A Little Online Shopping!

I know I don't usually post fashion stuff on here, but I just had to share the great service I have experienced this week (and the cute stuff I got for cheap!). You should know first that I don't buy clothing a lot as I prefer to stock up when I get a chance to go to the outlet malls (and because I prefer having less clothing that is better quality aka- pricy!). I also have never ordered clothes online so this was a new experience for me.

I got my end of year bonus from work a couple of weeks ago and I knew I wanted to spend some of that money on some new spring clothes (like work dresses!). So I set aside a budget for it, but I didn't actually buy any clothing.

Oh wait- I DID buy new boots from Hush Puppies on sale for about $175 in Boxing Week sales!

Love them! Needed a new pair really badly and these hopefully will last me a few seasons so it was worth the investment!

Back to clothes. I was sitting at work last Monday and I got an email for 30% off at the Gap. Even off sale items. Hmm...had to check out! Then before I knew it, these three items were charged to my credit card and being sent to me! Ahh!

Regular Price $65, I got for $35

Regular Price $70, I got for $35

Regular Price $80, I paid $21.70

The site did have free shipping and easy returns but I was still concerned that I was creating an extra hassle for myself by ordering clothes online vs. trying on in the store.

I thought that was it. A little $100 shopping spree. But then on Tuesday (the next day) I got an email saying Banana Republic was having a sale of 40% off of sale items! Soooo....I busted out the credit card again!

Regular Price $240, I paid $108

Regular Price $74, I paid $30

Regular Price $95, I paid $36

Regular Price $85, I paid $42

Regular Price $175, I paid $66

I had to show the back too!!

The crazy thing with the Banana Republic order is that I accidentally hit order without entering the code to get 40% off!!! I immediately called their customer service line and they fixed it in an instant. So thankfully I ended up spending $318 on this little "spree" vs. the $530 I would have been charged without the 40%!! Yikes.

I had picked free shipping, which means I was waiting 7-9 business days. This was the downside to ordering online I guess- EXCEPT I DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT! My Gap order arrived in two days (ordered Monday, came on Wednesday) and my Banana Republic one came in three (ordered Tuesday, came on Friday). I was shocked. Turns out one of their warehouses is in Bolton, Ontario so they were able to ship sooo fast.

Then I got to try them all on in the comfort of my home! I ended up returning the pink wrap dress from the Gap (looked like a bathrobe on me!), the trench coat from Banana Republic (too big in the arms and shoulders), and the gingham shirt from BR (I was drowning in it/didn't like it). Here was the amazing part- If you buy items for extra sale from the sale section of the stores, it is final sale and you cannot exchange or return. If you buy these items online you can return or exchange! And returns are so easy. they give you a prepaid label in your box that you can slap back on the box and mail the items back for a refund. Or you can just bring it to the store (I did this). In the store you only needed the item, the bag it came in, and the receipt. You don't need to bring your credit card because they have it on system!

I hemmed and hawed on the last pink dress (it's much more red in person, but that wasn't the reason). I wasn't sure if a smaller size would fit better and they didn't have it in store. I called the exchange number on my receipt and Banana Republic sent me the smaller size with free shipping (my item would have qualified for free shipping anyway but she said all exchanges were free shipping as an FYI). I called at 7:30pm on Tuesday this week and I came home on Wednesday and my smaller dress was already waiting for me at home!! Insanely fast! The smaller size was 100% better so now I just need to return the larger one.

Anyway, this was a really long post about new clothes, but I just wanted to say I was super impressed with my experience ordering from the Gap and Banana Republic. The people on their customer service line were so helpful and accommodating and I found the whole process so painless! Plus I didn't have to go out in the cold and deal with rude people at the mall (it is a serious problem at the Eaton Centre). Next time I might even order two different sizes if I am unsure and then just return the other one :)

Oh and nothing beats buying $500 worth of clothing for $200!

Have you ever ordered clothes online? And horror stories?

Note: this post was not sponsored by Gap or Banana Republic. I was just that impressed with their service and I wanted to share!