ByElizabeth Hours Updated
Comments 154 Comments

Wednesday’s Workwear Report: Commuter Cardigan

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A woman wearing a cream colored cardigan and black pants

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

If you’re looking for a stylish way to stay cozy during yet another cold snap, look no further than this wrap cardigan from Aritzia. Where I live, we’ve been below freezing temperatures for weeks, and I think that deep V-neck is probably not in the cards for me right now. I would probably add a thin turtleneck for a little extra coverage.

This sweater comes in five lovely colors, but this “birch” color looks like it would be beautifully versatile. 

The sweater is $138 at Aritzia and comes in sizes 2XS-XL. 

Sales of note for 4/17:

  • Nordstrom – Beauty savings event, up to 25% off – nice price on Black Honey
  • Ann Taylor – Cyber Spring! 50% off everything + free shipping
  • Boden – 25% off everything (thru Sun, then 15% off)
  • Brooklinen – 25% off sitewide — we have and love these sateen sheets
  • Evereve – 1000+ items on sale, including lots from Alex Mill, Michael Stars, Sanctuary, Rails, Xirena, and Z-Supply
  • Express – $29 dresses
  • J.Crew – 30% off all dresses
  • J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything, and extra 50% off clearance
  • Lands' End – 50% off full price styles and 60% off all clearance and sale – lots of ponte dresses come down under $25, and this packable raincoat in gingham is too cute
  • Loft – Friends & Family event, 50% off entire purchase + free shipping
  • Macy's – 25% off already reduced prices + 15% off beauty & fragrance
  • M.M.LaFleur – Spring Sale Event – Buy More, save more! 10% off $250+, 15% off $500+, 20% off $750+, 25% off $1000+ (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off if you find any exclusions.)
  • Sephora – Spring sale! 20%, 15%, or 10% off depending on your membership tier; ends 4/20. Here's everything I recommend in the sale!
  • Talbots – Spring sale! 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns
  • TOCCIN – Use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off!
  • Vivrelle – Looking to own less stuff but still try trends? Use code CORPORETTE for a free month, and borrow high-end designer clothes and bags!

154 Comments

  1. Possibly a weird question. I’m applying for a role. I’m 40. The role is advertised to 5-7 years experience total and wants 3 years direct experience doing this very nuanced job function. I have about 13 in this industry and 4 in the very specific thing (the universe of people who do this specific thing AND within this regulated industry and in our city, which is relatively small, cannot be large…). However, I do not want a more senior role. I’m perfectly content at the stated salary range and job demand/level/function. I don’t need more money, title, or responsibility. I’m good at what I do and I’m really, truly happy at this level.

    How do I say that/do I attempt to convey that in a cover letter? The post doesn’t ask for a cover letter but I’m thinking of adding it to the resume PDF when I upload it. I am afraid they’ll see my age or total years of experience and assume I’m over qualified/experienced, or too expensive. I’m using my network to attempt to get to the hiring manager as this is a job at a bank and I used to work in banking, so someone in my network may be able to help me connect dots. I just don’t want to be overlooked. I’m confident I’m one of a very small universe of people that do this thing. I’m also nervous bc it’s been up for more than 30 days. I’m sure if I got the focus of the hiring manager I’d go to the top of the pile. Thoughts on how to approach?

    1. in my experience job postings cap out at some point (like i’m 50 and no job post asks for 25 years experience). I think you should write a specific and descriptive cover letter for why this job works for you. i don’t think you need to tell them that you are actually overqualified. i know people at hate chat gpt here but most resumes at this point are reviewed by bots before they go to a person, i would ask chat gpt the question you asked us and run your draft through it.

    2. Don’t know about what to put in a cover letter, but nobody you interview with will know how old you are unless you tell them. Also, your resume doesn’t have to include your entire work history. I’ve been working full time since the late 90s and my resume only covers the past 16 years.

