Shopping in a small boutique

(oh, the pressure)

This morning, on my way to the editorial office, I popped into a boutique for a moment. I unexpectedly had some time to spare and my son S. needed something nice. A pair of pants or a little sweater. Not too expensive, because you know – almost bankrupt and all that. However, half an hour later I was outside with two extremely nice pairs of jeans from some supersonic top brand at (drumroll): 145 euros each.

NO JOKE IT'S NO JOKE

Now I must say that the pants are truly stunningly beautiful and look hysterically cute, my child is ready for a fashion show, but hey: this issue can indeed be rightly called a remarkable situation. Firstly because it’s ridiculous amounts of money for a toddler's pair of jeans (I’ll spare you the words for convenience), secondly because I had told myself that I shouldn’t spend much. I was actually looking for something affordable and something ‘small’, as I always say so nicely. So hey, what happened? Well, here’s the thing: I’ve thought about it for a moment and it turns out that I regularly panic in a personal boutique. That rhymes, moehaha. But seriously; I sometimes find it so difficult to keep my cool in a small, personal shop and not to get swept away.

They are often such beautiful, charming boutiques: those ultra-cute spots where you are personally welcomed and where the owner presents their very thoughtfully curated or self-designed stock to you with love. Yes, listen, then you’ve got me. Then I find it all beautiful and all wonderful and I inevitably fall in love with something and I am immediately blind to any potentially high price tags. Moreover: at the moment that I ultimately buy nothing in such a shop, it still feels a bit like I’m personally rejecting someone. As if I’m withdrawing my trust in the boutique and the potential design skills of the owner. I actually feel almost obliged to buy something. Moreover, deep in my heart, I’m even afraid at such a moment that I’ll be seen as stupid or weird if I don’t buy anything (??). I know, this sounds quite disturbed, but you’ve gotten used to me by now, haven’t you?

For example, read here about how I like to be the starfish in bed OMG.

Anyways, what now? I can’t exchange the jeans (at least, they don’t give money back), so for now I’ve said: I embrace these two very nice pairs of jeans, hatsekiedee. May we use them for a long time. Hopefully, toddler B. will also benefit from them later and son S. will be spotted by a street style photographer for children (it’s a gap in the market). And furthermore, I’ll have to postpone the purchase of a fabulous intermediate jacket and do my weekly shopping with my hand on the purse. Adjusting to the means, you know. We’re going to try it anyway. The big question, however, is: how the F do I keep my beautiful head cool in a cool, personal shop from now on? How do I ensure that I don’t leave with regret, but just with a good feeling, whether I bought something or not?

‘Just going in to browse for something small, but I’m not sure how small then’

Well, I’ve listened in here at the editorial office. Anyway, I want to mention that I’m fortunately not the only one who finds it difficult to say ‘no’ in a small, personal shop. So you don’t think I’m really crazy. Of course, there are always people, I won’t name names, who have no trouble with it. They say: ‘Thanks, but I’ll keep looking.’ And then they walk out of the shop tomtiedom. But you know? Those are often very impressive power women like Adeline. No, what I’m going to do is the following. I’ve decided that I – this sounds really more logical than it is – need to know my budget very, very well before I go in. For me, it’s an absolute no-go from now on to ‘just go in to browse for something small, but I’m not sure how small then’.

Furthermore, my new trick is that I’m just going to name things from now on. Suppose I’m in a cool shop and I’m about to buy a cashmere sweater that is way too expensive for me at that moment (just an example), then I’ll take a deep breath, put/give/hang the potential purchase back and say: ‘I’ll think about it for a moment. You know, I think this shop is absolutely amazing, everything that’s hanging here is really amazing. And I understand the amount you’re asking for the sweater because it’s pure quality and it’s a beautiful item, you can see that from a hundred meters away. But I have to be honest: my wallet just doesn’t find it that amazing right now. No. So for this time, I’ll leave it and keep looking. Sorry.’

Admittedly: according to the rules of strong communication, this is um, indeed not particularly strong communication, but I have to do something. And furthermore, I especially need to think more often: I’m not obliged to buy something. Because this is just how it works: someone offers something beautiful for sale, does their best to sell it, but hey: nothing is mandatory and no one stops me at the door if I want to go outside. I hope. fuck it First world problems, people, first world problems. It is what it is! If you want to contribute a penny (tips, comments, a sign of recognition, whatever); bring it on, okay?.

This morning, on my way to the editorial office, I popped into a boutique for a moment. I unexpectedly had some time to spare and my son S. needed something nice. A pair of pants or a….