When You Buy an Expensive Purse, They Give You a Bottle of Cold Water

Three years, I've had the same purse. It has served me well. I get very attached to my purses and I particularly liked this one. Everyone thought it was too small to hold anything but I never had a problem with that. I always figured if it didn't fit, I didn't want to carry it around. Anyway, after the purse had broken in three places (not bad after three years of daily use) it was time to buy a new one.

So off I went to the Brighton store at one of my least favorite places, the mall. Entering the mall, I am reminded how much I want to hurry up and get out of there. First of all, it is very noisy. Something about the acoustics, I guess, and the fact that it is so hot out and lots of people are escaping the heat at the air conditioned mall - oh, but wait, it's not called a mall here - I am in "The Shops at Mission Viejo."

I find the Brighton store on the directory and take a direct route there. Good news, they are having a sale! I notice that all of the clerks are dressed in head to toe Brighton. Oh my word, someone please hit me over the head if I ever do that. Anyway, after much consideration, I settle on a nice purse, a little bit bigger than my old one, and hand over my credit card at the counter (thank goodness I am getting airline miles for this one). 30% off makes a difference, but still, this is an expensive purse in my book. (Frugal daughter does not approve!) But I do the math this way: it will last me three years, so when I divide the price by three, it's pretty darn reasonable!

I have never shopped in a Brighton store before (the last purse was a gift) so I did not know that in addition to the lovely shopping bag I would be offered a bottle of cold water to take with me out of the store. Of course I said yes - gotta get my money's worth out of this one - and of course the water bottle had a Brighton label.