Marshalls - Shop On

I have always been a Marshalls kind of girl - since like the age of 12 when one opened in my Lake Parsippany community. I even worked there when I was a teenager (until I was in a physical altercation with a black girl who hated me for being "white") as a cashier.....Marshalls has always been apart of my life. I even have certain ones that I go to depending on what I am looking for!! (I know I am not the only Marshall's stalker out here) Over the years, I have always been successful in my Marshalls runs and was TICKLED PINK when they started creating the MegaShoe Stores - it's like freakin' Christmas everyday!!! LOL

I have had two recent Marshalls experiences at the same location that were drastically different. I visited the Marshalls MegaShoe Store at the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, NJ towards the end of May on a weekday and was totally overwhelmed with the number of deliciously fabulous and colorful shoes on display!!!! I circled the shoe department three times trying to narrow my selections down to just two pairs as I had collected probably 7 pairs in total that I just had to have. (I always just HAVE TO HAVE THEM) I found myself a comfortable spot on one of the comfortable benches and dove into my selections, trying each pair on and admiring my feet in the mirrors. (they all looked great! LOL) After an hour of playing dress up, I decided on a pair of black, peep toe, 3 1/2 inch Guess pumps and a sick little pair of red, patent leather, strappy sandals.(they came in gold as well, but the red just had my name all over them) I left with two great choices - the black ones for business and the red ones for play!

My most recent experience was this past Saturday, I visited the same location at the Jersey Gardens Mall. Of course being Saturday there were way more people, but a Shallow Shoe Whore like myself doesn't care - we do what we have to do to get our fix! So I sashayed through the aisles of people and baby carriages (WHO BRINGS BIG ASS CARRIAGES INTO A TIGHT SHOE DEPARTMENT? *to be discussed in a future post*) to scan my prey.......flat,colorful sandals to shiny, metallic dress shoes with everything in between.The variety of styles is undeniable and it satisfied my shoe itch - until it was time for me to grab my size 9s and find a corner to tend to my guilty pleasure.

It looked like a bomb went off where the boxes were stacked - most of the shoes were out of the boxes, mismatched, and not even in the appropriate location! (I took a moment to breath and dove in) I dug, and dug, and DUG into the unorganized mess until I was able to come up out of the "wreckage"with two pairs - matching and the same size. Now the issue was finding a corner to settle into........but at this point I am annoyed and tired. I ended up leaning on a rack of clothes to remove my shoes and try on my selections.

I was a bit appalled at the condition of the store last Saturday and honestly might have walked out to shop elsewhere if I was not selected to shop & review the store. I wonder if there were not enough staff to tend to the department and keep up with the amount of customers ravaging through the shoes - I know there could be numerous reasons as to why the store was in the condition that it was in but as a customer, I didn't care!! I could have easily taken my business somewhere else and been less aggravated,especially in an Outlet Mall.

The Verdict: Will I shop another Marshalls - of course! Will I shop at the Jersey Gardens location again - of course!

The Lesson: Shop Marshalls on a weekday to avoid the crowd and mess but no matter what day, the selection is ALWAYS fabulous!!!

Check online for a Shoe MegaStore near you, http://www.marshallsonline.com/megashoe.asp.

And by the way - I am TOTALLY satisfied with my selections; a royal blue, flat sandal with jewels along the center strap and a linen & brown peep-toe pump with a 4 inch heel.

Smooches & Stiletto Quick Claps,

Erin