      1. Yes, in my last job search, I only included the last 15 years of work history and left off the year I obtained my college degree. I think that can help you get to the interview stage.

      2. Same – I removed the year I graduated college, and also removed older work experience that wasn’t related to the job. I have 18 years of experience, but only listed the last 3 jobs, totaling 11 years of experience.

    3. Don’t know about what to put in a cover letter, but nobody you interview with will know how old you are unless you tell them. Your resume doesn’t have to include your entire work history. I’ve been working full time since the late 90s. My resume only goes back 16 years.

    4. I wouldn’t worry about it, your numbers are very close to what’s advertised. I wouldn’t think those thoughts with your resume. I had to read that a couple of times to even understand the concern. The issue comes up with 25 years experience and and entry level/junior job. This is not that.

    5. You’re not that far off, but you could always leave off your first role or two from early career. A resume is not a background check file.

      1. I wouldn’t leave expectations off at this stage of OP’s career. Often the range is the minimum for a role. Too far over and there’s the issue OP is worried about but she’s right in target and often what an employer is hoping to find – just a little more experience to be plug and play.

    6. I think you’re actually close enough to the posted ranges that you won’t register to them as “way too senior”, and would not try to address it in a cover letter – unless there’s more than just the years of experience, like that you are also stepping back from a manager role to an ic role

    7. I don’t read your background as too senior, and I would find it odd if you tried to address it as though you were.

    8. I’d focus on your previous experience in banking and your interest in returning to the field. Also that you continue to find this type of work very satisfying and can bring experience and value to them. I would also see if you can say nice and interested things about their specific company (are they local? are they doing things that specifically interest you). I wouldn’t stress that they may think you are too senior for the role. You could state you are aligned with the posted job level if you really want to say something.

  2. Over the weekend I made an egg casserole and have been eating leftovers for breakfast this week. It’s pretty good (recommend it for a crowd!) but I don’t love the taste of microwaved eggs. Any recommendations for how to reheat dishes like this?

    2. I will leave this as a PSA for anyone doing a kitchen build or remodel, although recognize doesn’t help you currently. When we redid our kitchen, we included a convection steam oven (besides a microwave and regular oven). Best.Purchase.Ever. Reheats everything without making it tough, the way a microwave does, and also does everything under the sun – sous vide, convection, bread proofing – I can even pasteurize eggs in this thing. I don’t think this technology is available in a countertop version – ours is built in (and as a I recall, required some extra electric) but if I could only have one of the three devices, it would be this one, without a doubt.

      1. Similar idea, but when we replaced our oven, we got a double oven that is the size of a regular oven, just has a small one at top and regular size on bottom with no warming/storage drawer. The small one preheats in about 5 minutes and has been a game changer for reheating/cooking.

    3. Put individual portions in oven-safe containers and heat it for 10-15 min at 300F (time depends on how much food).

    4. Air fryer works great for this. Or a regular oven, of course, if you have time to pre-heat etc.

    5. I make a breakfast bundt cake that is better as leftovers because I slide it and bake the slices in a toaster oven for 5 or 6 minutes. Highly recommend the toaster oven for egg leftovers.

  3. Heading to Manhattan soon and will have some free time one day in Upper East Side, and second day in Midtown. I love to shop, especially at stores I can’t find elsewhere. What are your favorite stores in these areas (clothes/vintage, beauty, kitchen gear, books, household, etc) that you can’t find elsewhere? I’ve done luxury, and I’ve done the department stores. Hoping now to find some hidden gems. Send all the ideas please!

    1. I very rarely buy shoes in-person anymore, but I always like stopping into French Sole on the UES. 71st and Lex.

    2. I never miss Zabars – their kitchen section is fun as are their branded items. While a national chain, the UES Me & Em store is great. I also stop at the Carlyle for a drink in Bemelmans bar.

    3. I’ve wanted to go to Blue Tree because it sounds fantastic and because Phoebe Cates owns it. Has anyone been IRL?

      And also the Buru boutique because I love their things but need to try them on. And just wandering around.

