The Saga of Back to School Shopping

With every great summer staycation there always comes the inevitable: Back To School Shopping! I think I feel it a little bit more then most, since I'm right in the middle of it at Old Navy. Before school is out for the year, I am planning for it, with hiring and marketing. As soon as the last school bell rings, we are getting in backpacks and uniforms. Before I can get to the beach for the first dip of the season we are hot and heavy with the kids denim sale. And so this is how I get carried away with the whole BTS shopping extravaganza. I see people shopping and buying mass amounts of clothing for their children and I think to myself: "my kids must need clothes too!" Of course they do not. Every time something cute goes on sale I buy it, since its "practically free" with my discount. So you see, my kids do not need clothes. And if they ever do, they get them from Old Navy. I shop on my break and come home with bags of "surprises" for them to dig through. I would never buy clothes from anywhere else. Or so I had always sworn. Last week a family was checking out at my register, with a huge purchase of kids clothes, just like everybody else. I noticed  the little girl's outfit that she was wearing was not from Old Navy but was very cute indeed, so I asked where it was from. "Justice" the mother replied. "Oh, I never shop there. Too expensive," I replied. "Not today," she encouraged, "they're having a great sale. It's practically free." Hmmmm. Practically Free, I thought. Just like with my discount. Could there be some other place to shop and get great deals, other then Old Navy? I'd better check it out on my break. And so I did. At first glance it was a great sale. Everything was 50% off. But a second look at each price tag told a different story. These clothes were higher priced then anything I would ever even buy for myself! I wanted to turn and run out of that over-priced glitter ladden tween store. I should've. But then I saw the clearance racks. I LOVE CLEARANCE! And so I picked out a few cute tops for Jaidyn. She would love all the sparkles, glitter and layers. They were  marked down to slightly more then I would pay at Old Navy. I can just return them. I'm sure I'll return them. Well since I'm returning them, I may as well look at the jeans. She won't wear ON jeans, the waist is too uncomfortable. I found a stretchy, glittery pair with a soft banded elastic waist. They looked like they would fit. All three shirts would go with them as well. Of course that didn't matter, since I was planning on returning them after I bought them.  The jeans were $46.00! So at half price I was still paying $23. Way more then I ever pay for jeans for myself. I felt nauseous as I paid $53.00 to the cashier and walked away from the store with my tiny little bag containing three shirts, the over-priced, over-glitterized jeans and a couple of coupons the cashier had given me, to entice me to come back again and shop their "sale." 

I had almost convinced myself to not show Jaidyn the clothes. Just leave them in my locker and return them the next day. But something about having a cute "first day of school outfit" and knowing she would love the bedazzled clothes urged me to bring the Justice bag into the house, against my own better judgement. Deal done. Everything fit and looked cute as a button on her. She did little runway poses, pairing each different top with the trendy skinny jeans. I put the clothes away and told her we may return them still, but either way, she could not wear them until school started. "But mommy," she complained, "I always tell my friends you buy my clothes at Old Navy. These are my first non-Old Navy clothes! I can't wait to tell my friends that they're from Justice!" Those are the words I have been dreading to hear for years. It's the beginning of "girly problems" and worrying about what other people think of you. It's the start of shopping sprees and matierialism. I just want my daughter to wear budget-friendly, pay-with-cash, still very trendy (and sometimes glittery) clothes. I started something that I don't want to finish. Where's the Justice in that?