ByKat Hours Updated
Comments 132 Comments

Coffee Break: Zabie Slingback Pointy Toe Pump

Nordstrom has some crazy sales right now, including a lot of stuff up to 60% off — and these low block heels from Mark Fisher LTD look really lovely. We're featuring them in this spring-y, happy yellow, but sizes are going quickly, as you'd expect for something that's 60% off. There's also a beige, cream, and a nice black snake print. I like the vents and cutout details on the front and sides, as well as the chunky block heel. If you're a fan of Mark Fisher's other styles (like this super popular heel that everyone loves), this should be a hit. It's normally $170 but is now marked down to under $70, and a lot of sizes are still in stock. Zabie Slingback Pointy Toe Pump

P.S. We'd normally be doing a roundup of nude-for-you heels around this time — are you ladies interested in that now?

Sales of note for 12.5

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

132 Comments

  1. My firm just cut our pay by 15%. I usually contribute the max to my 401k, roughly 12% of my pay. I have three months’ of living expenses comfortably in savings (as the fates would have it, just used a big chunk to finish paying off my student loans). How do I decide whether and when to reduce 401k contributions? Part of me thinks no, you adjust your expenses and keep paying yourself by contributing to retirement. Part of me thinks girl, you can’t eat your retirement bulk up your savings while you can and then go back to 401k-ing once you’ve doubled your emergency fund.

    1. You haven’t mentioned whether you are continuing to save in your emergency fund. If you make enough to save in both places, I would stick to doing that without altering the amounts, but if you are currently ONLY contributing to retirement, I’d start saving more in the EF.

      1. This. Are you adding to your EF at all? Or no and it all goes to retirement? If it all goes to retirement, then you need to cut back retirement (not to 0 but a few %) to take some into your EF. IDK where you live or what type of firm you’re at but in HCOL places and during recessions 3 months is not nearly enough. Not to scare you but I lost a biglaw job after the recession (in 2013) but was fairly senior — it took 16 months to land.

      2. I do both. But if I were to cut retirement savings I’d be able to more quickly grow regular savings.

        1. How quickly are you filling your emergency fund? At your current rate of contribution, how long will it take for the e-fund to get to a level where you’re comfortable (6 months, 12 months, whatever). I’d say if you anticipate you might lose your job before you get to that level, then cut back on retirement contributions and focus on the e-fund.

    2. Thank you so much for asking this question. My husband and I both max out our retirements. We are going to have to wipe out our emergency fund this year (not covid related, just two unavoidable major expenses) and I’ve been really nervous about how long it will take us to rebuild it. I’m scared that now is not the time to have zero savings. I think I will talk to him tonight about cutting his contribution some (and maybe mine too) until we can build it back up.

      We do have the luxury that my in-laws have assured us money is there if we needed it in an emergency but I’d rather not rely on that.

      1. This prompted me to start looking at alternatives and I might check out a home equity loan for one of my two expenses so that we retain some liquidity.

        1. This is a good idea and we have done this ourselves. We were in this position a number of years ago – the choice was, take out a home equity loan to replace our roof or wipe out our emergency fund. We took the loan and paid it off (it was $15k so it took a little while based on our income at the time, but we got it done). If you wipe out your savings, then someone loses a job, accessing credit sufficient to cover your expenses will get more difficult. And joblessness is an open-ended situation where you may end up accumulating more debt than you think just to cover basic expenses over an unknown period of time. With our roof replacement, we knew exactly how much it was going to cost and took out the loan for that amount. Someone said here a long time ago that paying down debt (and not accumulating more) is obviously a good goal, but at the end of the day, you cannot eat paid-off loans, so don’t de-prioritize accumulating emergency cash. Not going into debt for home repairs feels good but leaves people in a vulnerable position if another catastrophe strikes, and we are nowhere near out of the woods economically right now. We pay for some emergency expenses out of our emergency fund but for me, that money is pretty much earmarked for situations where there is drastic income loss, which some people are experiences.

    3. If you’re contributing on a percentage basis, your retirement contribution will be cut commensurate with your pay (so if you made $100K and it was cut 15% to $85K, your 12% contribution wouldn’t be $12K, it would be $10,200).

    4. No. I’ve never been more thankful I live in a city and can get fresh groceries and take out from amazing restaurants delivered curbside. But I’ve never been one to admire farm life or any sort of rustic traditions – I find no joy in baking or harvesting (canning?) or any sort.

