Rejection

For the second time, I tried, and failed, to sell some old clothes to Beacon's Closet. The clothes will now, according to the woman I spoke with, be given to charity. That, or secretly sold all the same by Beacon's Closet, as soon as I'm not in eyeshot... but I'll stop this conspiracy theory before it gets any further. I have no reason to believe the place is anything other than a legitimate consignment shop.

Still, rejection stings. I'd made a deal with myself that if so much as one item was accepted, I'd take the discount, not the cash, and get myself the $9 sunglasses that I've been eying. But $9 would be too much, so without the discount, no sunglasses. So I was disappointed to learn that not one of the things I'd brought--two pairs of shoes and of pants--was worthy of being sold to the hipsters of my borough. My god, can't these people wear my unstylish old clothes ironically?

I was so let down that I asked the woman who delivered the rejection why my castoffs were deemed uncool. This is like asking why you weren't hired for a job, or why someone is dumping you--you probably know the reason, but it seems like something you're supposed to ask, for future reference. And indeed, the problems with the items were precisely the same reasons as I'd had for getting rid of the stuff in the first place. The jeans, a pair of Diesels by way of Filene's, have tacky, albeit intentional, bleach streaks. Apparently that doesn't sell. (Clearly it didn't several years ago in Chicago, either, or else they'd have been in Diesel and not Filene's). The sneakers looked worn-out, and apparently "Puma" isn't sufficiently designer to cancel this out. The non-jean pants... let's just say I'm better off without them. It was a case of me unintentionally buying the low-rise style, then trying to get my money's worth by wearing them time and again with very long shirts. That gets old.

Our only difference of opinion, mine and the rag-vetoer, was over the boots. She thought they wouldn't sell because of a square-ish toe. I thought the narrow, four-plus-inch heels posed more of a problem, but I'm not really up on the toe-shape of this season. Either way, I'm better off without them.