Site Review
The New ShopSheBoutique.com: Site Review
The Lowdown: Finding what you’re looking for while shopping online has always been something of a challenge. After all, thumbing through racks of clothes and trying on some of your finds is pretty much impossible with online shopping. ShopSheBoutique.com understands the issue, which is why they have recently re-launched their popular retail website that is super user-friendly and easier to navigate. So did they succeed? Let’s check it out.
Our Review: Here’s how it works—ShopSheBoutique.com breaks down its thousands of products into three major categories for shoppers who feel like browsing: What’s New, What’s Hot, and What’s On Sale. For those of us who already have a good idea of what we’re looking for, the site also organizes clothing by designer or category as well. For those who enjoy a little more visual inspiration, the site features a Lookbooks page with dozens of ideas for pairing different pieces together. ShopSheBoutique.com also features a continually updated Twitter feed full of information about the clothes your favorite celebrities are wearing, along with its own blog that keeps readers in-the-know about the latest products coming in stock. The diversity of designers available through ShopSheBoutique.com is actually pretty impressive. The site offers everything from Catherine Malandrino puffer coats for a whopping $995 to Ksubi skinny jeans, on sale for just $90.
It is important to note that ShopSheBoutique.com is the retail space for the SHE Boutique in Chicago. And based on the company’s overall branding—SHE stands for She Has Everything, after all—the website does a great job of staying close to the stylish, sophisticated aesthetic that the SHE Boutique is known for. The clothing that is available at ShopSheBoutique.com isn’t the kind you’d wear to the beach or in downtown Hollywood. Rather, it’s the sophisticated style that one might wear in, say, New York or Chicago—which makes perfect sense.
Our Verdict: We are iffy about this one. Many of the pieces available on ShopSheBoutique.com aren’t exactly cheap—since name brand designer clothes rarely ever are—but they still happen to be a bargain compared to what you’d be paying elsewhere. And because ShopSheBoutique.com only stocks clothes that fit in with its sophisticated, stylish aesthetic, you can be sure that nearly anything you look at on the site will be fashion forward enough to wear during a night out in the city.
LivingSocial.com: Site Review
The Lowdown: These days, it seems a new day means at least a dozen new social networking sites ... which means we have less and less time or interest (or hope) of finding something interesting among them. The name “LivingSocial.com” implies just more of the same ... but this is a site that, somewhat incongruously, is simply a venue to catalogue and share your favorite things in a number of high-priority categories: movies, books, games, music, restaurants and—of course—beer. Right.
Our Review: Interfacing seamlessly with Facebook is probably this “cataloguing” site’s strongest feature—it’s hard to argue with the smarts of riding on the coattails of the gold standard of social networking sites. So we thought this could be kind of fun—to see the consensus of 6.4 million users, for example, might help us find, for example, the hottest cinema trend we’ve somehow been missing. So, this week’s hottest movie? “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.” Really?! Ok, we feel soooo far ahead of the curve now.
That being said, if you are one of those people who lives and breathes, say, movies or beer—we’re kinda stuck on the beer thing—and feel if life had been fair you would have been a highly-respected critic for said topic in, say, the New York Times, this might be the place for you. It’s your chance to be the expert, the critic, and share those thoughts with all your friends.
But if they un-friend you on Facebook after you share your 16th review of Milwaukee’s Best, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
The Verdict: For us, it’s a Nay—because honestly, just keeping up with updating our status and responding to wall posts on our Facebook is about all we have time for ...
Swaxy.com: Site Review
The Lowdown: We were just saying the other day that what we REALLY needed was a shopping site that featured bikini clad girls with fake parts and belly-button piercings. Oh wait, that wasn’t us—it was the group of college frat boys at the next table ... and that’s exactly who Swaxy.com is aimed at. Well, all men if you want to get right down to it. How else can you get them to want to shop, right? Um, sure.
Our Review: Okay, we’ve already basically told you up front what this site is all about—shopping “deals” presented by sexy scantily clad spray-tanned girls in very Maxim-appropriate poses and videos supposedly intended to highlight must-have items like, oh, an NFL Universal Remote Control Football for $17.99.
