Suckered by an ELF?

OK...seems like I'm establishing a theme of being suckered. You know how the saying goes..."Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Well...maybe I'm Bobo the Fool...or maybe there are too many scams to keep track of.

So one of my fashionista girlfriends sent me an email about e.l.f. cosmetics. Apparently they are some line of make-up that Nordstrom carries and is now in the process of discontinuing. In an effort to liquidate their inventory, they are selling mostly all of the cosmetics with the "e.l.f." logo on it for $1. So...because of my hoarding tendencies and frugal traits, this was just too good to pass up. I jumped on it. 10 eyeshadow quads, $1 each...add to cart...7 nail polishes, $7...add to cart...20 lip balms, who can't use lip balm???...add to cart...bronzer...add to cart...on and on and on until I ran up a $50 tab. Input pertinent billing and shipping information....submit order. Breathe sigh of accomplishment and fulfillment. And wait.

NOT EVEN FIVE MINUTES after I clicked the submit button did my other girlfriend who I shared this information with send me an email about a notification alert she discovered on Nordstrom's website claiming that they are not affiliated with e.l.f. cosmetics and that emails are being fraudulently sent out (and you know how we get real nervous when we see that word "fraud") on Nordstrom's behalf.

CRAP!!!!

NOW WHAT???

I quickly hit up Nordstrom's website....I don't see the alert...I ask my girlfriend where she found it...she told me...I still don't see it...maybe I'm just in such a fluster that I'm overlooking it. OK...plan B...email my girlfriend that sent the email...she writes back immediately. She received her products, and she likes them. OK...now I'm calming down. She says that this company was on Oprah and in magazines and is legit. Breathe, breathe, breathe...now the flashes of my bank card being declined because some fool used my information to buy 20 tanks of gas are gone.

Bottom line...even if the company is not affiliated with Nordstrom...I'm now comfortable with the situation. Maybe I'll at least get a few good things that I like, and maybe the makeup will actually be a decent quality. The initial warning had me thinking I was going to have to cancel cards, get a credit report, and go through a whole bunch of mess to make sure my credit wasn't being shot to h*ll.

So now I'm back to waiting for my stuff. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Suckered at Build-A-Bear Workshop

Being an aunt, there are certain duties that are implicit and expected of me. My house is supposed to be the fun house (but since niecey's mommy is actually my BABY sis...she's probably a little more fun than I am); visiting auntie means McDonald's and ice cream; and if we go to the mall, niecey is entitled to come out with a toy.

It was a beautiful May Friday, I had the day off, and I had a coupon to one of my favorite stores. It was the perfect time to head to the mall and see what damage I could do. We jumped in the truck, and off to the mall we went. In one store, out the other. Up one escalator and down another. We replenished our energy at Chic Fil-A, and then went in a few more stores, all along being begged, reminded, asked, and begged some more about the toy I promised if niecey stayed on good behavior. Though "good behavior" is a little of a stretch for how my niece actually acted in the mall, I had to remember she is only five and it's hard being five years old in the mall for two and three hours, all the while minding your p's and q's. So, when I couldn't buy another thing, it was time to fulfill my promise.

We head over to the mall directory and look for children's stores. Children's Place...Gap Kids...Gymboree...Talbot's Kids...Hanna Andersson (whatever the heck that is)...and Build-a-Bear Workshop. Wait...did I overlook the toy stores? Children's Place...Gap Kids...Gymboree...Talbot's Kids...Hanna Andersson...Build-a-Bear Workshop. Are you kidding me??? That's the ONLY TOY STORE in this piece??? As much as I vowed never to get trapped in Build-a-Bear Workshop's shenannigans...here I was with no other alternative. My niece , with her cute self, had those sweet little doe eyes...staring at me...DYING for her toy which she felt she rightfully earned...what on earth was I to do? I dragged her through 20 stores, luring her with the promise of a toy...and there was no other stinkin' toy store in the dang blasted mall aside from the highway robbery known as Build-a-Bear Workshop! So, with no other choice ...off to Build-a-Bear Workshop we went.

Though I paid MUCH MORE than I've EVER paid for a stuffed animal in my life, it actually wasn't THAT bad. I thought I'd spend close to $100 but managed to come out a little shy of $40. The bears, dogs, and dolls themselves were not too bad (about $14 to $22)...where they get you is with the sound chip, beating heart, dog collar, dog dish, brush, tank top, tube top, skirt, ball gown, baseball jersey, football jersey, tennis shoes, mary janes, sparkled pumps, hat, bikini, underwear, overnight bag, tiara, and all that other crap you can add on. I gave niecey a one-outfit, one-accessory limit, and I was able to walk out without losing too much of my going out money.

Even though I will never put myself in that predicament again, the excitement that my niece had once she picked, stuffed, fluffed, groomed, named, and officially adopted Princess was well worth the money. She spent the whole night brushing, hugging, dressing and undressing that puppy. If it makes her happy (and if I made significantly more money) I'd buy her 10 more.

Aaahhh, the joys of being an auntie. I love my sweet sweet niece, she lights up my life...but next time I will be sure to shop a little closer to a dollar store...or at least a Target. No matter how much I love my baby girl...one thing must remain clear...auntie aint rich!