Feeling Poor (Draft #4)

Wearing a second-hand outfit to the Scottsdale Fashion Square

My Friday (January 20th) was going along pretty normal, until a text from my mother-in-law lit up my phone:

You all gonna be home tomorrow?

❤ Just a side-note: this kind of text from my mother-in-law (MIL) is very welcome. I know we’ve al heard the horror stories of “monsters-in-law”, but with her I feel as though I truly won the lottery! She’s a really awesome person. 😁

I answered with yes, we were going to be home tomorrow. She responded with:

We’re planning to come down for the day to thrift shop and maybe hit a craft store other than Hobby Lobby.

I was instantly thrilled that A) I would get to see my in-laws, B) we were going thrifting and C) this was a few days before MIL’s birthday, so it could give me a chance to spoil her a bit. 😁❤

Saturday rolled around and the total guest count went from 2 to 4, as my sis-in-law and toddler nephew joined the carpool. Again, this is no problem: Matt’s family (with a few exceptions) are all pretty cool. I made my MIL an early birthday lunch (tortellini with homemade alfredo sauce, salad, rolls and Mocktails) and we sang her Happy Birthday over a store-bought cake.

The ladies (MIL, SIL, myself, & Roxy) got our purses and mapped out a plan: SIL was determined to visit the Scottsdale Goodwill to see what all the wealthy peeps donated to us poor saps.

If you’re unaware, the City of Scottsdale is Arizona’s equivalent to Beverly Hills in California. According to a survey from Patch.com back in 2022, Scottsdale ranked №3 on the Richest Cities List! The lowest price for a home starts at $750,000 and the average price is just over $875,000!

The guys (Matt, my father-in-law and Ben) decided to stay home for a nice Saturday just chilling out. We decided to take my high-energy nephew, so the guys wouldn’t have to be running around after him.

From where I live in Mesa, the Scottsdale Goodwill is only a 25 minute drive. We took 2 cars and headed out.

First impression of this Goodwill: Meh, I’ve seen bigger. The parking lot was pretty small and there was a line to get a spot! I ended up having to honk several times at an SUV that tried to back up into a space and almost hit me! I couldn’t back up because there were already two cars behind me. I was able to snag a spot a few spaces down and even resist the urge to flip off the driver that almost backed up into me.

The Goodwill was nice and clean, with very little clutter on the floor, so that was a plus. I found several nice pieces of clothes that included Michael Kors, Free People and Torrid, but I passed them because not one piece was in my size (either too big or too small). I ended up buying a pair of off-brand linen house shorts (very comfy!) for $6 and Roxy snagged a couple of books and a purse for her Steampunk Cosplay suit for just under $11.

Not a terribly impressive haul, but we were happy and we most certainly didn’t break the bank. 😁

When we all met up in the parking lot, SIL announced she really wanted to visit the Scottsdale Fashion Square, as she hadn’t been there in years since her Victoria’s Secret employee training. She worked there for years and only left when she became a mom.

We synchronized our Google Maps and headed out. Roxy and I pulled out ahead of the other car and started to notice by the landscape changes that we weren’t in “Kansas” anymore. Every other car was a Porsche with a ton of illegal street mods. When Roxy pointed out that she bet they had a lot of tickets, I simply answer: “Rules don’t apply to the wealthy, sweetie.”

Because it was a Saturday afternoon, the mall was understandably packed. I was able to (miraculously) snag a parking spot right in front of Anthropologie. Roxy and I got out to wait, but it was a chilly afternoon and I’d left my sweater at home. I text my MIL and let her know we’d be waiting inside the mall.

I had visited Anthropologie back when I lived in California, at the Dos Lagos location in Corona. While I like the aesthetic, I find their prices way too expensive: $30 for a 7 ounce candle? No thanks. The only thing I’ve ever purchased from their “brand” was a ceramic strawberry basket that I purchased for $15 on eBay: retail price was $45!

Walking through the store to get into the main mall, Roxy spotted several dresses she liked, only to walk away from them once she saw the price. She asked me if people actually pay over $100 for just a “normal” dress and I answered, “The store wouldn't still be in business if people didn’t buy this stuff, right?”

Once we were in the main mall, Roxy confessed that the store was really cool (Anthropologie) but she started to get worried about touching anything because of how expensive it all was!

We started to look around us and things got even more awkward: we were definitely in Rich Man’s Land.💲💲💲

A text from my MIL let us know they were having a difficult time finding parking and would let us know when they were headed inside. Truth be told, Roxy and I wouldn’t have minded leaving right there and then, but I reminded myself that this wasn’t about me.

We started walking around to kill time and our eyes only kept getting wider as we continued:

“Free People”, code for “I want to be a Bohemian without actually being a Bohemian.” According to Wikipedia:

Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.

I doubt that the people sporting this brand and driving around in their Ferrari’s have little in common with “wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds”, but they have no problem wearing the fashion while justifying a $42 price tag on a candle.

Psycho Bunny: love the name, hate that the price point for a t-shirt is $75. Like, really? It’s a white t-shirt with the brand name on it.

Madewell was kind of the proverbial black sheep amongst all the high-end stores, as some (not all) of their clothing is actually affordable. The fashion choices aren’t really my style so I didn’t even walk in.

The Scottsdale Fashion Square is so EXTRA, that it actually sports two GUCCI stores!

Then there is the Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Prada and Michael Kors all one right after the other. Clean, pristine and with one crystal clear message:

Only the wealthy are welcome in.

If you look closely in most of the photos, you’ll notice a man in a dark suit standing either at the entrance or looming somewhere in the store. Those guys are not only theft-control, but are also there to decided whether or not you actually belong there. They look you over and if you’re not up to the store’s standards, the dark-suit will tell (not ask) you to leave.

The Rolex store took it a step further and had an armed guard standing ominously in the back of the store.

I want to be crystal clear about something: I have no problem with wealthy people spending their own money however they want. However, if you purchase anything from Balenciaga and support this company, I have ZERO respect for you. Period. Sexualizing children is NEVER ok and this company should have been shut down right then.

How would I rate my overall experience? I would have to say a 2 out of 5 stars, considering that I wasn’t welcome nor could afford anything in the majority of the shops. This is definitely a place for the wealthy, with a few shops scattered about to “appease the peasants”. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true. My total purchases:

Bath and Body Works: A Palo Santo three-wick candle for almost $30.

Vans: A pair of skull & rose shoes for Roxy, $70.

Wetzel’s Pretzels: Three iced lemonades and two orders of pretzel bites with cheese dipping sauce, $45.

I walked around that mall wearing an almost complete second-hand outfit (Torrid jeans and a cute Torrid top, my old chucks and my thrifted purse), and I stuck out like a sore thumb. My MIL felt the same way. Again, I’m not against the wealthy: If you’ve earned it, you have the right to spend your money however you want. BUT… if the Scottsdale Fashion Square is truly a public shopping center, then why all the guards to keep the “riff-raff” out of Prada and the like?

I doubt that I will ever be visiting that mall again. I don’t really have any reason to.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped me decide what to write about next! As of today’s date (2/4/23), this was the draft that got the most votes.

Tagging: Brett, Vincent, Susan, Shawn and Michele. 😁

The next thing I’m working on will be Confessions of an Undead Minister. 😁 Stay tuned!

Remember to take care of yourself! You are important and you are LOVED!

I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it! Love ~ Dani ❤