Yes, we get that we’re not the target demographic here, but at the same time, we’re not really sure what to make of this. I mean, stereotypically speaking, guys love electronics (which is the main focus on the merchandise on this site) and guys love hot girls in bikinis. But it’s not as if there’s not enough of that available out there to make this site really all that tempting, in theory. Particularly when, upon looking a little closer, there seem to only be about 12 items available for purchase, the listings for which take up a whole lot less space than is devoted to the Q&A page for the girls (filled with scintillating information like the fact that one girl’s favorite item of clothing is a black satin bustier, and another girl who’s most embarrassing moment was losing her bikini top at the beach. Sigh.).
The Verdict: Uhh, let’s see—how about a Nay? Look if you must—what you do on your own time is none of our business—but as a shopping site? Even if it’s intended to be tongue-in-cheek, it’s just silly.
Gift Card Rescue: Site Review
The Lowdown: In this day and age, every dollar counts—and when one is short on cash, it’s pretty much time to consider all the options. While we love nothing more than receiving a gift card to our favorite store (free shopping? um, yeah!) sometimes it comes down to a new pair of shoes or, well, eating. And then there are those times where someone well-intentioned buys you a gift card to a store or restaurant you have no intention of ever setting foot in, for whatever reason. Either way, GiftCardRescue.com offers itself up as an easy way to turn those gift cards into cash—yep, we’re listening.
Our Review: The premise behind the site is pretty simple: list your card for sale to GiftCardRescue—they typically pay between 60% and 80% of the cards value (for more details, check out this convenient price list ) or, if you like, exchange the card for a different one you’ll actually use. If you’re looking to buy rather than sell, set up an account and pick up gift cards to your fave places at a discount.
Simple enough, and 60-80% is reasonable enough when you’re strapped for cash, we suppose—better than a card that’s going to sit in your wallet or buy you something you don’t really need. But for the buyers, are the cards a good deal? Perusing the selection quickly, we found a $100 Aeropostale card for $87, a $200 Body Shop card for $174, and a $100 JCPenney’s card for $88 (along with about a bazillion Godiva Chocolates cards at 35% off of each). The discounts look to typically range from 10-15%, and the selection of cards is not huge, but if you’re going to be shopping at a particular retailer anyway and you can pick up a card at a discount, it’s like creating your own sale. Nice.
The Verdict: Yea. Great idea, easy to navigate website, and a buy, sell or exchange process that couldn’t be easier, assuming you have a PayPal account (which, of course, is also easy and free if you don’t already have one).
Enveme.com: Site Review
The Lowdown: Anyone over the age of 13 knows that, on some level, music and fashion just go together. And while most of us over the age of 21 find that as the years go on, the occasions to wear studs and stilettos grow fewer and fewer, most of us still harbor a secret need to get our rock on. So why not capitalize on shoppers’ inner rock-chick by combining the two into a retail website? Well that’s what Enveme.com has done, but is it worth our time? We aim to find out.
Our Review: First, let us just say that as people who spend much of our time surfing the net, we find sites that blast us with an unexpected musical soundtrack upon loading are not our favorites. Yes, we get that it’s a music-and-fashion site, and that, according to their “about me” page that’s what people want, but we’ve always found that blast of sudden music a bit jarring. Perhaps we need to cut back on our coffee intake, or perhaps we just need to be under 30. But we digress ...
The site itself? Okay, clearly the target demographic is in fact under 30, not that there’s anything wrong with that. It may actually be under 25 ... or even under 18 as evidenced by the animated “Envezones” virtual meeting place, complete with avatars you can dress up and accessorize, and apartments you can rent and decorate. For a price, of course. Um, pass.
So what about the fashion? Think Forever21 and Charlotte Russe’s slightly edgier pieces, for a few more bucks. We like what we see, and the pieces do have a marginally rock edge—like these Destroyed Bootcut Jeans for $44, and this Zipper Front Dress, also $44, but seriously? The selection is incredibly limited, and we can get the same stuff for less elsewhere.