    6. I would drop my contribution and beef up the emergency fund. Recalibrate in 3-6 months.

    7. Just keep saving. My dad says you are NOT going to eat all of the extra money, so just save it. You are also NOT going to be frivulus either. If you make good money, you will not notice the loss of 15%. Just keep billing and you will get a raise. I learned to just follow the leader and you will become one. I expect the manageing partner is getting tired of all of the fuss and he may just stay in the Hamtons with Margie and their toddler and I can become manageing partner on the fast track now. He told me as much yesterday, tho he does have a high guaranteed retirement payout, which I would have to chip in to fund. I kind of want him to stay b/c w/o him, I would be on the front line with no one to stick up for me in the firm if he retired. FOOEY!

  2. Anyone else fantasizing about living on a farm right now? The horse post this morning rekindled my interest, but it was also piqued this week after I talked to a client who lives on 30 acres and after seeing some posts from equestrians on Instagram. Self-isolating on a beautiful property full of animals looks so idyllic from where I’m sitting in my cramped apartment.

    On a more serious note, but in the same vein, I’d like to try growing some of my own vegetables this summer. I was thinking tomatoes to start because we have a small patio area that can hold a few pots. Can anyone recommend a good beginner’s website/blog/book to help me get started? I have only the faintest understanding of things like fertilizer and watering schedules and I’d like to get a little more knowledgeable before sinking money into anything.

    1. Here’s something that I have never understood about growing ones own vegetables. How do you prevent that animals — squirrels, rats, raccoons, whatever lives outside — have not touched/done something to your vegetables? I know some people in the far out suburbs who have full on gardens in a section of their yard that are caged in so it would be hard for any animal to get in. But most people don’t have that; they just grow things in pots or plant a few plants out in the open in their yard. Do you not assume that these animals are carrying disease etc. that isn’t going to be just rinsed away with a quick wash before you slice into your salad? Or does it not matter because that’s just how gardening is whether you are growing 2 plants or have a 10 acre farm of tomatoes or whatever and humans have survived so far? Sorry I know it’s a total city slicker question but I really have always wondered this as relatives raved about their home grown peppers and then I looked onto their decks and saw squirrels running around having a field day.

      1. I would wash them the same way I do the vegetables I get from the grocery store. Those are touched by who knows what along the way of getting to you . . .

      2. Honestly it never occurred to me that animals would spread disease via fruits and vegetables. That just isn’t a thing. The real problem is wild animals eating your crops! A year or two ago I was growing kale and it was doing very well until the neighborhood wild peacocks discovered it. They ate all the good parts of the leaves and left a row of kale skeletons! So that was the end of me and kale. (I was sad but kale-hating Hubby was thrilled.)

      3. You are right, that this is just what growing and eating stuff from nature is. Not everything that lives outside carries fatal diseases. Squirrels will not discern between Aunt Amy’s veggie patch or farmer Bob’s field. A lot of produce is washed, cooked or peeled, making it safe that way. But in general, you don’t have to assume that everything in nature is trying to kill you, unless you are in Australia.

      5. My husband is a serious gardener. It has never occurred to me to worry that a vegetable from my garden was dirty (once I washed the dirt off) or diseased from an animal. But how could you worry about this and not worry about what you’re buying at the grocery store?

        We have a raised bed with low “fencing” – sort of a flexible mesh screen thing – wrapped around it. But we always lose some of the “crop” to rabbits.

        1. I’ve lost my low-hanging tomatoes to turtles! I wouldn’t have believed it possible had I not witnessed it with my own eyes (a huge Florida Cooter who clearly loved him some homegrown ‘maters).
          I plant extra parsley and fennel just for the caterpillars.
          I don’t use pesticides because I want pollinators to thrive. I choose to work with nature rather than against it. Working against it doesn’t tend to turn out well on either a micro or a macro scale.

      6. Just bought the farm ;) of my dreams in February, and yes, I’m so glad. But I’m not raising animals- if we do that at all it will be when others besides me take on the responsibility.

      7. You would be extremely shocked at growing conditions for commercial produce. There are regular e-coli recalls for literal sh1t getting on your veggies, sometimes animal, sometimes human! (And no it’s not fertilizer, poop needs to be composted before being used as fertilizer)

        Not to mention how many bugs we accidentally eat, as well as intentional or accidental exposure to herbicides and pesticides. My home grown produce is 100 times cleaner than anything you’re going to find at a store.

        You’re reminding me of when we first got hens a few years ago and my city-raised husband was kind of freaked out about eating their eggs. He felt safer getting eggs from the grocery store! ( he quickly converted once he tasted home-laid eggs)

        1. Yeah this comment made me chuckle. If anything, something you grow yourself is probably less exposed to diseases, etc than stuff that’s farmed commercially.

      8. I am as urban a person as they come, but this comment made me smile. What do you think the special city squirrels might do that the animals in farm country do not?