      My last few midtown trips didn’t have me with any workday free time and while the city never sleeps, its little shops don’t stay open late. :(

    4. On the UES, Zitomer is a whole experience. It’s ostensibly a pharmacy, but there’s a lot more to it. Further uptown, Kitchen Arts & Letters is a tiny but amazing cookbook store.

      In midtown, if you like K-beauty, it’s worth stopping in some of the shops in Koreatown (around 5th ave in the low 30s) like Kosette, H-ART, and the Face Shop.

      1. +1 to Korea Town, and I’d hit Fish’s Eddy or ABC Home and Carpet for housewears/interior design.

        1. No joke, unfortunately. This definitely isn’t the work of an incompetent jester. It signals something.

          1. Okay, so what does it signal? Do you have credible information here or are you just panicking?

    2. This is a rehearsal for something. In my lifetime only 9/11 has shut down air traffic, and not for 10 days for most of the country. “They” are seeing what the reaction is and what they can get away with before using tools like this to fully end American democracy. ICE agents shooting a few protesters is going to look like a cakewalk.

      1. Agreed. Every one of these extreme steps is a test. I have no intel on why El Paso or what the cited excuse will be, but it’s definitely a test.

      2. now they are saying this was for counter-drone technology being tested at the nearby airbase, but that raises more questions.
        Testing counter drone technology – okay, making sure no real planes get hit seems a good precaution. But doing it with no warning for 10 days seems ridiculous. That part could just be incompetence though? I barely know anything about the military but could they have chosen a base that’s not right next to a busy airport?
        Then there is the question of whether they cancelled it after a few hours because they realized the planning failure, or whether they conducted tests last night and then aborted the run.

        1. There’s the old saw “never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity,” but it doesn’t work when this administration is both malicious and stupid.

        2. I saw some commentary that it could be the FAA calling for the shut down because they weren’t getting enough safety information from the DOD on this.

      3. Some of you are becoming conspiracy theorists in the weirdest way. It’s giving “false flag!!!”

        1. It’s almost as if we’re living through an era in which dozens of conspiracy theories have been revealed to be factual.

        2. You’re entitled to think that and I’m entitled to think you’re being dangerously naive if you don’t think Trump is testing us.

      1. I’m not “seeing it” anywhere. What I’m doing is thinking through what the possible reasons for an unexplained (well, barely “explained”) airspace closure might be, and how such a closure could be used to benefit bad actors. And coming to my own conclusion. These days it’s getting easier to connect the dots. As “They” say – “do your own research” ;-)

        1. Like I cannot find any time lace saying airspace is closed other than here, a fashion blog.

          1. It was the top story at the NYT when I woke up this morning and now it’s been bumped down a bit but still pretty high.

          4. Do you not use sites likecnn.com or other news outlets? It’s literally on the front pages.

      4. It’s on the NYT homepage. For me its in the second major block with text and a picture. It is also in the “live” feed across the top of NYT. It has been there for at least an hour for me at this point.

        1. I listen to NPR (discussing the peace monks on my station) and read a printed newspaper. Sorry I’m on local media but they cover real stories too.

          3. I do, too, but I also don’t demand people tell me where they’re seeing something without doing, like, any work at all.

      6. We have had a lot of comments lately that are, in effect, “I am not seeing that covered in the news/why is nobody talking about “. . . and, conversely, “what are you talking about” in response to discussion of well-covered events. If you are the person (and I really hope if it just one person), please take a look at your news sources. These have not been minor stories buried in the depths of social media or wackadoodle “news” sources and/or the story you are claiming is not being covered is literally a top headline on major new source website. You are seeing what your algorithm has been trained to show you and you are apparently not looking at any major professional source (BBC, NYT, CNN, etc.).

