Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

Once again I am forced to take my daughter shopping. This time it was for her BFF Aidan and her Dad. Both have birthdays this month. I knew Macy’s was having a home sale, so I wanted to go there. My fashion princess wanted to get her friend some baubles at Forever 21… so it was off to the Glendale Galleria.

Of course we got there before the stores opened and had to waste 20 minutes eating at Cinnabon.  I am a cinnamon freak and no where else on earth have I found a sweet roll as sinfully good.

Afterward we wondered through Target, Forever 21, Icing and finally made it into Macy’s where I scored a great buy on a stove top cast iron two sided grill for $24 instead of $59.

We still had not found anything for my daughters BFF, so I reminded Shae of the great totes they sell at the FR Industries Sale.

I love the FR Industries sale. On top of the superb buys in linens… 250 TC sateen 100% cotton sheets at $37 instead of $80, silk décor pillows at $10-$15, silk lined window panels are priced at $13-$85 instead of the retail of $60-$225…. They also had fun gift buys for holiday giving. BBQ sets are here at $7-$15. Regular retail on these are $20-$35. Chef aprons are $10-$13 instead of $25-$45 and wine gift bags are just 50 cents! They also had these picnic backpacks, fully stocked with the accoutrements needed for an elegant picnic at just $9.

My daughter went through the totes section and came away with two “Wizard of Oz” themed totes at $10 each. I grabbed two $15 silk pillows (retail $35-$45). We also found some great deals on better clothing. Barry, Michael’s dad from Dressed Up was there with a rack of tees, tops and wraps at $10 along with some amazing, dresses jackets and caplets. Everything was at wholesale or less. I pinned badly for this amazing caplet made out of mink and rabbit fur. It wholesales at $150. Here it was $150. Retail is $360. It was an Alberto Makali. We just ended up getting one of the $10 wraps as a Christmas gift.

The best part of the sale is that you can custom order window panels out of dozens of choices of fabric at below wholesale. At no other time during the year can you order directly from the manufacturer. The selection has limitations as the fabrics are remnants. But they are gorgeous fabrics. Go now! Tell Florence BargainsLA sent ya!

FR Industries, 11840 Vose St., North Hollywood,  91605. 818.503.9143.
Cash/ CC only

Okay I admit it, I have a daughter who loves fashion but impossible to buy for. Too persnickety. She’ll take items out of my closet but won’t let me buy stuff for her. So my BFF, Auntie Liz took her shopping without me. Full retail bliss shopping a store I abhor…. Limited Too!

Overpriced with amazingly rude and stupid sales people, I stopped going in to Limited Too years ago. My daughter never got over it. I do buy her amazing things from sample and warehouse sales that are higher in quality and at much less than what Limited Too charges. She just wanted to be let loose to shop without me. So I let her loose to shop with my BFF at a store I abhor and left.

Okay I get it. It’s more fun with some one else than mom.

Keeping a stiff upper lip, I wonder off into Bloomingdales to cruise around. There, before me was my new fav handbag line by Kooba. How fun examining their new lovely Fall bags… when yee gads! Not one of them had the colorful interior suede lining that I so adored about this line. It was a cheaper bland canvas lining instead.

Oh the disappointment! The lowering of quality on such a fabulous line of handbags…UGH! However, the prices didn’t seem lower. I had to wonder if I was the only one to be disappointed.

From there I went into Victoria Secret to try find a fabulous sexy bra. No luck. Then I tried the sale at Ann Taylor. Nothing.

When I finally met back up with my glorious shopping BFF and daughter, my shoulders were slumped from the many disappointments I had just experienced. My daughter happily paraded her fabulous buys in front of me… none of them were a bargain. Oh there goes the budget! I don’t think I’ll let her loose again for awhile.

What I needed was some espresso to lift me out of the doldrums. At $3 it wasn’t a bargain either…. But it did make me feel better.