The Returns Department...

Welcome to my semi-regular feature here on this blog called The Returns Department. As I feared, the Falchi bag that was an "impulse" buy several days ago has ended up being returned to my local Target store. While I loved the vibrant lining, the oh-so-handy inner key holder, and the fact that this bag was light-as-a-feather (and therefore easy on my shoulder) the PVC material just screamed "cheap" to me. Especially when I have at least 3-4 other black bags already sitting in my closet.

It did inspire me to do a little research, however, and I found that both the full-priced Carlos Falchi line and his moderate line (called "Chi") have the features above that I love. To that end: if I find that I really do want a Falchi, I'll be saving up for the REAL thing.

Pick of the Week

It's Pick of the Week time: each week I pick one great buy from Target's Weekly Ad (in the Sunday newspaper) and highlight it here on my blog. This week, I couldn't resist picking these classic plush Elmo and Cookie Monster toys (shown) seeing that it's the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. I grew up on the show, as did our boys, and the Sesame Street characters give me nothing but warm, fuzzy, nostaligic feelings. This week, Sesame Street plush toys are on sale for just $14.99 each (stores only) along with other selected Sesame Street merchandise.

Target joins the DVD price-wars

Last week I reported that Target had entered the fray of the book price-wars with Walmart and Amazon.com. Now they're jumping on the DVD bandwagon. Target.com announced today they're offering pre-orders of this season’s most anticipated DVDs for $10, matching Walmart.com's recent price cuts. In addition, the discounted pre-order DVDs will qualify for free site-to-home shipping.

The $10 price applies to pre-orders on Target.com of these 10 select titles:

“Star Trek XI”
“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“Angels & Demons”
“Four Christmases”
“G-Force”
“My Sister’s Keeper”
“Santa Buddies”
“Terminator Salvation”
“Julie & Julia”

Watered-down Wanders...

Apparantly, I'm not the only one disappointed by Marcel Wanders new collection for Target. Right on the heels of my post the other day, Fast Company published an article echoing the same sentiments. To quote: "Wanders played it safe. Too safe. Safer-than-Pottery Barn safe."

The article also has pictures of - as well as a direct link to - Wanders look-book for the proposed Target collection. Alas, his most fun and fanciful creations seem to have never made it past the concepting stage. Like this adorable origami deer (shown) that could have taken shape as a Christmas card, placecard holder, or even a tree-topper. What a shame that Target watered down Wanders!

Wednesday's Rave: this Converse scarf

I'm allergic to wool (cashmere, too!) so I'm forever on the hunt for plush, cozy scarfs that are made of anything but wooly fibers. And this scarf by Converse One Star fits the bill: it's made of super-soft acrylic that's warm yet lightweight on my neck. Plus, the bright pink adds a punch to my wardrobe, and the ombre shading (fading to black at each end) coordinates perfectly with all my dark neutrals. I bought this pink one the other day after already nabbing the electric blue one several weeks ago. I only wish it came in more colors!

Marcel misses the mark...

A few weeks ago I blogged about the upcoming Marcel Wanders for Target houseware collection, and yesterday I saw an endcap in store featuring his merchandise. And all I can say is one big "meh....". Like the Falchi bags, Marcel's collection misses the mark and fails to impress. And in fact, for an artist who is supposedly so inventive and witty, I was really surprised at how boring and pedestrian his collection for Target turned out to be. Target only has a partial selection of his wares up on their website, but believe me, the only halfway interesting item is this set of dinner-bell placecard holders (which I could swear I saw in-store offered individually for $3 each vs. as a set of 4).

Pick of the Week

It's Pick of the Week time: each week I pick one great buy from Target's Weekly Ad (in the Sunday newspaper) and highlight it here on my blog. Today's pick is all about shoes, because this week Target has a wide array of flats (shown), heels and wedges on sale for just $20. The selection includes styles by Merona and Mossimo, many in real suede and leather. I'm going to try on this Mossimo Valma pump when I'm at Target later today.

PS: a little warning about Target's pricing policies... online, they always state that "Prices, promotions, styles and availability may vary by store and online." The Valma pump mentioned above is part of the online Weekly Ad and is supposed to be on sale, but if you do a search on "Mossimo Valma" it shows up at the regular price ($29.99) and stays that price if you put it in your shopping cart. I'm not sure why this is; perhaps there's a glitch in Target's web site. But it does pay to double-check prices once you get to the checkout phase.