The Verdict: Nay. The site is more about the music and “community” than the fashion, with all the virtual meeting places, calls for unsigned bands, and sample tracks from up-and-coming bands. Which is fine, but our precious shopping time will be better spent elsewhere.
Trackle.com: Site Review
The Lowdown: Now that we’re all hopelessly dependent on the Internet to function in our day to day lives (okay, maybe that’s a slight overstatement, but you get the point) the next big thing in websites seem to be those that send us alerts on all the information we need without us even having to actually search the web. That’s the idea behind Trackle.com, which emails or texts you updates in a variety of categories—everything from entertainment, to travel, to real estate, to crime in your neighborhood. Oh, and shopping—which is why we’re bothering.
Our Review: Right out of the gate, we were frustrated—viewing this site on Internet Explorer, it all looked fine but after we created our account and tried to add things to track, we hit a dead end. Turns out, at least on this day, the site only worked properly in Mozilla, so keep that in mind. Moving on ...
The site itself is a little over-whelming, to be honest. When you read the “About Us” section, it’s clear those behind it are more techie than lay-person ... apparently the service is “advanced algorithms that provide a layer of intelligence.” Um, we haven’t thought about algorithms since 11th grade algebra, so, again, moving on ... All we really want to know is does the site work. We added some “tracklets” to our account, and we liked that under the “shopping” category we found coupon tracklets that allowed us to pick categories and specific retailers we want alerts from, including lots of our budget favorites like Forever 21, Banana Republic, New York & Company, and more. We also like that if we refer friends and they join, we get credits that add up to gift cards to save us even more.
The alerts themselves? We signed up for e-mail only, and within 15 minutes we had e-mails with coupon codes for some of our favorite sources including Drugstore.com and Beauty.com. Nice.
The Verdict: We’re all about being alerted to the latest deals without having to lift a finger. The site is a little broad and slightly confusing on first glance, but once you’re set up, it’s a Yea.
Lagrandedame.com: Site Review
The Lowdown: Here at TBF—and in just about every group of real women we’ve ever encountered—one of our biggest shopping complaints is the lack of fashionable options for women who aren’t a size 8. Finding affordable options that you’d actually want to wear out of the house is even harder. And while Lane Bryant is great, it is not all things to all women—so we’re always encouraged to see alternatives for the stylish, curvy AND budget-conscious among us. Lagrandedame.com piqued our interest particularly because it is founded and run by REAL women who know the frustration of not being able to leave the dressing room with something fabulous that fits.
Our Review: We’ve been disappointed at first glance by plenty of plus-size retail sites—with items that are cheap, but just not as stylish as they should be. This is not one of those cases—the first item on the home page is a stand-out belted green silk dress that we’d buy in a second. Delving a little deeper, we found jackets, skirts, blouses, suits, and more dresses, all stylish, flattering and in sizes up to 24. The site is easy to navigate, with a section devoted to sale items (which, quite frankly, is where we always end up before long).
The prices? Okay, so it’s not Target. The aforementioned silk dress is on sale for $250, but it is silk and kinda fabulous—but in this economy, might be a budget buster for many of us. Fortunately, there are cheaper options that are worth a look as well—like this versatile and flattering Olivia Harper Milly Dress, for $149. Still too rich for your blood? Move on to this Ruffle Sleeved Dress by Zen Knits, on sale for just $34. The selection isn’t vast by any stretch of the imagination, but we found something we liked in every category, and that’s all that really matters isn’t it?
The site also shows a green side offering a “Round-Up” program to offset emissions resulting from shipping, and eco-friendly shipping tips, and their blog and subscription newsletter offer tips on plus-size fashion.
The Verdict: Yea. Not as budget as we’d like, but affordable overall, particularly for stylish wardrobe staples like suits and special occasion dresses—remember, you need to think cost-per-wear, not bottom line price, to find real value.
