Personal shopping trip opens doors in New York
HEATHER
GREENWOOD DAVIS
Shopping.
You either love it or you hate it. It's either a carefree afternoon
or a much-dreaded chore.
If you fall into the latter camp, take note, help is on the way.
New York fashionista Michelle Madhok is ready, willing and able to
take you by the hand and be your fashion friend.
And she's as willing to do it for those of us who enter a
department store and immediately forget what it was we were looking for,
as she is to do it for those of you who know what you want but don't have
the time to hunt it out.
Jackie Allen was once one of those women for whom shopping was a
chore. The professional and mother who lives and works in Toronto would
find herself torn between a love of clothes and a lack of time.
"I get a kick out of bargains!," she says over the phone during an
office coffee break. " I love to get a deal but I get overwhelmed in
malls."
Now, instead of dragging herself through the mall unsure of her
purchases, she turns to Madhok and her personal shopping Web site
Shefinds.com. Madhok has over 10 years of experience acting as a
personal shopper for women across North America. Prior to launching the
site, Madhok reviewed women's products for AOL and was online beauty
advisor "Ms. M". She started Shefinds.com as a means to answer her
readers' desire for personal online shopping assistance and her slogan "We
shop the Web so you don't have to" says it all.
Sign up on the Web site and you will receive monthly emails
detailing three or four items that are either at the top of the celebrity
hit list or about to be, as well as where to find the items online and
which stores will ship them to you.
Jackie, who has a personal shopper she works with at Holt Renfrew,
has also signed on to have Shefinds.com act as her online personal
shopper. You simply log on, tell Madhok what you're looking for and she'll
track it down.
"The service provides potential for finding great items at a great
price point without having to spend hours trying to find things," Allen
explains.
Now, for those who would be torn deciding to hit the mall or hit
the beach when travelling, Madhok is organizing a travelling shopaholics
dream vacation. The first "She finds Shopping Weekend" will take place
this fall.
"I decided to do the trip because when I visit other cities, I
always wish I had someone to tell me where the secret shops are and the
fun restaurants," Madhok explains. "I also receive a lot of requests from
SheFinds subscribers for help finding outfits, so I thought it would be
fun for all of us to get together and shop."
Visits to trendy boutiques across New York city as well as the
big-store experience in Bergdorfs, Bloomingdales and Barneys are all
included in the weekend excursion. Participants (a maximum of 16) pay a
fee that covers hotel accommodation (based on double occupancy), Saturday
morning brunch, Sunday breakfast, a private cocktail party at a secret
designer outlet, a private shopping night, dinner in the meat-packing
district (often frequented by those Sex and the City ladies who
know a thing or two about shopping), discounts and free gifts as well as a
spa treatment and one-hour yoga class to make sure your limbs are limber
for the intense shopping workout.
If you'd rather not travel with the group, Michelle will provide
you with a list of destinations and tips for visiting the best spots on
your own and then you can meet up to share your experiences at one of the
meals or parties planned.
The cost for the weekend is $690 U.S. (not including transportation
to New York). Not a cheap weekend, but one Madhok says is well worth it.
"You're getting a lot for that weekend — meals, tours, private
cocktail parties, hotel, yoga, spa discounts ..." she notes. She adds that
if you bring friends, she can work out a 10 per cent discount for the
group and $100 off for the organizer.
Not to mention the money you'll save by bringing an end to all of
those wrong size, wrong colour, wrong style purchases in your past.
When you really think about it ... you're actually saving money.
And that's the line I plan to use at my house.
To learn more about the Shopping Weekend in New York city, visit
http://www.shefinds.com/ or e-mail sales@shefinds.com for dates.
Heather Greenwood Davis is a Toronto-based freelancer. She
can be reached at alternatearrangements@yahoo.com.
Additional
articles by Heather Greenwood Davis
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