        I am not trying to be unkind. My (very intelligent and very liberal) father was having this issue because he was looking at Google news for stories and his settings were not showing him major stories and were definitely feeding his preconceptions. It is really dangerous on every end of the political spectrum.

    4. It seems even weirder that they were quickly like “jk, it’s open again now” – like, was it a mistake?

  5. Looking for packing suggestions for a trip to Ireland during the first week of March! I’m prepared to layer up and wear waterproof shoes + jacket, but is there anything in particular you’d recommend?

    1. Uniqlo heat tech items. They are super fine (no bulk under other things), pack easily, and if you get too warm they store easily in a backpack. Think sandwich size plastic bag small! FYI I do size up.

    2. I’ve been this time of year and layers plus make sure you have hat, scarf, gloves etc. It can be windy. But also lots of fun wool hats etc to purchase as souvenirs!

    4. Windproof everything. Not just warm. A nylon/Gore-Tex etc. layer that stops wind. It’s soooooo windy there, all the time. Waterproof boots if you plan on doing anything country-ish. Bring snacks. Even small bits of food are wildly expensive there.

  6. Are people already planning any shopping for President’s weekend? It is still bitterly cold here in the northeast so I plan to grab a few more sweaters while they’re on sale. I also plan to hit Vuori and Faherty to see if I can find some pants that look professional enough for some upcoming in-office days/travel while still having some stretch.

    2. Lately the holiday sales seem to be just random leftover stuff on clearance in size XL or a “% off everything *some exclusions apply” sale from which all the halfway decent items are excluded.

    3. I’ve seen a couple store emails come through but nothing tempting. Like, 25% off full price is not really a deal. I’m actually planning to do a serious try-on session and closet cull; during WFH I stored a lot of office wear in dust covers and, 3 years back in the office, can’t even remember what’s in half of them as I have never unzipped them. Think those are safe to sell or donate!

    4. Yes, finishing up my end of year sale shopping. I don’t see any point in paying the retail gods 40 percent more for the same product I can buy on sale. Found some sweaters at Hobbs and pants at Boden and Talbots. And loafers at Dansko. Be careful, the Dansko return policy on sale items is crappy.

  7. This site has been dead! I am on the west coast and usually by the time I log on there used to be at least 100+ comments, but now it is in the single digits. I have been reading for over 10 years and this is the slowest I have ever seen it. Maybe because there is an increase in nasty comments/responses?

        1. I think the readership is older, so therefore less boring. There used to often be very juicy relationship threads, but I haven’t seen one of those in months, if not years.

          2. I want an update on the heavily pregnant woman whose husband refused to keep his truck at least halfway filled with gas.

          3. Refused=refused the nonsense request. Fixed it. Hopefully she’s too busy w her new baby to check in here.

          4. Ha – posts like the one @ 1:41 is a huge reason I don’t post much here any more. It used to be that the pregnant poster would have posted here, and everyone would have said how hard/frustrating it is when your spouse isn’t stepping up when you need extra support. Now, there are several posters who quickly jump in to say not only is OP wrong for feeling the way she does, her position is dead wrong and she’s stupid for thinking it. I … just don’t post here anymore because of these responses, but I hope the posters like the one at 1:41 are getting some personal benefit out of doling out smug responses.

          5. Genuinely curious if 1:41 really believes that they are the single arbiter of whether a request is nonsense or not, as this is the kind of comment/attitude that keeps me from posting substantive posts here any more.

          6. But not every position needs to be unquestionably supported. That’s not good for anyone.

    2. I’ve been trying to spend less time on the internet in general. But most of the internet just seems designed to either make people angry or spend money (or both) and I’m tired of it. The internet used to be fun and it’s just not anymore. This isn’t “healthy” either, but I’ve made a return to the local bar (obviously not daily).

      1. I’m tired of being convinced to spend money—so off of most internet and social media, too.

    3. I think that does contribute. It’s rare to have a thread with over 400 comments now but it used to be kind of common. Personally, I think the rise in “you’re wrong to feel annoyed” responses to vent posts is a contributor.