Yahoo Search Pad: Review
Okay, we have to admit—we were a little perplexed at first as to how the Yahoo Search Pad (now in BETA) would be any different than cutting and pasting websites and notes into a document or notepad on our own computer. But as anyone who’s done any kind of research online knows—whether for work, planning a vacation, a purchase, etc.—keeping track of where the heck you’ve been and making sense of the information you’ve found can be a challenge (and bookmarking favorites isn’t really all that helpful in the long run). Enter Yahoo Search Pad. Yeah, it doesn’t sound very impressive, but bear with us here ...
Our Review: Here’s the lowdown—Yahoo Search Pad is the kind of online research organizer we’d have invented, if we were that organized. It’s actually incredibly simple—start your Yahoo search, then open the Search Pad function, which will appear on the upper righthand side of your search screen.
We went for “pencil skirts”—we actually do research on stuff like that—and the Search Pad did all the work. Well, a lot of it. Search Pad remembers what sites you’ve clicked on and automatically transfers the link into your notes, complete with screen shot to help jog your memory when you look over your list after clicking on, oh, 62,000 or so sites. You can delete any you like, but for those you keep, simply click in the field to add your own personal notes. Rearrange with a simple drag and drop. Save as many lists as you like. E-mail them to a friend—or yourself—with a click or two. Seriously. It’s our new favorite toy. Er, we mean tool.
The Verdict: A Big Yea. We love anything that makes our shopping—or research—more efficient. It doesn’t cost a thing either. We do recommend checking out the quick tutorial before you start.
Inspireyourstyle.com: Site Review
Here at TBF, we’re suckers for a little style inspiration, and since we live online a site called “Inspireyourstyle.com” is something we’re not going to pass up without a closer look.
Our Review: Any site that opens with a chance to enter a $10,000 sweepstakes gets our attention, as is the case with Inspireyourstyle.com. But the entry form requires us to pick from a list of malls—most of which are, of course, located on the coasts so for those of us in between we’re not really sure what this means. Particularly because the site never tells us why we had to choose a mall. Is the $10,000 only good at one of those locations? Hard to say. So we move on ...
The rest of the site? Thoroughly confusing. Not because it’s hard to navigate—it’s not—it’s just that there’s nothing even remotely inspiring. Click on the carousel and tabs, and get very abbreviated blurbs on the latest trends and answers to a handful of style related questions. At this point we’ve decided that this site is merely an advertisement for the malls involved. But a very poor one at that, as we don’t really know who they are or what they want from us.
The Verdict: Nay. Go and enter the sweepstakes maybe, or just forget it altogether.
Allyou.com: Site Review
These days, everybody and their brother is creating a “budget-conscious” website—and who doesn’t need to save money in this economic climate? That being said, just saying that your site is budget-focused doesn’t mean it offers any real value. So we decided to take a look at one such site—Allyou.com —and see if there are any real budget lessons we can take to the bank ...
Our Review: At first click, Allyou.com looks promising, which it should since it’s the companion site to the new All You magazine, published by Time Inc. It’s pretty, but substance is more our style, so we dug deeper.
Clicking around through the various categories (Food, Budget Home, Diet & Fitness, Style for Less), we found very little that hasn’t already been published 687 times in all those women’s magazines you find in the checkout lane (we’re all about recycling, but this isn’t what we had in mind). Naturally, the “Style for Less” section piqued our interest, but again nothing new. We were perplexed, too, when we hopefully checked out an article titled “Kick up your heels in affordable wedge sandals” only to find that the piece featured pics of three styles, but with no sources, prices, or links to buy. Next.
The one reason to bookmark this site? The coupon section. It’s been eons since we sat down with our Sunday paper and clipped coupons (who has time?), but “clipping” coupons here means simply scanning through the options, checking what you want, and printing. Additionally, there’s a daily savings blog that features additional clickable coupons and deals.
The Verdict: A Yea for the coupons and deals, a Nay for everything else. . .
