Expense Report #9

When I mentioned yesterday that we were out on the Pike, it's because we were on our way to the mall in Natick to do some shopping. This trip was actually instigated by the Mrs., who said she wanted to find some lighter-weight pants for summer workwear. (She can't wear shorts, and she isn't much of a skirt person.) She doesn't enjoy shopping much because it's difficult to find clothing that fits her well, so she tends to shop for work clothing only when she needs it.

As it turned out, she came away with only one pair of pants--technically capris, but she's so short that they land right at her ankles. But she also got six basic, patterned short-sleeve tops for $10 each, a Macy's house brand. We'll need to visit another couple of stores to see if she can find decent pants.

I ended up at JCPenney again, and this time I found the polo shirts I wanted last time but couldn't get because they were out of my size. I bought three, for $10 apiece. They are decent shirts for so little money, made of fabric that's substantial enough to wear well for at least a couple of seasons, but light enough to be comfortable when the temperature rises.

The cut is neither too baggy nor too snug (for me, anyway--I wear a 44 suit jacket, and the large fits me just right). Their fit is comparable to Lands' End polos, which normally sell for $20 (and are currently on sale for $12, through today only), though I would have to give the edge to the LE shirts for softness of fabric. (LE also offers their shirts in a "tailored-fit" option, for those of you with slimmer frames.)

One nice thing about the store-brand shirts at Penney is that they come in more than three dozen colors; I ended up getting ivory (to replace an old and much too large shirt, it's a difficult color to find, but works well with plaid shorts and looks better with my skin tone than white), turquoise, and a deep fuchsia that's going to look better on me than a more typical hot pink. But as I learned, selection seems to vary considerably by store, and after being in both nearby (to me) locations, Northshore Mall in Peabody and Natick Mall, recently, I have to say that the men's department in the Natick store is much better. There's a lot more space overall, so they can offer a wider selection and deeper stock.

You can make fun of me for shopping at a middle of the road store like Penney, but it's a good place to save money on basics, and the quality is much better than you might expect. Don't get me wrong, there are still clothes you would want to avoid, like elastic-waist shorts and non-iron dress shirts in a very unpleasant-feeling 60/40 blend, but there's plenty of useful, wearable stuff too, and as I've said before, I want to help you spend your money wisely. You can easily spend $50 or even $80 on a single polo shirt (especially if you favor the kind with a logo), but what's the point?