      1. I’m a long time commenter and find myself hesitating to post because it seems like others are so quick now to jump to conclusions or make assumptions or just derail entirely. Even for pretty benign questions, there’s often an undertone of accusations and combativeness and distrust of the OP in the responses (or it’s just outright) which is unpleasant. I can’t always spell out every little detail or give tons of backstory to proactively fend off the accusations and assumptions.

        1. Yeah, that’s what I mean. The inherent distrust of anything an OP says and the jump to defend whomever the OP is complaining about it gets really, really old.

          There has also been a really nasty trend of kicking people who are clearly already down or struggling with something sensitive. It has definitely crossed into cyber bullying several times that I recall.

        2. Same. I’ve been here since Kat was totally anon. I used to post dumb stuff that I wanted to vent about, and would get some virtual head pats or needed sympathy and move on. Now, whenever I think to post something, I find myself typing a ton of justifications to head off the “you shouldn’t be annoyed by that” knee jerk reactions, and I just…..stop writing the post and go do something else. It’s a shame because it’s the only online space that is totally anonymous for me, and I miss having a space, anon place to vent. The moms p a g e is somehow even worse, and it’s a real loss for me.

        3. Yes, I think of myself as a reasonably diplomatic person and I feel like some of the commenters are living to jump down the throat of someone who doesn’t say something in the perfect way.

    4. I think there are fewer of the “My boyfriend is cheating on me” or “my husband and I are having horrible fights” type of posts now, which are what often get the most engagement (besides high-voltage political debates). Honestly I think a lot of the readership has grown up, so there may be less drama to discuss. I was posting a lot of super high-engagement comments with my roommate/friend/boyfriend dramas from like 2021-2024, but even I’ve grown out of having that type of content to discuss.

      It seems like the more common personal dramas now are “my in-laws are XYZ, how do I deal with seeing them once a year.” I think the raw posts that got some people really engaged just aren’t happening.

    5. I think the decline in regulars has not helped.

      Vicky Austin and PugsnBourbon just sort of disappeared one day. PomPom occasionally posts. Diana Barry and Dr. The Orignal… were chased off. I think that LaurenB got tired of the crap. Kate Middletown is gone, Jules rarely posts….

      You need some “names,” even if fictitious, to create community. Without that community, these fora lose their appeal.

        1. Can confirm as a longtime regular (not one of the ones named above, though!). I worry about being doxxed here. I don’t mind if someone knows I’m looking for a house cleaner in Philadelphia or whatever, but I don’t want them tying that to me asking career or relationship questions.

          3. oh for sure. I post as a mix of my regular name, anon, and question-specific titles, and I’m sure others do too.

          4. Ack, I accidentally doxed an old long time poster who used initials. She posted identifying information about her family, and I was legit shocked when a person with three names that matched the initials showed up in my neighborhood online group. A quick click of her name revealed the names of the kids she had posted about, and then she asked a nearly identical question in both forums. Yikes! I’ve never posted using my correct city, genders, ages or number of children since then.

          5. Have to know – was it KT?

            Also a loooong time poster with a name that would be remembered by some. I don’t want to be doxxed and I post less because I’m way more aware that posting from a work computer has its risks..

          6. It was not KT — and I don’t think she has posted under the initials in over 7 or 8 years. If she still regularly posted here under her initials, I probably would have discretely let her know via our neighborhood forum that she was “traceable.”

        2. Yes. I used to have a regular handle and I was quoted on STFU Corporette a handful of times. My life has changed a lot since then, and for various reasons it’s cleaner to avoid a regular handle.

          1. I wish that blog was still active, because I think having a separate snark place kept less snark happening on the main page.

        3. Waves hello. I’ve been on this s_te for 15+ years. Switched to anon a long time ago bc the commentariat here goes in waves of fine to nasty.