Lifebooker.com: Site Review
Everyone has less cash to spend these days, but let’s face it—a girls gotta keep herself up. And if you’re in the big city (say New York, or LA) the prices usually carry the highest budget damage potential. Enter Lifebooker.com—a site that is a scheduling center of sorts, for all those beauty rituals we’ve become accustomed to, not only the trip to the hairstylist but waxing, mani/pedis, massage, tanning and more. But even beyond just setting appointments, Lifebooker offers online only discounts for all those that book appointments, meaning you get to fit your bikini wax into both your timeline and your budget, without the hassle of getting put on hold when you’ve only got 26 seconds left in your lunch hour ...
Our Review: It sounds too good to be true—can the discounts really be that great? In fact, after cruising around the site for a bit, we found that they can. Haircuts, for example—we scanned the NYC salons and found that most cuts listed at over $100 were reduced to as low as $50. And in the facial department, we found multiple treatments, including micro-dermabrasion, oxygen facials, and peels for up to half off as well.
So how do we know these places are any good? Lifebooker features user reviews, posted, according to the site, only by users who have booked and kept appointments. The site also details how long treatments and services will take, and allows you to sort by date, time range, discount, price, and rating, as well as by location and which places are booked the most.
The Verdict: Looks like a Yea to us ... but as with any personal service, we’d recommend you do a little research on any salon before you book an appointment and go for the first time, to make sure the quality will be up to your standards before you walk through the door. And the site only covers New York and Los Angeles, so the rest of us are out of luck ...
The New Shopbop.com: Site Review
We’ve long been fans of Shopbop.com at TBF, as a source for picking up designer clothes for less (which isn’t a necessity, but certainly eases the bottom line for the designer-addicted among us). We have to admit though, we haven’t always been fans of their site design. Apparently, Shopbop wasn’t either, and—to the great delight of those of us who peruse these sites as part of our living—decided a redesign was in order. But is newer really better? Let’s see.
Our Review: A good sign? Looks like Shopbop took cues for their redesign directly from user comments, which is always a good place (maybe the only place) to start. Another good sign is that they didn’t just plop the new site online with no explanation—navigate to the site and you’ll find a welcome page that guides you through all the changes, and even includes some of the user comments that inspired them. Nice to see a retailer actually responding to its customers. We like.
And the changes themselves? A big improvement. One of our beefs (and apparently a sentiment shared by lots of users) is that in each category, you would get a tiny window of items that you had to them scroll down endlessly through, without being able to sort in any logical way and suffer through frequently painfully slow scrolling to boot. Now, you can shop and sort by size, price, brand, so that you see only what you are ACTUALLY looking for.
The sites “Lookbooks” feature has it’s own place now—with more special editorial features to come, and a new addition, “Shop Your Style,” features five “mini-boutiques” sorted by style—Bohemian, Casual Chic, Classic, Edgy, Girly—to help you find pieces that suit your own preferred personal look.
Honestly, we still feel like the site is a little too bulky—selection we love, but there are so many tabs with so many choices that it’s a little overwhelming. However, easier scrolling, bigger pics, and some nice special features make this overhaul a step in the right direction.
The Verdict: Yea. If you do happen to check it out, Shopbop is asking for feedback on the new design as well, so be sure to let them know what you think.
Moxsie.com: Site Review
Ever wish you could pick up some cool independent pieces—like the ones the celebs all seem to know about—without having to fly to some boutique in L.A. or New York? Well, in the true spirit of the Internet age, Moxsie.com brings independent fashion to you. So, now that the boutique is in your living room, can you really wear independent fashion? And, more importantly, can you afford it? Read on ...
Our Review: First of all, just what the heck is “independent” fashion, exactly? It is, of course, pieces by small designers, deemed hip by the fashion powers that be but not part of a major label or line, and not sold in department stores. Meaning, of course, that there was a time that only those in chic, fashion-forward parts of the world could easily get their hands on such pieces.
More and more, however, we’re seeing sites specializing in independent designer goods. Even so, often those pieces are still waaay out of our budget fashion price range (and thus frequently offend our budget fashion sensibilities). So does Moxsie.com bring us independent fashion we can actually work into our wardrobe and budget? In a word, sometimes.
