Quality

Okay.  I admit it.  I am cheap frugal. When I get up off of a dollar, I expect that buck to benefit me for many years to come.

Take my briefcase, for example.  Ten or so years ago (I’d have to pull the receipt to say for sure – and yes, I still have it), I decided it was time to replace the one my daughters had given me as a graduation gift twenty years earlier. Since this one I would likely use until the day I pulled the plug on my calculator, I did some homework and decided to again invest in a Coach.

Now, you have to understand my relationship with Coach. I once calculated the dollars I’d spent replacing my bargain wallets every year (I pulled out the receipts – yes, I still had them – and added them up). When my sphincter finally recovered, I drove to Saks to invest in a better quality wallet I could keep awhile – like until death do us part. At the Coach counter I fell in love.  Its body was a plain, cognac-colored leather – no little c’s tattooed thereon – with all the flaps and compartments I’d ever need. And – best feature of all – it came with a lifetime guarantee. I had a little orgasm as I held it in my hands. I had a grand mal seizure as I pulled out the price tag. Then I regained my composure and did the math.  If I kept it for the rest of my life – which was, indeed, the plan – it would only cost pennies a day. That was nearly two decades ago.  I still carry that wallet.

Back to my briefcase… Same cognac-colored leather. Same lifetime guarantee. Same orgasm as I inhaled the fragrance of the leather and swung the strap over my shoulder. Same seizure when I saw the price. Same relief when I calculated that it would cost me less than a quarter a day until we both retired.

Coach taught me a valuable lesson. If you want quality, shop where you can find it.

As women we’ve likely thought about what we’re looking for in a mate. We all want quality. And while we each define quality differently, we’re all very aware there is a difference between a good quality steak and a can of Spam. Some of us – more compulsive than others – have actually made lists.  And I’ve heard that the more analytical of us even prioritize those lists. We have them on Excel spreadsheets – all our must haves and can’t stands and out-and-out deal breakers. At least that’s what I’ve heard…

But my question is this: when it comes to men, if what we want is Saks Fifth Avenue quality, why do we shop for it at Target?