    2. Honestly, no, but I am approaching it from the perspective of all of the work that a true horse farm entails. The barn where my horse lives has ~25 horses who all need to be kept in shape while their owners are under shelter in place orders. My trainer/farm owner is also having to contend with not necessarily being able to get the people/businesses she needs out to the farm in order to keep things in working order. The farrier and vet seem to still be able to keep coming, but what about the hay and shavings guys? What if one of the tractors or trailers needs maintenance? I’m not sure what categories related to keeping a farm up and running are being considered life-sustaining in our state. Is the vet able to get all of the medications that we need on a regular basis (probably, but I don’t know)? She also doesn’t have the same income stream now that horse shows are cancelled for the foreseeable future. Not to mention the employees who could get sick and whic would result in additional burdens on everyone else. None of this seems relaxing to me!!!

      That said, you could stick me in a cabin somewhere in the middle of nowhere and that would be fine!

      1. Right. Like, horses get slaughtered when people can’t afford to care for them. Every recession this happens.

    3. No. Farmers across the country are in terrible shape having to destroy the fruits of their labor. All I think when anyone shares this fantasy is that they have no clue what farming actually is.

      1. I should clarify that I meant more of a hobby farm with a little bit of land and my favorite animals as pets, not a full working production or commercial stable…

        1. A hobby farm with a little bit of land and animals as pets is a WHOLE LOTTA WORK.

          1. Oh yeah, it definitely is. Even where I grew up (on 1.5 acres with a few animals) was hard work and that was not even close to real farming. There’s still a lot of appeal in it, though, especially as an equestrian.

      2. Can someone help me understand why farmers are having to destroy their crops? It seems terrible, but I think I’m missing something.

        1. I thought it was because no one could figure out how to reroute their supply chains from restaurant supply to groceries when the restaurants all closed.

        2. Maybe read an article on it? The supply chain cannot pivot dramatically on a dime.

        3. Because many customers that aren’t individuals, like restaurants and schools, aren’t buying. Donation perishable food isn’t necessarily feasible and would be cost prohibitive.

        4. There’s also the problem of there not being a market even if they could reroute their supply chains. Produce has stayed pretty well stocked in my area stores. Food banks aren’t necessarily set up to take in and store large amounts of perishables. That being said, we are trying to buy from local farm stands whenever possible. I’ve also seen local restaurants tapping into their suppliers and selling (sometimes donating) grocery and produce products.
          I think that this is going to make for some interesting case studies for supply chain/logistics folks, starting with the whole toilet paper issue. I don’t think many of us gave much thought to how many supplies are divided along commercial market or personal use market from the very beginning.

          1. I’m taking personally the dumping of dairy products near me because the stores have been poorly stocked where I live. I know logistics are hard, but it’s frustrating read about food being destroyed when it’s the exact food you can’t find anywhere to buy. I did manage to buy some office supply TP though.

        5. On the flip side, small to medium size farms in my area are doing incredibly well right now. The farm we get our CSA from has been able to fully make up for lost restaurant business with consumer sales and really expanded their residential delivery program. They don’t sell their products through a broker, so they have the ability to turn on a dime during this situation. I hope this trend continues – small and medium farms are largely the ones that are implementing the kind of practices (regenerative agriculture, for example) that have really amazing impacts on the environment.

    4. No. I’ve never been more thankful I live in a city and can get fresh groceries and take out from amazing restaurants delivered curbside. But I’ve never been one to admire farm life or any sort of rustic traditions – I find no joy in baking or harvesting (canning?) or any sort.

      1. I agree.

        That said, I have some vegetable plants in my back garden, OP, and they really bring me a lot of joy. You do not need a book. Start with just a pot, one tomato plant and some miracle grow. Water when it looks dry. Stake as it gets so tall it is falling over. Cherry tomato plants do especially well in pots, I find. If you have a fence they can follow, beans also do super well with minimal supervision.

    5. My husband grew up on a hobby farm and we are currently friends with a couple who has one. The only way to have any fun with a hobby farm is to have tons of money and hired help. Our friends have neither, and are basically chained to the farm. The latest drama is that the tractor is broken and won’t turn left, but they don’t want to buy a new one because they just had to buy a new car. So they figured out a mowing route that only requires right turns. They have been on exactly one family vacation in the past decade, and they almost had to cancel it at the last minute because they couldn’t find anyone to take care of their animals.

      1. I would love for your husband and/or your friends to talk some sense into my husband.

    6. Eh – my dad and step-mom have 100 acres as a hobby farm/retirement plan and while I enjoyed visiting and playing “farm girl” for a weekend to visit, I wouldn’t want to live there, even now. I like the outdoors when it means I can get drunk on a patio during brunch, not when I have to muck out the garden and the chicken coop and the pig sty.