    6. It’s the asshats. Sometimes it seems like anything you say is going to trigger some asshat and I just don’t feel like dealing with it so I don’t comment. Congratulations to the asshats I guess. Although if they chase people off who are they going to pick on?

  8. To others who are unemployed in this terrible job market – what are your job hunt strategies? How many applications do you do per week, do you tailor each of them, do you work with a recruiting agency, are you relying on referrals? What career-level are you at?

    The last time I was looking for a job, there was no AI, so things have changed significantly. I have been asking around my network, and each person seems to be approaching it differently. One person was applying to 100’s of job postings, another was working on 1-2 per week only in her specific narrow field and has been unemployed for over a year. I know at least 3 people who have been unemployed for over 6 months. Feels very bleak.

    1. I accepted a job offer in 2025 after six months of job searching. I applied to 2-3 targeted jobs a week. I applied to a variety of jobs, but only those in my field or adjacent lines of work, which is why it was only 2-3 (there are only so many relevant/desirable opportunities). I tailored my resume for each application. I ended up getting two job offers. Reddit also has some encourage threads, if you want to look up specific concerns/strategies. I remember reading reddit when I was concerned I was wasting my time applying to jobs that received hundreds of applicants. I took screenshots of a bunch of advice that helped me stick with my process and not doubt myself. Sometimes you need that “evidence” to help you persevere.

    2. I left my job in July and have re-emerged from a break ready to get back into the job market. I have 20+ years of work experience and am financially comfortable holding out for the right job. I am in the 1-2 per week within my field camp. I view the process right now as practice to tailoring my resume and cover letter – agree that AI and all the automatic platforms makes things very different from the last time I looked for a job 10 years ago.

    3. If you’re in a field where this makes sense, you might try doing a contract role to get your foot in the door. I know a few people who have had good luck with that – hook up with an agency, and take a contract-to-hire job. I’m in tech, though, not sure if this applies to other areas.

    4. You need to network to get your resume to the top of the pile. Highly recommend that you work your network hard, live, zooms, conferences, etc. It really works.

      you can also set LI to show you jobs posted within the past day, or hour, and pounce on getting things in quickly. It helps.

  9. DH is attending the wedding of a colleague of his this upcoming weekend in Mexico. (we live in Houston). He works in the same small Houston office (~15 people, though it is a very large company with a large headcount in other places) as the colleague, but on completely separate teams. DH is more senior than him. I was also invited to the wedding but am not going as we have two kids at home. How much does he spend on a wedding gift? and is it different because it is a destination wedding?

    3. Regular amount, $250-300. I wouldn’t cheap out on my professional network. You don’t get a discount based on your own life.

      1. my sentiments exactly, but he’s going, so… and i don’t know the typical amount for our area bc we moved here after the wedding stage of life

    6. Normal gift amount for your area. I find it awkward to give cash to colleagues so would pick something off the registry.

      1. I was also going to ask if there is a registry. If so, I would definitely go that route.

      2. the registry is mostly things like give money to our honeymoon fund or give money for kitchen appliances

        1. I would probably do $200-400 because DH has to pay for travel and lodging, and it’s just a work relationship.

  10. does anyone make their own sprouts at home? I was psyched to do it until I read something about a foodborne illness they can carry and now I’ve been stuck in the “can’t do anything until I research more” phase.

    2. I feel like there are two schools of thought on risky food prep: I trust myself and my own standards more than anyone else’s vs. I trust them more or would at least prefer to have someone to sue.

      I don’t do sprouts or kombucha or canning since it’s too high stakes feeling for me.

    3. I only grow cress as a herb to spice up a buttered bread or salads. Everything else is too much work and caution for me.

    4. I occasionally make my own sprouts. I buy organic seeds grown especially for sprouting. They are made in the EU, and controlled by my local food authority agency, so at least two European standard food safety checks.

