This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sales of note for 10.10.24
- Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
- Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
- White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
New Hair Help
I have a haircut appointment on Saturday and I am itching for a change. My hair is naturally curly (no idea what number?) – kind of half way between beach waves and ringlets BUT because I color and heat style it, I seem to have killed the bottom two inches which don’t curl at all anymore. Regardless, I never wear my hair curly – always pulled back or straightened/styled. It’s about three inches below the tops of my shoulders now.
A couple of years ago I did one of those high-low bob/lob things where the longest in the front hit about an inch below my chin. I really liked it, but I think that’s outdated now (?) and I want something slightly longer so I can pull most of it back for running.
I am kind of mulling a pixie, but I know I will want to grow it out again (and then cut it again), so I am not sure that’s the right level of commitment for me. I don’t mind styling it most of the time. Any ideas on any other fun cuts?
Anon
I think that shape is out of style for straight hair, especially blunt cut, but not for curly hair. There are limited shapes that curly hair does well with so a slightly (not dramatic) asymmetrical bob (which is really just layered in the back) is and will be in style for a very long time because it is flattering on many hair types and head shapes.
OP
Ah, but I almost never wear my hair naturally curly. I will straighten and then use a big barreled iron for curls/waves. I don’t care for the type of curl my hair is and prefer it straight.
I should have been more specific that straight styles were what I was looking for, sorry!
Anon
Have you ever had a pixie before? Because if your hair is curly now, it’s going to be ultra curly when it’s super short, and straightening each little piece will be dreadful/impossible. Think Little Orphan Annie / Bob Ross / Will Ferrell. Just ask 10th grade me…
(And yep, the angled bob is quite outdated now.)
OP
Thank you for the reality check!!!
Anonymous
Although… if you have pretty loose curls like I do, or my son does, there has to be some length for the curl to show. If Either of us getsshort enough, no curl
Tessa Karlov
I also have hair of varying texture, and I’ve just decided to embrace it! I have an Ashley Benson-inspired choppy lob (long enough to tie back) with a side part where the side that I don’t part on has a bunch of locks of varying length so my hair looks good either curly or straight. My ends are also very damaged, so most of my product use is a leave-in conditioning balm and an anti-frizz serum. It’s been about 6 months with it now and I still love it.
Anonymous
Not OP but which leave in conditioning balm and anti-frizz serum do you use?
OP
Definitely had to Google her! That’s essentially the same cut I had before but just a little longer. I see a theme here! I straightened it and then styled it with a curling iron so it looked like how she styles it.
No matter what I do, I can’t get it to do the type of curl I like on its own. Of course!!
Thanks!
anon
Trying to have a straight pixie cut when your hair is actually curly is going to be a really high-maintenance cut for you.
Are you totally opposed to wearing it natural? I think that might open up some options for you.
Anonymous
I find that the longer my hair is the better as the weight pulls the curls into a better look. I tried cutting to a lob and it was such a hassle.
Anonymous
google or pinterest Wavy Lob
Cruises
My parents have mobility issues, but still like to take family trips. We have found cruises to provide a decent compromise, since the younger ones can do more active activities when my parents do a bus tour or similar and then everyone meets up again for the night. We have previously been on cruises to the Caribbean and Alaska, and are trying to think of some new destinations. Ideas I’ve come up with are Mediterranean or Scandinavia cruises. Any other ideas? Any recommendations for companies in those areas?
Anonymous
There are a lot of companies that do river cruises throughout Europe. Much smaller boats than the typical Caribbean cruise, but that is part of the appeal for me. (I’ve never done one but my parents did).
Anon
Not sure if OP has kids, but a lot of the river cruises don’t allow children.
Coach Laura
We loved our Baltic cruise with multiple generations and seniors 75+. We were on Princess for that which was good but liked Royal Caribbean better (when we did the Alaska cruise). Cities were Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Talin, Gdansk, Berlin and then back to Copenhagen.
Anon
There are cruises that do the South Pacific – some will take you across the Pacific (eg, Hawaii to Australia or something like that), others just cruise around South Pacific islands. My parents did a 7 day French Polynesia cruise out of Papeete Tahiti and raved about it.
We did a Norwegian fjords cruise with Holland America and had a great time – bonus is that it left from Amsterdam, which I’d been wanting to visit.
Anonymous
On a recent trip to Iceland, we saw the same ship in multiple locations, so there must be a cruise option. Iceland is a great country to see by ship.
Otherwise, I love the idea of Denmark, Norway, or one of the European river cruises.
The Frenchie is my favorite kid
We’ve done northern European and southern European cruises and they’ve been good. The only downside for mobility issues is that we sail at night and mostly dock and walk around the cities during the day – and not all European cities are easy to navigate with limited mobility. The itineraries have been enjoyable, though.
