The process
for consigning clothes is a bit picayune. First, you have to sign up to
be a consignee, which means paying an annual fee and getting a consignee
card. Then, you have to schedule an appointment to consign clothes.
You meet
with the volunteers who work at the consignment store, and they go through
the clothes with you and determine which they'll take. They won't take
anything with flaws or which looks too worn. They're also really particular
about what they take at different times of the year, as they like to keep
their clothes seasonal.
The volunteers
vary in terms of pickiness. Last week, for example, I ended up with someone
I'd never met before. She was particularly picky about what she would
accept, to the point where she made me use a steamer to get wrinkles out
of some of the items I'd brought. She set me up in another room and showed
me how the steamer worked, warning me not to burn myself! I found myself
wondering if this was really something she was supposed to do, but I decided
not to argue.
She made
comments about the clothes I was bringing in, many of which came from
the juniors department. I went a little nuts when I got down to this size,
and I was buying all sorts of things I wish I'd been able to wear when
I was 23 but which I now realize are too young on me.
"Do
you have a daughter?" she asked me.
"No,"
I said, my face reddening. I told her that I've just gotten engaged and
I thought it was time to grow up a bit. She smiled patronizingly, as if
she couldn't imagine why I'd ever bought such items to begin with.
So I wasn't
particularly happy when she was the volunteer I met with again today.
Right off the bat, before I'd even finished hanging my clothes on hangers,
she was flipping through them and rejecting items. She told me that they're
not taking short-sleeved shirts right now, because it's fall. I don't
know about you, but I like to layer clothing, which often means wearing
a short-sleeved shirt under a jacket or sweater. I do this regardless
of the time of the year. It's just the weight and style of clothes that
vary.
Fortunately,
she was willing to take just about everything else I'd brought. She even
offered to get me signed up to come in again tomorrow if I'd like to bring
some long-sleeved items. I told her I needed some time to go through things
first and decide if it was worth it.
While I
was there today, I saw one of my favorite volunteers. She's the woman
who I spoke to a long time ago about the fact that I'd gone from a size
20 to a size 8-10. Every time I see her, she asks how I'm doing, and I
told her today that I've been maintaining for about a year now. She congratulated
me.
I usually
look at the clothes in the store then to see if there's anything I want
to buy. It's harder than it used to be, because I don't buy anything unless
I really love it. If it's boring or if it isn't as flattering as it could
be, I put it back.
This morning,
a lot of the items I tried on were too big, even though they were supposed
to be my size. There was a pair of pants I almost bought but decided against
because I thought I could do better. I did find a nice, fitted button-down
striped shirt and a really cute tan patterned jacket. Even better, the
shirt is a size 6!
So even
when I'm paired with a more difficult volunteer, there's usually an upside
to my trips to the consignment store.
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