      I only do a few different types that I’m comfortable with, my favourite has been fenugreek. I have a glass container with a strainer kind of set-up, and follow the instructions from the seed producer. I don’t sprout alfalfa or regular bean sprouts.

      There is of course still a possiblitly of things like ecoli, listeria and salmonella, but I also buy fresh spinach or salad and frozen berries.

    6. I grow mung bean sprouts regularly. The risk is from unsanitary conditions in harvesting, storage, and transit to your kitchen. Rinse them a few times in plain tap water to wash away dust. Rinse again with some plain white vinegar, which deters molds and pathogens. Rinse off the vinegar then set them to sprout, using whatever instructions came with your sprouter (I have an old “Kitchen Crop” set of trays that I bought in my hippie days in the 1990s) or whatever instructions you find on the internet. When the sprouts are ready for use, rinse them well. You’ll further reduce your risk if you serve them with an acid-based dressing or, of course, if you cook them thoroughly.

      If you keep your kitchen sanitary and you clean the sprouter or container well after every use, then your risk of foodborne illness from home-grown sprouts is very, very low.

    7. I do! It’s very satisfying and easy to do. I buy my seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds, which seems like a smaller reputable company vs. places on Amazon. I bought a top to a jar from the same company (it has with holes in it that you can use on a jar to grow sprouts). I’m not sure what the risk level is, but I’ve grown sprouts many times and have never had an issue.

  11. I really like this sweater but have never purchased anything from Aritzia. It looks like I’m on the borderline between two sizes. Any thoughts on which one to choose? If it matters, I’m a pear shape with a slightly thicker waist these days.

    1. Haven’t tried this sweater but I did order a couple layering tops from Aritzia a little while ago. I was between sizes and rounded down and they were VERY tight. I think the brand tends to lean young, and juniors sizes are maybe a little less generous.

  12. what flats are you wearing with flared or wide leg pants? don’t do a lot of walking but i feel like my proportions are wrong no matter what i try… heels were simpler lol

    1. Anything with an almond toe works for me. I can’t do pointy toes, and round doesn’t look right, imo.

    2. In the winter I do doc martins, sneakers, or mary janes. Summer it’s usually birkenstocks or fisherman sandals.

  13. as i’ve been watching the olympics there have been many commercials for our local childrens hospital, which does also happen to be one of the best childrens hospitals in the country…do people really select a hospital based on a commercial? i don’t really understand the purpose of this advertising

    1. I think these commercials are aimed at securing good will in the community and possibly donations.

    2. I don’t understand the advertising for a treatment for a rare form of a rare form of cancer. Is it really directed to doctors?

      1. I think with a lot of the really novel cancer treatments, a treatment course is six figures, so if they get even 10 additional patients on it, that’s a great return on advertising investment.

        1. There’s also a weird thing where medical centers for rarer conditions need as many patients as possible to retain their expertise + staffing in this area.

          So, advertising for rare patients benefits the center by helping it retain preeminence.

      2. There is advertising directed at doctors, but I think it’s probably more for patients. Pharma knows that a lot of money is spent to discourage patients from pursuing cancer treatment (think of insurance companies funding skeptics like Vinay Prasad or the alt med industry decrying oncology as less natural or more dangerous than some diet or supplement or meditation routine).

    3. Yes, commercials help build and sustain prestige and brand recognition, and people absolutely pick and choose among hospitals based on their sense of whether they can trust the hospital or whether it has a good reputation.

      I’ve observed people go to Mayo or Cleveland Clinic or Memorial Sloan Kettering when they didn’t really need to (when all the tests and interventions they needed were available nearer by), but it’s because they want to feel confident that they’re getting the best care. Even if they make the exact same recommendations, it’s more reassuring if it’s coming from a more respected institution.

      I think children’s hospitals are additionally strange because there’s often a choice of whether to go to a regular hospital with pediatricians or an actual children’s hospital.