Moxsie.com, as a site, is well-designed and easy to use, allowing you to browse categories, view by brand, zero in on new arrivals, or visit special Moxsie jewelry and sneaker “shops”. Each brand page gives you a quick overview of the brand/designer (a little fashion education never hurts, and it’s always good to know exactly what you’re wearing should anyone ask ...). Elevating our shopping mojo? The fact that a portion of the proceeds from your purchase goes to the charity of your choice (Moxsie.com has a list of charities they support, including worthy causes such as The Hunger Project, the Autism Society of America, and Dress for Success).
So on to the selection. While “independent” can mean out of our price range, here we found plenty to pique our interest without destroying our bottom line. Are we going to drop $300 on a Cotton Iridescent Military Jacket? Not likely. But as any good budget fashionista knows, deals on designer goods are just a matter of taking the time to look. Because clicking over to Lamixx, we found this sexy Madison V-Pocket Diamond Dress for a mere $59. Oh, did we mention free shipping and free returns? Nice.
The Verdict: Yea. Cool, edgy-yet-wearable, and if you look hard enough, affordable pieces. We also love the idea of supporting independent designers who aren’t backed by big retailers or financiers, and the charity angle is an added value bonus.
Meetmark.com and Markgirl.com: Site Review
A few years back, Avon decided to update its image and target a younger demographic, so they added Mark —a line of makeup designed to be used, and sold, by young women. The line has never made a huge splash, as far as we know, but we’ve always been a fan of Avon, even if they were a lot cooler for our mom’s generation than our own. For those of us who do lots of our shopping online, we like that the Mark products offer a wide variety and are inexpensive—but is their website user-friendly? We decided to check it out.
Our Review: Mark actually has two websites, which was a little confusing at first. But as it turns out, one—Meetmark.com—is the actual shopping site, while the other—Markgirl.com —is more of a blog, with video clips featuring current celeb-of-the-minute spokesperson Lauren Conrad, as well as advice and info on becoming a Mark sales representative (or as they like to call it, a “Social Beauty”.) The sites link to each other, and have a nice “sister site” feel, so while we might normally say two sites is a bit of overkill, in this case, the choice—depending on your reason for visiting—is kind of nice.
Markgirl.com is pretty straightforward—mostly video clips, the site features both fashion and makeup tips, the latest Mark products, and puts the spotlight on representatives. Meetmark.com, however, is where we’d end up—because, since we’re slightly older than the target demographic, we don’t really have time to shuffle through all those clips. We just want to buy our lipgloss and go.
Which is easy to do here—the site is easy on the eyes and equally easy to navigate. A couple of quick clicks and we found a few lip glosses that we feel good about, like these Mark Juice Gems for just $6 apiece. All the prices sit well with us—and because it’s Avon, it’s not taking a shot in the dark as far as quality goes. The site also offers “wishlist” and “find a rep” features (nice if you actually want to see or try products before you buy).
The Verdict: Yea. Fun makeup on the cheap, and a site we can trust.
Sephora.com: Site Review
In the world of beauty Sephora is a trusted name, and while some of their offerings are out of our everyday beauty budget range, we find enough quality products that are either minor splurges or a deal on sale to keep us coming back. But more and more, we’d like to do our beauty shopping the same way we do much of our clothes shopping—online. So we decided to forget trekking to the mall and check out Sephora’s website instead.
Our Review: Where to begin? We’re kinda impressed with this site, so here’s the rundown—Sephora offers their own brand beauty products as well as a whole host of other quality brands (think Smashbox, Bare Escentuals, Benefit, etc.), with all kinds of incentives to buy, including free shipping over $50, free samples, free returns, weekly specials, online-only products, and a sale section that’s worth keeping in the regular rotation.
Now we’ll admit that buying make-up online isn’t always easy (as if it’s not hard enough to pick the right color under the fluorescent lights at WalMart, now we have to do it on a computer screen ...) but Sephora also features customer reviews (which are one of our favorite ways to gauge a product’s worth) and a product question and answer so you can get advice before you buy.
