My Second Trip to Lane Bryant This Year

It was well over a week ago (last Friday), so I wasn't sure about blogging about it now, but I got so busy over the last week that finding time to blog has been hard.  Time to catch up.

At the beginning of May, the blog Bella Styles held a contest on Facebook and Twitter to win gift cards from Dots, Sonsi, Just My Size, and Lane Bryant.  I decided to enter. You could enter for more than one, but I only entered for Lane Bryant, and you could one win one gift card.  It's always fun to enter such things, but the chances of winning are always one in however many.  However, only a small number of people had entered, so this wasn't a very competitve contest.  When I checked the winners results on May 31, imagine my surprise when I saw that I was winner of the LB gift card for $100.    I received it in the mail the second Monday in  June and  and used it 11 days later.

As I had back in January, I took advantage of Lane Bryant's semi-annual bra sale, "buy 2, get 2 free."  I only get initimates from this store, since I'm not really a plus-size, except in the chest (TMI???)  I won't get into much more detail :-)  But I had a hard time deciding and was in the store for about two hours, as was the case last time.  This time I also bought some sleepwear, also on sale.  I saved over $100 on over $200 of merchandise, and since I had the gift card, I only had to pay a little over nine dollars more.  I loved this sale!  It may be a while before I need more, but I'll be back for underwear at Lane Bryant.  The gift card came at a perfect time!

And while I'm on the subject of Lane Bryant, some of you who shop there or at one of its sister stores Fashion Bug and Catherines, you may have heard the company owning these stores has been sold to the company that owns Dress Barn.  The company will be closing the Fashion Bug stores as a result of the sale.  Lane Bryant and Catherines will remain open, however.  This  news has had many shoppers protesting, especially on Fashion Bug's Facebook page.  A lot of them say that they can't afford the clothes at LB, Catherines or Dress Barn.  I then thought of someone I once worked with.  She worked for the Fashion Bug in Gilroy, CA, in the same building strip where I work.   It closed about a year or so ago. The girl I know who worked there said it had too much competition from Old Navy two doors down and from Walmart a block away.  Yeah, those stores are obviously cheaper.   I only went into the Gilroy, CA Fashion Bug once or twice when it was still around.  I never bought anything, not even the bras, which are about the same sizes that Lane Bryant carries.  Didn't think of that then.   I did see this girl I know working at Fashion Bug at the time.  She has since gotten another clothing retail job, but I shudder to think that she would be needing to look for one soon if the Gilroy Fashion Bug had stayed open until now.  It's too bad this chain had to close entirely.

Not sure if I can afford to shop at Dress Barn, a I have only been to one sore, at the outlet center in Gilroy.  Not sure of the prices, as I just passed thru the store, barely glancing at anything.   I'm guessing  the gift cards for Lane Bryant will now be used at Dress Barn as well since they are now owned by the same company. We'll see.