      1. I agree with this and national hospital ads definitely are a thing for places like the Cleveland Clinic. But also, if you’re watching a Peacock feed, you might be getting locally targeted ads. I’ve also been watching a lot of Olympics, and while I don’t pay much attention to ads, I certainly haven’t noticed any hospital ads (but lots of drug ads).

        1. i think it is a locally targeted ad. which is why it especially makes no sense to me, since it is the main option in town

          1. If there’s any other option in town, then there’s competition. (Not everyone knows the differences between “the hospital” and the “children’s hospital” and sometimes the latter are newer and need to make people aware!)

            But it’s also possible they’re aiming more at the donations and goodwill if it’s just local.

      2. My mom is like that about Mayo. I’m sure it’s a great place, but I’ve never had a medical problem so rare or strange that there wasn’t a suitable specialist in my very large city. It

        Somehow my kids went through their whole childhood without going to a children’s hospital. I wasn’t averse to it, but their mostly run-of-the-mill medical problems could be solved by specialists at a hospital that had pediatric patients.

        Related: As my kids got older, I felt like a lot of the annual pediatric checkups were more about things in the realm of lifestyle choices as opposed to medical problems. Yes, it’s great to encourage kids to eat vegetables, but telling my slim teenager in six ballet classes a week that she needs to be more careful about snacking meant we had to switch providers because I’m not putting up with that balderdash.

  14. Tips for giving young teens spending money? My 7th grader has a phone, a bank account, and a lot of cash. There are often situations where I want to give her spending money when she’s out with friends. Right now, I hand her cash but we are finding more and more places are card-only. What have you done with your kiddos? My options are:
    – Link my credit card to her phone via apple pay
    – Get her her own credit card linked to my and DH’s existing accounts
    – Open her a checking account, move some of her savings into it and get her a debit card (I can do this via banks like CapitalOne even though she’s a minor)
    – Somehow connect my venmo to her phone? This is tricky, even DH and I have trouble sharing Venmo.
    – Greenlight card (seems unnecessary since there are fees I don’t want any of the benefits like linking to chores)

    FWIW she’s extremely responsible and our approach so far is I just give her my credit card and let her know she can use it for emergencies/ up to $x but it does have my name on it and doesn’t seem like the right solution.

    Some examples of places that don’t take cash are sports and concert venues, amusement parks, that type of thing. She’s been invited to go with friends and friends’ parents. She used to bring cash but she ended up giving it to the mom and mom had to buy her stuff since the entire venue was cashless. Now I just send her with my credit card but i don’t love that, especially for stuff where she wants to and should be spending her own money.

    1. I’d just get her her own debit card and be done with it. It will allow her to learn how to budget too.

    2. i would do options 1, 2 or 3. in some ways if apple pay generally is accepted than she doesn’t need to carry around a physical card and so option 1 would be the easiest

    3. You can set up Apple Cash on her phone without linking it to a credit card, and that’s what I have done for my middle schooler. He also has a debit card, but he usually prefers to use Apple Cash. It works really well for us.

      https://www.apple.com/apple-cash/

    4. My teen has her own bank account, connected to my checking account. Most banks will set one up for you with no fees. I can add money if she needs it, and it’s good practice for seeing her savings grow and realizing how fast they can be depleted at Lululemon. She’s been much more responsible and thoughtful with spending since doing this instead of cash.
      I did give her a copy of my credit card, in her name, when she left for college. She only has it for emergencies and an occasional approved purchase.

    5. Get her a secured credit card (secured with like 250$) from your regular bank and help her learn to budget + build a credit history.

  15. I have signed mortgage for my first apartment today! As an expat living in a foreign country, dealing with the process in a language I am not fluent in, plus having a surname with ‘special’ letters which were causing random issues with e-ID verification…. it was a ride. I would love to have a relaxing glass of wine to celebrate this step, but alas, need to catch up with work and kill 2 presentation decks tonight. Keep fingers crossed for me (and my unusual surname) for next week, when the sale agreement is being signed.

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