Anonymous
A Cruise to Cuba could be interesting, My favorite cruise was a Celebrity Cruise where we went to Bermuda and stayed there for a few days, we were able to explore the island completely and have fun on the cruise.
Nova Tropics
I find that I am looking for suits/business-style wear that is friendly in the tropics, so this brand is very interesting. I’m in humidity-prone Northern Virginia, and given the rounds of HHH, T storms, shearing winds, and yes, more-frequent tornados, breathable fabrics are a must.
In other news, a community mediation center that I helped found is thriving at year 10. There is a gala at the end of the month, and I’m feeling a bit flummoxed on what to wear in addition to being in the spotlight. If you’ve been to a gala, what did you wear? I have a simple black sheath that I might dress up, but that might be under-doing-it. I’ve lost 10 pounds recently so my closet is indicating that shopping is the next step. Help, please.
Anonymous
A few tips, my first galas were this past winter.
Dress: everyone wore a long, floor-length dress. I bought a Vera Wang, in black, at Nordstrom Rack for a steal ($50, down from $400) and brought it to an excellent tailor. I also went to Rent the Runway with limited success. It was a bit hard to find a dress that looked great without tailoring. Nordstrom always has a large selection, too. I would have felt out of place with any short dress.
Hair: Everyone had their hair professionally styled but most often in a way that looked natural. Think headshot, not wedding – similar to everyday wear but with more polish.
Money: Since it’s a benefit, I would plan to bid on some item at the auction. The silent auction at the table will have reasonably priced things.
Anonymous
Best place to stay in London for a first timer? Open to Airbnb or hotel – specific recommendations or neighborhoods would be great
anon
What do you want to do while you’re here? London has everything, but it’s very spread out. Do you want a neighbourhood where you can stroll and soak it in and get leisurely coffee and cocktails, or will you be ticking off the tourist sites and want to be in walking distance?
Anonymous
South Kensington
Anonymous
The Mandeville Hotel
EM84
I liked the best Zetter Hotel in Islington
Anon
I’m a fan of Citizen M hotels.
Anonymous
Premier Inn County Hall
Vicky Austin
Hmm, I wonder if this would be appropriate for my meeting with the stock photographer later…
(seriously though, what even.)
Irish Midori
I didn’t get a lot of responses on the moms side, so trying here just to see if anyone has personal experience: $750 for a used SNOO bassinet with some extra sheets and swaddles and accessories — buy it or no? Wait for a better deal vs. risk not finding another one? New ones are on fathers day sale for $840 w/tax, no extra accessories.
The price makes me gasp, but I reeeeeeeally hate sleep deprivation.
Anon
No experience with the SNOO, but if you can sell a used one for $750, I think it’s probably worth buying…won’t you be able to resell it for just slightly less than you paid for it? At that price difference, I would personally buy new, but I’m paranoid about thirdhand smoke and bed bugs.
Anon
It would be a better deal to buy either new or used since there’s such a strong resale market, but you can also rent them now .
Anokha
I don’t have a Snoo, but can you rent one?
Anon
They just started a rental program in January.
Anonymous
Unless the accessories are really pricey that seems awfully high for something used – 50% of new price is my baseline.
Anon
The normal price new is $1300 – the price OP quoted is a phenomenal sale.
Anonymous
Plus she can easily resell it for almost the same price when her kiddo is finished using it
Anonymous
Having just recently been through the newborn phase (twice), I cannot actually imagine a device that worked so well that it would cost that much. It would basically have to be miraculous. (Like absolutely fool-proof and guaranteed every time.) I’ve seen some reviews and it doesn’t like that it’s that good. I know sleep deprivation makes you do crazy things, but I might pass…
Anon
At the risk of sounding like a smug mom, I’m always skeptical of things like the SNOO that don’t teach your child how to put themselves to sleep or self-soothe. Sure, it may help you get more sleep in the first couple of months but at what cost? Your kid is not going to be sleeping in the SNOO until college and it seems like you’re just setting yourself up for exhaustion and frustration whenever your child outgrows it.
Cb
As a counter point, if I could have gotten some rest in the first few months while recovering from birth and adapting to life as a mom, it would have been worth the transition process later on.
Anon
Parent of terrible sleepers here. Kid approaching age 3 still routinely calls out for help with a blanket or cuddles or reassurance after a nightmare. Something that helped them sleep better during the newborn stage would have been awesome; I would not care that it wouldn’t help them sleep later on.
