A $35 Lulu Gift Card Cost Me $34 & 3 Trips to the Mall
Is it a gift? Or an obligation? 3-inches later & we're good to go
Some gifts just keep on giving…grief. While an unexpected gift card is always nice, I prefer they ones that are self-contained. In other words, you can use it, get something and it doesn’t require you to spend more money.
Take a $10 Starbuck’s gift card. That’s always more than the perfect amount. You can for sure get a drink, and either have something extra added to it or get a sweet treat. Or maybe use it toward a second drink and share. No matter, you feel the gift.
But a $35 Lululemon gift card? It’s a gift. But it also becomes an obligation — to spend more money. You’re not “mad” about receiving it, but you also don’t want to “waste it,” like on a pair of workout socks. Which is pretty much all you can get with $35.
“I don’t want to waste this on a pair of workout socks”
I used to be a big Lululemon shopper, when there weren’t other options, and we didn’t know the founder was such a jerk. But that was a number of years ago. I was going to a gym where everyone looked fabulous, and I felt I had to “keep up.” They also stopped making the version of the Wunder Unders that I love, which had a bit of thicker material. They held you in nicely without suffocating you and you didn’t feel naked.
I’ve also become allergic to paying $100 for a pair of pants to sweat in. I’ve branched out to less expensive options, among them Old Navy and Athleta. Same parent company but wildly different products and price points. Old Navy was a brand the company developed whereas Athleta was an already-existing company they acquired.
All to say, I don’t pay attention to Lulu any longer. I’m more accustomed to seeing other brands, like Alo and Vuori. In fact, the last time I was in a store was last year in Canada, which is where the company is headquartered. I figured maybe I’d find something I instantly fell in love with, or a great bargain.
Typically the US dollar is stronger than the Canadian one, so with the exchange rate, items may be less expensive.
However, often the price charged in Canada is higher — something you’ll notice on tags that are used for merchandise sold in both countries, with both prices listed. You have to compare to confirm and be familiar with prices.
My time spent in-store was basically a revolving door. I went in, witnessed the chaos of people everywhere — men and women — and couldn’t deal. I spun around and left. Immediately.
“So what do you buy with a $35 Lulu gift card?”
The real question isn’t “what do I want” — it’s what do I want that I’m actually willing to pay for. Which required a trip to the mall, because looking online is an unmitigated disaster. This past season, I lost count of how many dozens of pairs of sweat pants I ordered — and returned. Most are high wasted, nestling against my boobs, and the legs are so wide there’s enough room for 2 people in each leg. There is nothing cute about how a pair looks on me. Utterly ridiculous pretty much sums it up.
No. 1 Trip to the Mall
I honed in on pants - comfortable but ideally professional enough that I could wear for work in a crunch or a travel day. Most options were super high rise and very wide legged. I tried on a few options and crossed my toes as I settled on the Softstreme Pintuck Mid-Rise Pant. They’re on sale, which is great, but also means they’re final sale. In-store they only had the small, which was too tight, and it was ivory, which I was bound to ruin with my first coffee of the day. I knew I needed a medium and wanted a darker pair. Luckily the black pair where available online, but only in the extra long ones with a 31-inch inseam, which would swim around my ankles. Pants ordered, even though they’re still a bit of a risk, I went home to wait.
No. 2 Trip to the Mall
The pants arrived in about 5 days. Not horrible but not great. Luckily the fit and cut worked. But I still had to go back to the mall to get them hemmed. One benefit of Lulu is they offer free shortening of items, even if they’re on sale. When you’re pushing 5’ 3” it’s a plus. They also used to cut their tanks like tunics, so it was a benefit I often took advantage of.
So back to the mall to have them shortened. Taking off 3-inches so the pants rest nicely. Their process has evolved in a nice way, and you get an electronic confirmation you dropped off an alteration. All which I like.
No. 3 Trip to the Mall
But now? I wait. So I can go back to mall for trip No. 3. For the $35 Lulu gift card that keeps on giving.
What Gift Cards did you love or hate? Share your thoughts in the comments so we can all gift wisely.