Need another reason to shop? If you’re environmentally conscious, Sephora.com has you covered there as well—with a really impressive selection of organic and natural beauty product brands, ranging from slightly pricey to pretty darn affordable (this Bare Escentuals Natural Lipgloss , for example, is $15.)
The Verdict: Yea. Sephora.com lets us satisfy our beauty cravings without leaving the air-conditioned comfort of the office (during our lunch hour, of course).
Kohls.com: Site Review
Oh, Kohl’s. We always have such high hopes for you, as you add designer lines (Vera Wang, Dana Buchman) and what should be fun and interesting brands and collections (Daisy Fuentes and Elle). And yet, we end up coming away either disappointed or with an overwhelming sense of “eh”. Still, we’ve seen glimpses of good stuff (shoes and handbags aren’t too bad, actually) and so we keep hoping. One way to keep tabs? Stop by Kohls.com and see what’s new—maybe online shopping is the way to go ...
Our Review: Kohl’s site design leaves us feeling about the same way as the retailer in general—it’s not remarkable, but not exactly terrible either. All we really expect from a major mid-level retailer’s website is pretty much what we get here—highlighted daily sales and tabs for each major category (women’s, men’s, you know the drill). Sort by item, brand, sale, etc.
Daily deal items and frequent shipping deals (sometimes requiring a coupon code) add value to shopping online here—and you can sign up for e-mail alerts to have the latest deals sent directly to you—but what it boils down to is that the offerings are the same. We dig the Candies shoes and the Dana Buchman accessories, and it’s handy to be able to pick up kids’ clothing and household items while you shop for your summer handbag. But we can’t help but feel like the whole thing could just be better. Period.
The Verdict: Nay. Again, not terrible, but nothing interesting enough to make us clamor to shop here.
Shopseen.com: Site Review
One of our favorite shopping resources here at The Budget Fashionista is, well, our peeps. Having other bargain-hunting eyes and ears out there is invaluable in finding great deals—especially when we know so many happen without a billboard announcement and spotlights (though that would be nice, right?). And since online is where we live, a website where we can dish deals and get the latest scoop from other shoppers just like us? Sounds perfect ... so when we heard about Shopseen.com, we decided to see if it lives up to expectations.
Our Review: It took us a minute to realize that we had to look all the way to the top right to set our location before starting (hey, it was late ...) but once we did, we thought we were going to be sold. However, as it turns out, if you live in the middle or east, oh, 9/10ths of the country, the closest items, retailers or events will be just a short 1,000 mile drive. Which isn’t really the site’s fault—it just means they need lots more users to justify adding more coverage (scrolling down, we realized that the only cities covered thus far are a handful in Cali, with New York “coming soon”).
If you do happen to reside on the West Coast, the site is actually kinda fab. Users post pics of hot items—everything from clothes to jewelry to furniture and more—they’ve seen at local stores, as well as sales they’ve happened upon (or know are coming up) and stores they love (or don’t—we also love a warning of when to steer clear ...). The site is just starting out and it’s on the right track; we just hope they’re able to add some more cities soon—including the Midwest, please?—so everyone can play.
The Verdict: It’s a yea for those in the geographic range, and something for the rest of us to keep an eye on ...
BG Haute: Site Review
We’re working girls, so we don’t frequently have formal eventsto attend—but when we do we want to look chic. And even if we’re not hitting a ballroom anytime soon we know that plenty of you are (prom, weddings, charity balls, take your pick) so we like to point you in the right direction when we can. Because, let’s face it, finding formal wear that doesn’t look like either Madonna’s prom dress or your Aunt Edna’s 75th Anniversary ensemble isn’t easy. So BGHaute.com caught our attention with the promise of fashionable gowns at a glance.
