Guest Post: That’s Not What I Ordered: Trials of Online Purse Shopping by Rachael Cherry

You would think that purse shopping would be easy, but you would be wrong. I have had the same old boring purse for well over a year now and was looking for a change. Something a bit more fashionable and yet still practical. I perused the local stores to no avail, so I turned to online shopping. That is when things got tough.

First of all, I had to figure out what size purse I want. In the store I can pick them up, look at the zippers, try them on and see how they hang on my shoulder. I have no idea how many inches they are or how long of a strap I need.

The very first time I ordered a cute purse online, I judged it just its looks. It was pretty and had a good price. Why not? When I got it, over a month later I might add, it was cute. And tiny. A date purse, yes. A daily purse? No. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

I decided I needed to get some general size in mind, so I measured my current purse. Okay, now I could start. I kept the price down low and looked for a suitable color and style. I don’t know why, but an orange color appealed to me. It seemed trendy and yet long lasting.

Anyway, I found a purse that might work and ordered it. It came a week or two later, much better, but the box seemed a little large.

What did I find when I opened the box? The world’s ugliest purse. The size of a gym bag, dark red-purple and with rivets all over it. The empty purse weighed more than my full to exploding purse did! I joked that I could at least use it to defend myself if I was ever attacked by a sword wielding manic, but I was not happy.
After communicating with the seller, who offered to replace the purse at no charge, I was left with this thing in my possession. They did not even want it back. But what am I going to do with the monstrosity? All I can think of is that it will make a great white elephant gift… or maybe I’ll give it to someone with… dubious… taste.

Rachael Cherry is a wife, mother, and writer who is passionate about helping connect families in need with high quality caregivers. She has taken that passion and put it to work through NannyPro, a respected online nanny referral service. Learn more by visiting @NannyPro on Twitter.