You'll love this story 
Last year for Christmas my DD gave me a purse. I thought it was 'nice' but put it the closet for a 'later time'. I wasn't ready to change purses yet.
Last week the time came. I got it out and started taking out the stuffing and protection wrapping when I realized what I had:
A COACH
I would *NEVER* have realized that if it wasn't for this site and all of you who post your pix of purses LOL.
Time to call her up and tell her you didn't realize it was so nice when you got it!
We are not name brand shoppers at all in our house. We usually reprimanded our kids for wanting name brands. We were in Sam's Club when our oldest was about 12 and they had Gitano winter coats at a great price. Hubby was teasing her and said, "Is Gitano a name brand?" Daughter thought fast and said, "No, dad, no! It's Italian for "generic"!" 
We let her have the coat.
But my sister was telling me about some jeans she got at a yard sale. Her eyes get big with glee when she tells me "and they were blah-blah jeans!" I just stare at her for a few seconds and finally say, "I'm sorry .... is that a big name or something?" It kinda took the bubble out of her story. (Which was fine with me, because her fascination with how great her kids were because they wore nothing but name brands was really irritating!)
Yes, we did used to shop name brands when we could afford them. I'm a firm believer in you pay for what you get. With that said, we NEVER talked about the things we bought or what they cost. I HATE when people ask me how much my purse cost. And I can't stand when people reference the brands they buy in casual conversation. Me,"Those shoes make your foot really slim" Former friend,"Their Gucci and an Italian cut. That's how they look" in a condesending voice. No shit sherlock, would you like to see how many Gucci shoes are in my closet and have you ever been to fricken Italy, cause I have. She had just started dating a guy who could afford to buy her these things and became instant uppity. Like I said, former friend.
Reminds me of the episode of "Absolutely Fabulous" when the daughter buys the mother something appalling from Christian Lacroix. She asks "Is it really Lacroix?", the daughter replies "Do you like it?", and she replies "I like it if it's Lacroix"!! So silly!
No, we're not name brand people. When my kids were little I shopped the clearance rack of the Gap sometimes, and that was about it.
Having said that, name brand or not, it's lovely to have nice things sometimes, and I hope you enjoy your pretty purse Kakeladi!
I am the ultimate anti-brand name shopper. I hate the snobbishness, I could never afford them anyway, and I'm not at all convinced the quality is any better. You pay for all the advertising, not the product quality, for a lot of those names. Coach bags ARE very nice quality, but I still think you pay for the name more than you pay for the leather.
I told my daughter if she wanted designer jeans she could get a job and pay for them. She did that for a while until she realized what a waste of her hard-earned money they were.
Whenever people used to ask me if I bought designer this or that I told them, "Nope, I have a child to put through college. That's a better use of my money right now."
Of course I'm a brand name shopper...I like whatever name is on the tags from Target and Walmart! I sometimes shop at Burlington Coat Factory where they have alot of the big name brands for cheaper. But I'll only buy it if I really like it. The most expensive purse that I have is a Coach that my husband bought me for our anniversary..the others are knock off's...they look like the real thing only they don't have that big price tag.
another story on my obsessed-with-name-brands sister. She wouldn't buy XYZ jeans at the cheap store. She'd only buy them at the expensive store. I burst out laughing and pointed out that the same XYZ delivery truck delivered jeans to each store! And none of her snooty friends had any idea which store they came from.
(She's the same sister who said to me once that it WAS important that she always have a new car because, ".....people SEE me in my car." Then she wants to convince me she's not a material girl! )
I honestly have never been able to understand why you would pay hundreds of dollars for purses and shoes. Even if they are so much better and last longer than a generic "cheap" one, do you really want them to last forever? Won't you want the next new style that comes out? I think most of the designer bags are just too big and gaudy. Give me a simple medium size basic black or brown purse. Like I said, I just don't get it. and think this designer mentality many of us bought into, has gotten this country into the financial trouble it is now in. Sorry if I have offended anyone - just my opinion for what its worth.
manahigh, I'm the same way about cars. To quote Rhoda Morganstern ("Mary Tyler Moore Show"): Some people see a car as transportation. I see it as a big purse on wheels!