Our Review: The site is simple—select your category from the drop-down menu (Prom, Homecoming, Evening, or Pageant), and view the dress styles. Many of the dresses are a step—or six—above what we might find at the local Brides-R-Us, but when we clicked on the style we liked (this shimmery strapless number, for example) we discovered that we can’t actually order anything here, but rather locate stores near us that would carry or (presumably) order it for us.
Again, the dresses are pretty—but the selection is limited in areas (the “Pageant” category, for example, was empty at this writing), and we really have no idea what differentiates the “Prom” dresses from the “Homecoming” dresses other than a few spring colors.
So what the site is, basically, a brand site (BGHaute, formerly Sherri Hill) that gave us some good ideas for styles we like and maybe a lead on a dress that’s a bit out of the ordinary, but that’s about it. No prices either, so we haven’t got a clue if we’re even in our budget comfort zone ...
The Verdict: Nay. Check it out for ideas, but don’t expect anything earth-shattering. And you still have to actually go shopping. Sigh.
MySears.com/MyKmart.com: Site Review
Sears and Kmart, despite their cheap prices, have long been all but off our clothes shopping radar; we don’t count them out completely but as a general rule the quality and style is just sub-par—after all, cheap doesn’t mean it’s a deal. Having said that, we would shop Sears and Kmart for other stuff—particularly household items—so we’re open to checking out anything new they have to offer their customers, like their new shopping community sites, MySears.com and MyKmart.com.
Our Review: First, let us just say we’re pleased that Sears and Kmart are making some efforts to be current and responsive to customers. The MySears and MyKmart sites are basically shopping communities for customers to join—a place to write reviews, give feedback, ask questions, take polls and, most importantly, share ideas to improve the Sears and Kmart shopping experiences. It’s a “we’re all in this together” marketing approach that, quite frankly, could be pretty darn effective in this age of social media.
The sites themselves are fine—visually appealing and user-friendly. But in perusing the user comments and blog entries, we find ourselves wondering how many of the positive posts are by actual users and how many are by Kmart/Sears marketing folks. We mean, in response to an announcement about a new Kmart website design, someone wrote “OMG what a great idea!!! Go Kmart!! I’m glad to see Kmart is moving and moving in the right direction!!!” Okay, maybe they really are just super excited about it—who are we to judge? But still.
Interestingly, much of what you’ll see in the discussion boards are complaints, but you’ll also see Kmart representatives responding and offering advice. Which we gotta give them props for. You’ll also find coupons on the sites, so it’s worth a look before you start filling your online shopping basket or head out to the store ...
The Verdict: Overall a yea, assuming you are a Sears or Kmart shopper already; if you’re not, at least it might be worth making some suggestions to make the stores more appealing, since they seem to be open to input ...
Pikaba.com: Site Review
Ah, if only instead of wasting time seeking out whatever item you wish to purchase, it would just come to you. And better yet, come to you from multiple sources seeking your business, so that you get the best price. Well, it was only a matter of time—because that’s the premise behind Pikaba.com, which characterizes itself as a sort of “reverse auction.” As their tagline goes, “all you have to do is ask.” Okay then.
Our Review: We like the concept, and while visually the site is a little overcrowded, it’s pretty easy to use—at the top of the home page it tells you exactly how Pikaba works and gives you a big orange “Make a Request” button. So posting a request is easy, and then you wait for offers to come to you.
Okay, simple enough, and if the site stopped there we would have been perfectly happy. But the thing we don’t like? Pikaba.com seems to be trying to be everything to everybody, which, in our most humble opinion, dilutes the whole shopping experience. Because not only can you put out a request for what you want to buy, the site also features items for sale, items for free, items for trade, calls for services, etc. There’s also the Pikaba community to join—which, in all fairness, does actually make sense on a site like this—and the Pikaba blog. This kind of all-inclusiveness isn’t necessarily bad, but in our experience, the best sites concentrate on one thing, and doing that one thing well.
The Verdict: On the fence. We like the “reverse auction” idea, but there’s a little too much going on here for our streamlined, time-conscious shopping tastes. But if you like the whole community trading of goods and services idea, and have the time to do a little delving, it might be worth a look.
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