My Lerner Permit
I finally paid off my credit card and have been reluctant to pay a visit since. Yes, I have a NY & Co. credit card (complete with pre-2001 holographic Twin Towers) It was out of late ?90s necessity. I never touched Lerner before moving here, but my standards and expectations were all out of whack. If it?s $9.99 polyester dress shops blasting reggaeton (ok, reggaeton wasn?t around seven years ago) or a mall name I recognize, I?m going with the suburban familiarity.
Lerner, now New York & Company, was the only store walking distance to my first NYC apartment in Ridgewood, Queens where I could buy interview and temp outfits on credit. I don?t think they helped much, despite the supposed internet boom jobs were few and far between.
The trick is not paying full price because it?s not much of a bargain. The main draw is the sale racks. If you have a credit card you?re sent enticing coupons that encourage you to spend over $75, and you?re entitled to discount days, all sorts of crap to draw women in. And does it work. During these sales, the check out line literally goes to the door. Waiting in one makes you feel like part of a scary club.
After moving to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, I was still walking distance to a NY & Co. (though a long walk, at around twenty blocks). My tastes had grown a touch (only a touch, mind you) more sophisticated, but I wasn?t above the occasional cute skirt, sparkly sweater or slinky top. Though I?ve managed to weed over the years, my wardrobe contains a disproportionate amount of NY & Co. fare.
Sometimes I frequent the Bay Ridge location because it?s a block from Century 21 and you can kill two shopping birds with one stone. I?ve had good luck at the 86th Street branch, but the ladies in line were going on about how the Sunset Park one wasn?t in a good neighborhood (you know, not classy like Bay Ridge) but had better selection. Each to their own.
Now that I live in Carroll Gardens, there isn?t in my line of vision, which is a shame. I?m not too good for NY & Co., it?s just inconvenient to pay a visit. But not for long. Just yesterday a 58th and Lexington location opened (they really need to beef up their Manhattan presence) and I have a very good feeling about a new job just four blocks away. And no, I didn?t wear a single NY & Co. item to the interview.
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