Anonymous
FWIW, the Snoo does have a “wean” feature to help the baby adjust and transition to a normal crib. And yes, you do sound like a smug mom. Don’t forget kids go through dozens of sleep changes before college…dreaded sleep regressions, potty training, transition to a big kid’s bed, arrival of siblings (or not)
Anonymous
Do it!! Used SNOOs are going $700-$800 in my HCOL west coast city on CL/OfferUp/FB marketplace and have been that price range for at least 6 months now (saw one for $650 in my neighborhood FB moms group—it was sold in <1min). A friend and I recently went in on a used Snoo together—she has a newborn now and I’m expecting my second in 4 months. Since the high-end used baby gear market is pretty steady (helllllo, have you seen how much older model Uppa Vistas / Stokke high chairs are going for?), we’d each only be out $50-80 when we resell it, which is much less than the $100/month rental cost. Performance-wise, she’s consistently getting 5-7 hour stretches of sleep from her little guy (her first was not a good sleeper even when swaddled); my coworker who is a FTM is getting similar results with her Snoo. On the flip side, another mutual friend who is also on her second is only getting ~4 hour streches with the Snoo (though they’ve been having issues with BF). My first was an awful sleeper (3hours max!) before we sleeptrained at 6months…so I’ll take any amount of sleep I can get!
Anon
Hope it’s not too late but we got the snoo and it had been a lifesaver! My 10w old is regular sleeping 8 hr chunks.
We bought it on sale and hope to resell it. I have seen the resale price go down (I’m hoping to get $675, but I’ve seen plenty in my area going for $500). Even at that, it has been worth it for me. The extras and soft goods, if you included them, don’t seem to increase the asking price. The people asking $800 for the new ones because they bought them for $1200 are bananas. I also think eventually they will make a snoo 2.0 and have already said they are working on a larger model.
You can delay the ship date to delay the start of the warranty. You can also ask them to refund you the difference if the price goes down more in the meantime. I’d buy it now while it’s on sale, set the ship date for later (you can change it at anytime), and then think on it more.
Anon.
I know this may be too late for you to see, but it looks like you can get one on A M A Z O N for about $900 new.
Horse Crazy
Should I bother applying for a job whose upper end of the starting salary is ~$6000/year less than my ABSOLUTE minimum salary requirement? It’s a remote position with a national nonprofit, and I meet all of the qualifications, but I just can’t take a pay cut – I live in a VHCOL area.
January
I feel like the answer is no, but it could depend on a few things. Why do you want to apply for this job? Are those reasons enough to make up for the shortfall in salary? Are they recruiting you (so that you might have a reason to believe they’d be willing or able to find the $$ to pay you more if you were offered and accepted the position)? That you meet their qualifications isn’t a good enough reason to apply, in my view.
Anon
I wouldn’t, personally. Nonprofits rarely have a lot of wiggle room on salary. A private company might up their offer if they really wanted you, but at a nonprofit (or government) the range is the range and they really can’t exceed it.
Anon
That said, you could easily save $6k/year (and the paycut is even less, since it’s $6k before taxes) by not commuting, so if you’re currently commuting, it might be worth thinking about the math and whether or not you can make this salary work for you.
Skipper
I’d include in this calculation the amount of money you’re spending on workwear, the initial outlay to set up a home office, and any big changes WFH is going to have on your food budget.
anon
How are the benefits? How much does commuting cost you?
Anon
Nope.
Anonymous
Would what you’d gain from the new job balance out what you would lose from the income? Would $6K less mean you’d be slashing your grocery budget and buying all your clothes at thrift stores? Or would it merely mean you’d take a less expensive vacation? How much would the schedule freedom or job benefits balance out the lifestyle losses? Only you know can do that kind of “math.”
Salary expectation question
What are your thoughts on the “salary expectation” question as a pre-interview screening? Online blogs recommend deflecting the question with something vague like ‘I am looking for a good fit for my skills or depends on the work required” etc. I wonder if not answering the question will result in being taken out of the the running for an interview.
Have you had experience with people answering as such and been put off by it or do you think it’s a smart move if candidates do that?
FWIW- I’m a young lawyer
Anon
The better answer I’ve heard proffered is something along the lines of “commensurate with my experience and the position obligations, but in general am looking to assess the entire compensation package, including benefits”. Essentially – tells them you are looking for market pay but are flexible on the number based on the total comp package without anchoring yourself to a number.
Anon
I usually deflect the first time the question is asked, but if they press me on it a second time, then I will say “I currently make X and would need a job to offer extraordinary opportunities or benefits in order to take less.”
Edge
In several states, you can’t ask salary history any more so I find the expectation question valid. It also helps make sure you aren’t wasting your time by being in a very different bracket. I’d just go on my higher level of range
Anon
This. I say what I’m looking for because if they can’t do it, I don’t want to waste my time. My response would be different if I was unemployed and desperate for any job.