To me a car is just a machine to get me from point A to point B. The expensive Cadillac Escalade gets me there in the same amount of time as the used Chevy Lumina. I just don't see the need.
I dont' care what my car looks like as long as it starts in the morning and doesn't die on me when I'm driving.
My husband is SO lucky! 
I take that back. I hate purses, with a passion. If it's bigger than a wallet, I am not gonna be seen with it. I am not a girly girl in the regard of handbags and hi heels. That said, I needed something to hold cell phone, cards, money and keys. Saw the cutest little clutch/wristlet/hobo bag shaped Coach "thing" at a store once. Bought it on the spot cuz it was going to serve a major purpose. Never saw anything like it before, at that size, and that ungirly. I used that thing until it finally fuzzed up too much. It's one of my son's toys now.
I'm name brand on some things and generic on others.
Things like ketchup, cheese, mayo, margerine, ice cream, cake mix, sneakers, soft drinks, makeup (those are off the top of my head).
The name brands of just about everything else, food or otherwise, really doesn't matter to me.
Now DH is pretty bad about having certain name brands in clothes/shoes. I guess that's why we balance so well. 
For certain groceries, I buy only name brand. For everything else...I don't really have an option! Where I live, we have limited options. For women's clothing I can choose from WalMart, Reitmans, or.....yup. That's it. So I guess I'm pretty loyal to those brands!
Thats the thing about certain brands, they don't go out style. And by the way, I like Target clothes. They have very good quality clothing, but Wal-mart clothes lack a lot in quality. Yup, I sure will wear my $20 Target shirt with my $200 jeans...at least when the jeans used to fit!
What a nice gift!
I'm not a brand name shopper. I do have a Coach purse though (even though I don't like purses). My mom bought it for me last year for Christmas. She was in some tiny little town in TN and they had Coach purses for $60. Real Coach purses that even came with the papers to prove it. The shop owner couldn't sell them so she marked them down cheap and my mom was all over it like a vulture. She told my cousin in AL who drove over an hour with her friends and bought the last of them. It really is a lovely purse.....that sits in my closet. I've only used it once.
I only buy stuff when it is worth the price.
For example, Pringles style chip, Pringles' is way better than other imitations.
For example, some gourmet chocolates are better than, say, Hershey's.
from Indydebi: "I dont' care what my car looks like as long as it starts in the morning and doesn't die on me when I'm driving."
Thank you. My car does just that. As my kids got older they were / still are embarrassed by it. It does need lots of work. After hauling around countless children (daycare provider with a 7 passenger van that was always full) during the past 11 years, it has been picked apart and worn down. I keep telling my kids to fix it, clean it, get me a new one if you're so embarrassed. It gets you were you need to go
I use to babysit for a family that was very name brand. She liked to discuss her children's clothes, her Eddie Bauer car, their status..... The first time her daughter go into my car, she asked in a too snobby tone for a 4 year old where my tv was.
I buy Walmart clothes and shoes. I do buy name brand food. We can all tell the difference. Even my daycare children can tell the difference between generic mac & cheese and Kraft. For about 2 years I was buying generic chicken and didn't tell my kids. My DD would always complain about it making her sick and not tasting good. Having to add chicken flavor to tasteless chicken, I returned to Foster Farms chicken and won't buy anything else. She doesn't complain about the chicken anymore.
........I honestly have never been able to understand why you would pay hundreds of dollars for purses and shoes.............
My feelings exactly!
I would *NEVER, EVER!!* buy things (expecially clothes, purses, shoes) because of it's brand name -- well I guess that's not true either. I do stick to some food brands because I have been stuck w/some really awful stuff when I strayed 
I would NEVER have realized it was a Coach (and what that meant) if it wasn't for this site and all the posted pix of Coach purses.
