing it. Wouldn't dawn on me to walk into a Jewish store and buy a coat before winter. Either after winter for next year, or elsewhere.

Exactly this. Lands End or Burlington Coat Factory or dozens of other stores.

amother

DarkCyan

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:28 pm

amother OP wrote:

Cozy coop is $109 in local stores in my community.
Just afew short years ago, cozy coop was $60.

It’s not even down!! They charge it because they can, that’s the infuriating part. Soon everything else will follow.

amother

DarkCyan

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:28 pm

amother OP wrote:

Cozy coop is $109 in local stores in my community.
Just afew short years ago, cozy coop was $60.

It’s not even down!! They charge it because they can, that’s the infuriating part. Soon everything else will follow.

amother

Lemonlime

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:30 pm

amother Sunflower wrote:

Exactly this. Lands End or Burlington Coat Factory or dozens of other stores.

Any good quality coat at any non Jewish brand is over $100 and they are not pretty. (I just checked landsend)

amother

DarkGray

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:32 pm

amother Lemonlime wrote:

Any good quality coat at any non Jewish brand is over $100 and they are not pretty. (I just checked landsend)

For little kids still growing you can find for much less at Amazon, Abercrombie, and discount stores like Nordstrom rack

gr82no

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 10:32 pm

amother Magnolia wrote:

I've bought matching weekday from kmw- I'm pretty sure I paid less then 30 dollars per dress and definitely didn't buy all at the beginning of the season. bought as I needed.. the dresses are also super comfy, my kids love them and don't care if they wear the same dress in different sizes as they grow. I don't even make it a point to buy matching, just bought what they had and then my kids decided to wear it at the same time.

here's a link to one of them
https://kalmodestwear.com/coll.....80286
they still have most sizes in this dress and it's on sale. I also got the adult size shirt for my older daughter which she likes to wear matching with her younger sisters.

Are their stuff actually tznius? The model isn’t dressed tznius so I wouldn’t know what the fit is

amother

Blue

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 11:37 pm

If you check bloomingdales or Nordstrom they’re selling moncler baby coats for 350-600$ only in the Jewish stores can you get a nice stylish down coat for under 200$. Appaman isn’t down anymore btw. So I don’t consider the pramie, scotch bonnet etc overpriced anymore.
I was in the store today I bought a weekday dress for 80$ for my dd I’m the one who buys 2 weekday dresses and a nice tshirt with a cheap skirt and my kids wear for the entire season. I just bought stuff for my toddler - I can’t remember the last time I shopped for her- I buy only a few high quality things and wash them over and over. They’re made to last which is why I like to spend a bit more. I’m far from being rich and have grandparents that help out. I don’t buy these things to show off I buy because I think they’re pretty and it gives me happiness seeing my kids in stuff I like

amother

Sunflower

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 11:38 pm

amother Lemonlime wrote:

Any good quality coat at any non Jewish brand is over $100 and they are not pretty. (I just checked landsend)

A large percentage of the time, you can get lands end clothing at least 40% off. They constantly have coupons.

amother

Winterberry

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 11:42 pm

amother DarkCyan wrote:

It’s not even down!! They charge it because they can, that’s the infuriating part. Soon everything else will follow.

Yes this!! Cozy coupe is not even warm! I’ve gotten them as rain coats but not good as winter coats
My kids had the scotch bonnet last year and I’m counting on them fitting this year again
Just can’t buy more this year
To be honest in my neighborhood, my kids are nerdy in their scotch bonnet, my friends have colmar, Hugo boss, and bonpoint for their kids. Oh well, I do but designer sometimes, but I know my limits and I’m pretty self assured. I know what works for us

gilamom

Tue, Aug 15 2023, 11:49 pm

I finally ventured out to a store to buy something for my DD's and started at Little Women here in Lakewood. I was so pleased to see some reasonably priced dresses, I think the brands I saw were nou nelle and velvette? To me, reasonably priced is in the $60ish range. And guess what, I'm too late! I'm not saying this cuz I'm mad ch'v, my point is I wish I'd stopped by the store a couple of weeks ago and found my girls' sizes but BH it's just clothes and it's okay-I do see though why it might be a mad rush for some, it's not always people running to buy expensive dresses, just as often it's moms looking for the reasonably priced clothing that's even more likely to sell out quickly.

amother

Lightblue

Wed, Aug 16 2023, 8:46 am

Cheiny wrote:

I haven’t seen that.

I see people buying armloads of plain cotton t shirts for $90 each, and Shabbos dresses for hundreds each, like they’re water.

Exactly this. My mom is a saleslady in one of the local stores. She says its beyond ridiculous. People snatch up $100 tops like there is no tomorrow - even people who are struggling immensely. She can't wrap her head around it.

amother

Lightblue

Wed, Aug 16 2023, 8:48 am

Cheiny wrote:

That’s a judgment call and you’re judging someone whose motives you can’t possibly know.
I totally understand she can be making an observation and wondering how and why people are able to spend that way. Doesn’t necessarily mean she’s jealous. She can have a different set of standards.

100%. Personally, I find people try to rationalize their behaviors by using such excuses. When questioned, they try to turn the tables onto the other party instead of answering the question. I.e. - if you ask someone why we have a need to buy $100 stretchies for babies, you'll get 'hey, you must be jealous' as a response instead of explaining the mindset.

People can be simply curious. Curiosity does not automatically equate to jealousy.

amother

Lightblue

Wed, Aug 16 2023, 8:53 am

Mommyg8 wrote:

There are plenty of people who do both. They pay tuition and they also buy all these high end clothing and shoes.

But why has this become a norm for EVERYBODY?

And btw, 175 shoes don't last THAT much longer than 80 dollar shoes. (I'm not talking about the wal mart special).

Exactly. And the problem is what others have pointed out. When 175 shoes become the norm, the stores in the area follow suit. And so do the wholesalers. If the norm is to spend $175 for shoes, then the cheaper shoes now become $100, instead of $75.

Same goes for simchas and all the other stuff.

The rich is usually a small percentage of society. So in normal circumstances there would be the rich, and some middle class people who extend themselves - but that's it. We would then have a variety of shops and a variety of options in a community to serve all members of a community. But what we have right now in our communities, is mostly a variety for the rich. If someone really doesn't want to put out, they need to look outside of the communities. That says an awful lot. And this is why our cost of living keeps skyrocketing like crazy.

amother

Dustypink

Wed, Aug 16 2023, 8:55 am

OP I get you !
BH I could afford to spend like that but choose not to spend our money that way as I think it’s ridiculous. DH and I have always made it top priority to pay full tuition, so the money goes there. The irony is that many of my kids classmates are dressed “better” than my kids , although we are “richer”. Obviously my kids don’t look nebach but they are not wearing the most expensive clothes/accessories. BH my kids are happy and we all just don’t care that much about it. I know that after 120 years I will not be ashamed Upstsirs that I wasted money that could have gone to tuition.

amother

Impatiens

Wed, Aug 16 2023, 8:56 am

Looks are deceiving

I personally don’t shop in these type of stores because I think the prices are insane for what I’m getting and I don’t find the quality holds up.

fWIW, on a typical day I’m walking around in an outfit that’s worth a house down payment.

amother

Dustypink

Wed, Aug 16 2023, 8:57 am

amother Dustypink wrote:

Addendum - and we pay very high tuition because we have a good income BH so our full tuition plus. Is used to help cover those who don’t pay full tuition. (Perhaps some of those who are spending so much on clothes ??)