The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Shopping at Frenchys
Musings—Apr 12, 2010
You have to accept the good, the bad, and the ugly of shopping at Frenchys. Frenchys is like an institution here in Nova Scotia. In case you’ve never heard of Frenchys—it’s officially named “Guy’s Frenchys” but everyone just calls it Frenchys—it’s a chain of used clothing stores scattered throughout Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It’s like Filene’s Basement in downtown Boston. (I’ve not been there, but friends have been). As soon as you go through the door at Frenchys grab one of the large plastic baskets (they often are like the laundry baskets you buy for your laundry room), and then make your way to the large bins of clothing (sorted into categories, like “women’s blouses”, “women’s pants”, “men’s sweatshirts”, etc.). Fill up your basket, try the stuff on, put the stuff that you don’t want back into the appropriate bins, make your way through the crowds of other shoppers to the cash register, pay, and once you get home with your newly acquired items, call your friends to brag about the great deals you found.
At Frenchys you can find the most amazing clothing items along with lots of other things too… and oh the books! Don’t get me started on the great books I find there. When they have a 12 step program for biblioholics, I might have to go.
“The good” thing about Frenchys shopping is the great prices for everything – name brands, good quality, knock-offs, poor quality—its all there. And it doesn’t matter if the item is expensive or cheap in regular retail stores, the price is all the same at Frenchys—a name-brand shirt will be the exact same price as a cheap, poorly made brand.
The other day I was looking around the Frenchys in Bridgewater (NS) and I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation between 3 women who were standing on the other side of the long bin I was “shopping” through. The conversation went something like this…
Woman #1 says “They have so much good stuff today… look at my basket… it’s practically overflowing”
Woman #2 says “yeah, I have lots of stuff too. I hope it all fits. My closets are so full already, but I can’t pass up this great stuff at these prices.”
Woman #3 laughs. She knows just what Woman #1 and what Woman #2 are experiencing.
Woman #2 says with a chuckle “I guess I’ll have to clear out some of the closets soon.” (we all know she won’t!)
After some pleasantries about the great weather we’ve been having, all three women disperse to the other bins to begin the hungry search for more great items at the great prices.
“The bad” thing about Frenchys? The stuff is so cheap, and often so good, that even if you don’t need any more clothing or other stuff, you seek out and buy more anyways. Lots more.
And then there is “the ugly” part about shopping at Frenchys. In my business, Space to Thrive, (a great job I created that combines my social worker and professional organizer roles), I see the downside of having too much “stuff”….the overflowing and jammed full closets, the frustrations and stress of not being able to find something you know you have, but can’t find. The money wasted engaging in shopping therapy and rampant consumer spending as people try to buy happiness, joy and love. The lost energy, time and opportunities because of the strangle hold that clutter has on many of us.
I think the key to preventing “the bad, and the ugly” parts of Frenchys shopping from getting a grip on your common sense , wallet and your life, is to find the right balance. Some pointers to help you find that balance are:
- buy what you need, not just what you want (there is a difference between need and want!)
- don’t buy something unless it fits you right now (not when you lose those 10 pounds)
- don’t buy something if you have no idea when or where you would ever wear it
- go through your closets seasonally and decide what new items you need, let go of the items you don’t like, don’t wear, can’t wear or are damaged/stained/too tattered
- make a list of the items you’ll look for when you are at Frenchys (and keep that list in your wallet as a reminder and as a way to help you focus—It works! I’m doing that when I go there looking for things to take on my trip to France)
- limit your excursions to Frenchys. Do you really need to go there every day, or several times a week? (yes, many people do that!)
It’s all up to you how you’ll tame the good, the bad, and the ugly of shopping at Frenchys.