No, no. I would know a Coach purse from 50 paces.
NO! I do have a Coach purse though that my DH got me for Christmas 10 years ago, and it's still the same one I carry every day! I'd seen women carrying them but had no idea at the time what Coach even was. DH asked a friend if she knew where I could get this particular looking bag and she said, "That's a COACH!!" The standing joke is that I reaeeally better enjoy that purse, since it will also become my coffin when I die!! In this case, I do think we got what was paid for; we've had it repaired twice at no charge, and it looks (almost) as good as the day I got it.
That said, even if I won the lottery, and I'm VERY serious about this! I would NOT fall into the name brand trap. Yes some things are worth paying extra for, but not just because it says XYZ across the front. My children wear clothes from WalMart, Target, TJ Maxx, anywhere I can get the best deal. I do sometimes splurge a little at Childrens Place ONLY because their clothing is guaranteed not to shrink, and they do hold up very well.
I buy what I love. Doesn't matter if it's designer or from a sale bin at the mall.
I hate it when people respond to a compliment like this:
Me: Nice purse!
She: It's Marc Jacobs (or Chanel, or Louis Vuitton)
I didn't ask who made it. I said it was nice. A simple "thank you" would suffice.
Where I live, believe me, I get a lot of those responses. One woman is now off my friends list because of that nasty habit.
The weird thing is, I live in Asia - land of knock-offs & the $100 "Rolex". To buy a purse for $1500 when anyone can buy s a "Class A" copy for $50 at any street corner is just silly. That said, I don't buy copies either. Beyond tacky.
target & Children's Place cost about the same. Sometimes Target cost even more then Children's Place. Their Cherokee & Mossino line is NOT cheap.
I had a friend who worked at the Coach store and got me purses at her discount. Those purses lasted 15 years before they wore out. I bought another one recently, knowing full well it will last me for ten years. I'd probably pay more for cheap purses that would wear out then I would have for that one purse.
Sometimes it's worth it to pay for the item that will last, if you get more value for the wear! On the other hand, I DO NOT WANT designer logos all over things I have. I just get it if it has the value and quality, and I wouldn't get it if it had a big logo on it!
Just like I'm willing to pay more for good chocolate!
Oh let's see...I'm a big liar, I do have some to add:
Name brands I insist on: Bic ballpoint pens; square Magic Line pans, Yankee candles, Coke-never off brand, Land o Lakes buttah, Kraft Mac n Cheese, Tyson frozen southern style chicken tenderloins, MAC lipglass (dang I love that stuff-probably the only thing I have to go to a department store for, BUT I swear, I'm still not a girly girl!).....I think that's about it!
It depends what the item is if I feel that I need a name brand or not.
I buy all my bras from Victoria's Secret because they last alot longer and fit better than bras from most other places, I have yet to have an underwire come out from one of their bras. I also buy most of my jeans from there because they carry long lengths in a wide variety of styles, I know our local Walmart doesn't carry talls at all. I mainly shop during their sales or clearences because they are more expensive but even their full price stuff is worth it if it will last.
I get my boys pants from JcPenney because they wear slims and I've never seen those sizes in Walmart or Target.
If you live somewhere that gets really cold you don't want Walmart quality snowgear because it's not warm enough. I recently ordered winter coats for both boys from Sears, the system jackets that zip apart, and a couple weeks later Walmart had them and my MIL was talking about how nice they were. Haha. We live in North Dakota with winter temps well below 0 and the Walmart coats zipped together were about as thick as just the outer coat we had gotten the boys.
For safety reasons I don't buy toys without a name brand, it's far harder to find out that your toys were recalled when you don't remember the brand. That and some of it is really crappy and isn't going to last more than a couple days.
And then there are certain foods I won't buy store brands of like mac & cheese
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