10 November 2009

The road less travelled....


I've become quite resigned to the fact that the choices I make are often different to the mainstream. Most places I go there's something I do or like to talk about that's different to the norm... Like home educating the owlets or choosing to birth the little owlet at home. Apparently that makes me part of a minority, a special interest group. Its ok, I quite like being different. It makes for good conversation. But it seems that the gap is widening...

I made my weekly unfortunate trip to Spotlight last week. For those unfamiliar with it, Spotlight is a major fabric and craft retail chain in Australia. In my town its famous for being perpetually out of whatever it is you want... I browsed the shelves for what I wanted. It wasn't there. As usual. I approach the counter to purchase my second choice of each item. I mention to the woman behind the counter (lets call her Bev, cos she reminds me of someone's aunty), all the things that are missing, they were there last week... She goes through the "you can't order it, you just get what comes when it comes" store policy. *sigh* So then I ask her about red buttons. The shelves house a large range of buttons of all colours, but the section of red buttons has dwindled. Every time I walk past the buttons, there's someone there lamanting the absence of red. I broached the subject with Bev. Her response?

"Well you don't see many people wearing red these days, its not very fashionable".

Then I look down. I'm wearing my red bag, red jewellery, red shoes!!! The owlets are dressed in red!! Bev obviously thinks we're dags. And what of the people who've been buying the owletty things with red buttons? Dags too, I'm afraid. Sorry peeps. Spotlight have a team of colour forecasters on the subject and red buttons are sooo two seasons ago. "But they are RED BUTTONS!!" I plead. "They are a staple, a classic!" Bev is unmoved. I suddenly realise that since I've left my mainstream fashion design job, I'm no longer in the loop. People around me wear colours that make them feel good. I make clothes in colours that make my eyes happy rather than being part of a push to get people back in the shops each season. And now Spotlight thinks I'm a dag. I can live with that. And I think I can find somewhere else to buy my red buttons...

13 comments:

  1. Oh NO! If only I'd checked with Spotlight before decking myself head to toe in red for the last few years!

    Honestly, the things these people come up with to justify their cruddy service... it's dumbfounding.

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  2. Oh PUH-LEASE!!!!

    I am just a-itching to get my hands on this damn "Bev".

    Red not very fashionable you say....?! Red buttons don't deserve your shelf space you say...?! Well I say, Bev, HOW DARE YOU?!

    Red, Bev, for your information, is a classic colour & an integrel part of any wardrobe. Little girls look tres adorable wearing a splash of red instead of the usually frilly pink nonsenses, little boys just KNOW that red goes faster. Men look dashing & debonair in their faithful red shirts & women... well, Bev, Women NEED, at the very least, one red jacket, one red bag & one pair of striking red shoes. At least. Red is enpowering & strong & vivacious. Red makes the wearer feel good & others take notice. Red, Bev, will never, ever, go out of fashion.

    Bev. Are you listening to me...? Those vanant eyes & slack jawed expression tell me you aren't Bev, and that IS disheartening.

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  3. As if Spotlight are the fashion trendsetters, lol! I know exactly what your talking about though. We have a really nice lady who is actually very helpful at our Watergardens store and she advised me that there are catergories for each store. The only ones that hold everything you need is a category 1 store. Apparently our store is a catergory 2 or 3 which means they dont get everything, they only get what is sent to them, never ordered. The only category 1 store near us is in Essendon or Fountaingate apparently but I am not going to drive all the extra distance unless I absolutely need more than one urgent thing. Just thought you would like to know as I find it very frustrating when going there that they never have what I want either. Red buttons should be in abundance shouldnt they!

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  4. Lauren, while I am sure there is part of you that is annoyed, I hope that you were laughing when you wrote this post. So as not to be hurtful to the staff, I choose to think of them as having "Sliding Door Fever". This is a similar condition to "White Line Fever". Described by my father as something that happens when regular people step over the white line on a sporting field and become crazy. They act like they never world off the field, ie. yelling at umpries. Once back over the line, they are their normal selves again.

    Given that it would be rude and unkind to say hurtful things about Bev and her colleagues, I think that they are probably lovely people outside of work. Very lovely. However, once through those sliding Spotlight doors, they become unhelpful, obnoxious, sad, apodt BAD attitudes, start huffing, show contempt for customers, etc, etc, which makes a terrible shopping experience for us.

    That was a looooong way to say ignore Bev the Fashionista and wear red with pride. I bet she does too once she is through those doors!

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  5. Seriously Spotlight, is SO yesterday, unforunately I often 'shop' there too, because it's handy for those staple items used in sewing...
    I don't think their stock levels have been the same since the fire.
    I don't believe in following fashion myself, & people these days are more into anything goes, who knows what 'fashion' is?...
    but it's a shame poor Bev didn't look before she commented, eh? Did she turn 'red' in embarrassment?

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  6. I can so understand where you are coming from...thats why I make pants because I wanted some COLOR in my life....More RED...More the GREEN more of WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!!

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  7. I think "Bev",might need a little education! send over to me Down the Lane and I will speak to her of the many many ways we simply adore rosy reds!

    I want to send you some buttons from Blighty...........Why is it called Spotlight? Random, I think it should be "Lurking in the Shadows" Ho hum!

    Sarah x

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  8. Just discovered your blog. I enjoyed this post and was going to say the same thing as Sue... as IF Spotlight are the fashion leaders... ha ha. But I would think that red is always a classic and should be in abundance. It would suck having a store that just gets sent whatever stock the superior powers decide. No wonder they're not excited.

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  9. Ah yes... the good old "there's no demand for it." "Then how come every time you get any in, it sells straight away?" ..."

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  10. Ah Spotlight... soooo frustrating!
    ps - I love red. Red shoes, red cardigans, red bags, red earings, red anything really!

    If red = dag by Spotlight standards then maybe they need to check there logo... red anyone?

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  11. isn't Spotlight signage red?
    Yes very naff

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