Handling Multiple Offers
Along the lines of salary discussions…
How do you handle the conversation when you have multiple offers from different firms? I am going to receive one offer this week, and another next week. I don’t want the first firm to feel like I’m jerking them along, but I spent a lot of time with the second firm and feel like I owe them a chance instead of just accepting the first thing that comes along. They are both really good companies, and I’d be happy to work for either one of them. It’s very possible that I will accept the first offer, but I want to consider both.
Kart
I would just ask them, when each offer comes in, by when they expect a response (if the offer letter doesn’t include a deadline). They shouldn’t expect you to make a decision overnight. If they don’t have a specific response date and ask you when you think you’ll make a decision, I would say that two or three weeks to consider is appropriate. Don’t mention the other firm to either firm — you don’t need to be waiting on another job offer to want to take two weeks to make a final decision. Accepting a new job is a big deal!
Anon
It’s perfectly normal to take a week or so to consider an offer, even longer in some cases. There is no need to tell one firm about the other unless they are insisting on a very quick turn around to answer and then just say “I’m considering another offer can I get back to you by X date (within a week)”
Handling Multiple Offers
Thank you! I think I just handled the first conversation as smoothly as I could.
Anon
Just really want commiseration- I work with men who often have issues with women and just had a particularly bad se#ual harassment experience while accompanying my client to something (I didn’t have to be there, but client couldn’t manage it on his own) – enough that my colleagues (I was texting them what was going on) quickly gave me a call about an “emergency” and got me out of there. I was trying to figure out how to bail myself and was just so upset I could not get that far. Appreciate my colleagues but I also want to cry in anger and frustration and shame that I didn’t have the ability to get myself out of there. I’m usually ok at shutting harassment from clients down but it was bad and I just froze.
Anon
Hug? Tea? A bourbon, neat?
“Appreciate my colleagues but I also want to cry in anger and frustration and shame that I didn’t have the ability to get myself out of there.”
You DID get yourself out of there. Texting someone to call you about an “emergency” counts as getting yourself out of there. You’re also in a terrible position wherein this person is paying for you to do your job, and “shutting harassment… down” isn’t always feasible or easy.
Anon
Thank you! I got a very large iced mocha.
Legal aid, so, not being paid by them, but still a difficult position. ;)
Explorette
So sorry, hugs! It is very difficult to deal with this situation with a client. I think your “emergency” was a great way to handle it. One thing I’ve found effective is usually these men are married, so I’ll use the “gee, if only you weren’t married” line. I HATE that I have to walk on eggshells to protect their little egos, but that’s the way the world works. Sometimes shutting them down just means you get shut out.
Anonymous
Um, that is never a good line, especially if your clients have been accused of DV (which sounds like the case here).
Anon
Yes, lots and lots of DV/general violence against women.
I…cannot possibly imagine saying this. Ever. I usually go with “Excuse me?” Or a VERY firm “Stop saying things like that.” But here I was just upset and it was very explicit and I was in a situation with zero in person support from anyone I knew and in public and I did not want him to flip. So I just couldn’t figure it out.
Anonymous
Don’t blame yourself, calling on any resource available to you to address a situation is solving the problem and protecting yourself from harm.
Kh
You protected yourself. Full stop. You did good. Deal with any aftermath as necessary but always protect yourself first of all.
Hugs.
Wedding Bells
Help! I am getting married soon and am trying to figure out the tipping protocol for the staff of the venue so that I can make sure we have enough cash on hand. The venue for our wedding charges a service fee (21%) for staffing and administering the event, but that service fee does not include “optional gratuity for the staff”. So what do we tip? And who all do we need to plan to tip?
Anon
I have never heard of a venue charging a service fee based on a percentage of overall wedding charges (why would you be charged a fee for renting the venue?!) but rather per head and/or per hour. In general I would balk against this. You should ask the venue what it covers – how much per person per hour? My venue charged us a flat fee per wait person/per bartender per hour (ex. $25 per waiter and bartender x 5 hrs) which was very straightforward so we new exactly how much to tip (a percentage of the payment toward the servers).
Anon
Most of the venues I looked at had a service fee (mine charged 24%), and the bartenders had their own fee.
Anon
My wedding venue (and many others I had toured) also charged a percentage service fee on top of the venue rental fee. For venues where this fee does not include gratuity, our wedding planner suggested we tip either a percentage for the staff to split among themselves or per head ($20-50pp, and $75-$100 for the bartender/banquet captain). When we were going to the bank, we had no idea how many servers we would have, so we opted for a percentage we were comfortable with.
Anon
We had a 23% service charge so we didn’t tip anymore on top of that. I tipped my hair & makeup artist $100 on top of all her fees (she owns her own business) and we gave our photographer a bottle of really nice craft whiskey. My wedding planner didn’t think it was necessary to tip the venue extra.