On becoming a villager once again
One of my most unpopular opinions is that online advertising is good. I understand some sites go a little overboard with making it obtrusive, and totally get that some people feel weirded out when it's targeted just a little too well. But for me, that's great. Seeing ads for things I actually like or could use? Spokesmodels that are attractive older men instead of young women? All good things.
And of course there's the fact that websites are business ventures and unless you're paying for it, they need to make money somehow. As an aside, I do think it'd be cool if every website offered a paid, ad-free version. I pay for tumblr, not because I hated the weird ads they manage to get, but because I want them to make even more money and be around forever. Apologies to this blog and every other website, but if I could only have one, it'd be tumblr.
My new water fitness instruction adventure has me looking around for various items online, and as is often the case, the ads that follow the searches are full of very cool stuff. I only had one pair of shorts that I thought were good for teaching, the green Old Navy ones in my recent photos. I hoped to find some equally interesting ones on their website, but their current aesthetic is extremely bland and I only ended up with one pair, along with my every-year-or-so purchase of two pairs of cargo shorts, one camo and one solid.
My online advertising experience of course became flooded with tons of cool shorts. Amazing patterns, fabrics, and features, stuff that would look so flashy and cool on deck. But one thing remains true: anyone spending lots of money on ads is selling a product I'm unlikely to buy due to price. Every single pair of shorts I click on is around $60, which is about what I'll typically spend on 3-4 pairs new at Old Navy. And as a loyal customer of theirs since the '90s, I know the proper size to order. Plus returns for online orders are easy since they have a store here.
And now they're even easier! After years of only wearing speedos and jammers I saw a pair of trunks I thought might be cute and added those to my recent order. They looked even worse than I imagined they ever could, and when I started the return process I saw the option to drop it off at Staples, which is right here in the neighborhood as opposed to across town at the mall. The best part was that they gave me a 15% off coupon to use at Staples that day, so I bought a gigantic package of paper towels.
I can acknowledge that I should still keep my eyes peeled for cute swim trunks. It's water fitness, after all. I wouldn't wear them in the water, but if they look good on deck, they're a candidate.
There aren't even a lot of other in-person options, either. Gone are the days when one might hit the mall and try clothes on at five or more different stores. In fact, our mall is undergoing a huge transformation from the outside in and currently the in part is mostly empty. I just scrolled a few pages of the Big 5 website (where I buy shoes locally) and the search for shorts was a few boring pairs scattered among tons of results for underwear and tights.
Exasperated, I finally decided to hit the thrift store. They used to be one of my favorite places to go, but I finally reached the point where I just didn't need much of anything from them. My t-shirt collection is vast. We have plenty of stuff. I have to be selective about buying art because I have a ton that's not even hanging. But shorts and trunks that are already broken in and soft, at a huge discount? I'm ready. And I may as well browse the rest of the store just a little bit while I'm at it.
I mainly stick with Value Village. It's always been the biggest and best thrift store in my opinion. There are tons (tons!) of little ones around town, plus we have two Goodwills. There's a small one downtown nearby, and a big one across town. And I'll go to them once in a while, especially when looking for party favors, prizes, and supplies. But just like with tumblr, if I could have only one, it'd be Value Village. I scored two great pairs of shorts for $5 each and there were a couple that I liked for $20, but I figured why bother? Especially since I don't like to try anything on in a thrift store. If I buy something for $5 and don't like the way it fits, I can just donate it again. $20 is a price point where I want something brand new unless it's so cool that I can't pass it up.
Tank tops are another item I'll be looking for. I have quite a few, but they're not all appropriate for class and I also want to make sure I coordinate well. I ordered a couple of new tank tops yesterday, but those were $21 each rather than the typical $50-ish I see when I check out a lot of shirts and shorts I like in ads. Thank you, TeePublic, for always being reasonably priced. Hoodie Lab, your library of designs is absolutely incredible and the prices are decent, but why is everything so long? Your shorts should be called longs and your tank tops could be dresses.
And of course there's the fact that websites are business ventures and unless you're paying for it, they need to make money somehow. As an aside, I do think it'd be cool if every website offered a paid, ad-free version. I pay for tumblr, not because I hated the weird ads they manage to get, but because I want them to make even more money and be around forever. Apologies to this blog and every other website, but if I could only have one, it'd be tumblr.
My new water fitness instruction adventure has me looking around for various items online, and as is often the case, the ads that follow the searches are full of very cool stuff. I only had one pair of shorts that I thought were good for teaching, the green Old Navy ones in my recent photos. I hoped to find some equally interesting ones on their website, but their current aesthetic is extremely bland and I only ended up with one pair, along with my every-year-or-so purchase of two pairs of cargo shorts, one camo and one solid.
My online advertising experience of course became flooded with tons of cool shorts. Amazing patterns, fabrics, and features, stuff that would look so flashy and cool on deck. But one thing remains true: anyone spending lots of money on ads is selling a product I'm unlikely to buy due to price. Every single pair of shorts I click on is around $60, which is about what I'll typically spend on 3-4 pairs new at Old Navy. And as a loyal customer of theirs since the '90s, I know the proper size to order. Plus returns for online orders are easy since they have a store here.
And now they're even easier! After years of only wearing speedos and jammers I saw a pair of trunks I thought might be cute and added those to my recent order. They looked even worse than I imagined they ever could, and when I started the return process I saw the option to drop it off at Staples, which is right here in the neighborhood as opposed to across town at the mall. The best part was that they gave me a 15% off coupon to use at Staples that day, so I bought a gigantic package of paper towels.
I can acknowledge that I should still keep my eyes peeled for cute swim trunks. It's water fitness, after all. I wouldn't wear them in the water, but if they look good on deck, they're a candidate.
There aren't even a lot of other in-person options, either. Gone are the days when one might hit the mall and try clothes on at five or more different stores. In fact, our mall is undergoing a huge transformation from the outside in and currently the in part is mostly empty. I just scrolled a few pages of the Big 5 website (where I buy shoes locally) and the search for shorts was a few boring pairs scattered among tons of results for underwear and tights.
Exasperated, I finally decided to hit the thrift store. They used to be one of my favorite places to go, but I finally reached the point where I just didn't need much of anything from them. My t-shirt collection is vast. We have plenty of stuff. I have to be selective about buying art because I have a ton that's not even hanging. But shorts and trunks that are already broken in and soft, at a huge discount? I'm ready. And I may as well browse the rest of the store just a little bit while I'm at it.
I mainly stick with Value Village. It's always been the biggest and best thrift store in my opinion. There are tons (tons!) of little ones around town, plus we have two Goodwills. There's a small one downtown nearby, and a big one across town. And I'll go to them once in a while, especially when looking for party favors, prizes, and supplies. But just like with tumblr, if I could have only one, it'd be Value Village. I scored two great pairs of shorts for $5 each and there were a couple that I liked for $20, but I figured why bother? Especially since I don't like to try anything on in a thrift store. If I buy something for $5 and don't like the way it fits, I can just donate it again. $20 is a price point where I want something brand new unless it's so cool that I can't pass it up.
Tank tops are another item I'll be looking for. I have quite a few, but they're not all appropriate for class and I also want to make sure I coordinate well. I ordered a couple of new tank tops yesterday, but those were $21 each rather than the typical $50-ish I see when I check out a lot of shirts and shorts I like in ads. Thank you, TeePublic, for always being reasonably priced. Hoodie Lab, your library of designs is absolutely incredible and the prices are decent, but why is everything so long? Your shorts should be called longs and your tank tops could be dresses.