    7. I have these same worries, ha – cat waste can give people terrible illnesses, what if a cat poops on my plants?! I also keep losing my tomatoes to skunks…

    8. No, not at all. I’m in the ‘burbs, but like having a city close by. Zero interest in living in a rural area, and I find nothing romantic or appealing about it all.

    10. Not a farm, but definitely wishing I could afford a place in my VHCOL city that had a yard, even a tiny one. Heck, even a balcony or patio, but sadly my apartment has neither. I love being outside and although I am getting outside for walks/exercise, it is not the same as sitting out on the back deck or yard.

    11. If what you want is to grow something for self-sufficiency, I would not choose tomatoes, personally.
      I love growing tomatoes, but you need A LOT of plants (or a really, really nice climate) to be able to grow enough from pots. Where I live (it’s cold!) I can get maybe two handfuls of cherry tomatoes from each plant. But for an occasional “I grew this!!” snack, or a supplement to store bought – absolutely. Small tomatoes like cherry are best from pots – the other ones take ages to mature. :)

      Herbs are great, though. And things like spinach, lettuce, chives etc. Radishes.

      If you look at some charts for “days to maturity” or “sowing to harvest” or similar for your area, you will get an idea of what plants will just spend the summer growing very, very slowly, and which will give you one or more yields. Where I live tomatoes at home take 5 months from sowing to harvesting…

  3. ugh, zoom coffee hours with work teams are not doing it for me. Normally, I am fine in a social setting like this, but on zoom, there are always one or two people hogging the conversation, and it turns into nodding and listening for the rest. Because of the way only one audio stream is patched through, it’s much harder to jump in and have the conversation flowing and several people contribute on this medium. This is turning what should be a fun social break into more work. I think I will opt out of these more.

    1. I am so sick of zoom. Multiple calls for work every day and then my friends want to chat at night. I am so sick of showing my exhausted bedraggled WFH self to my coworkers. Can’t we just email?

      1. I am so sick of asking “Can you hear me? Is that better? My headset is being weird, is it working now?”

      2. Zoom has easily doubled the amount of meetings I typically have. It’s ridiculous. Thankfully people seem to be backing off somewhat.

      3. We have devolved into quick questions needing 30 minute calls to unpack vs. an email or a Skype convo. I understand people are lonely and missing interaction, but I’ve already had five “quick question” half-hour calls for today, plus two other hour-long meetings. People get on the phone and just talk and talk. I feel more peopled-out now than I did when I worked in an office.

    2. I love zoom. I really like my coworkers, am one of those people who often does 5-10 minute check-ins with people I’m working with, and it’s been so nice to be able to keep doing that while I wfh. Phone calls and email just aren’t the same as seeing people face to face.

      But – I’m an extrovert and I don’t care what I look like on video. All my coworkers and partners have seen me without makeup and with a frizzy bun for weeks now.

    3. My team is having fewer calls than when we first started WFH. My boss has always been very anti-WFH, and it took him a couple of weeks to trust that people would actually get their work done and be generally available. When we do have calls, we’ve moved to audio-only. On the last video call we had, several weeks ago, my boss joked that everyone “looked like sh*t” (true), and he hasn’t asked for a video conference since then.

  4. I’m spiraling a bit with recession worries, so problems-that-aren’t-a-problem-right-now are popping up in my mind. Right now I’m in an industry where it’s common to work a job for 6-12 months, and then go to the next job. It’s not consulting or a temp job – these are all completely different roles. Within the industry this is definitely not considered job hopping – it’s what you’re supposed to do, they’re each for a completely different firm, and there’s typically not too long a break between jobs (maybe a month).

    In any case I’m eventually going to want to leave this industry. I’ll have strong references and extremely applicable, transferable skills and career progression, but I’m afraid it still looks like job hopping. People are generally aware of this industry and if I explain it in a cover letter or interview it’ll make sense.

    I’m just worried about how it looks on a resume. I was also in grad school fairly recently so my resume is post undergrad job -> 2 month summer internship -> short job -> short job

    I have some other school year volunteering / research work on there which I take off in case it makes it look too choppy. But any other tips for making this look okay? I’m not actually a job hopper, I’ve just been in an industry where job/project-hopping is the norm + am a recent grad so I have had internships.

    1. I really wouldn’t worry – if it’s common in your industry, people will get it. I work as a lobbyist, but previously (in the 90s and 2000s) did work for political campaigns – it’s very very similar. I transitioned through a government role in the 2000s, but anyone in an adjacent industry should understand the nature of the industry.

      1. Thanks. Just reading this made me feel so much better, I was just letting my anxiety get the better of me and this stopped it.

    2. I have worries about this too. No advice, but same concerns. I have been at the same company 4 years but have had 3 different jobs, as it’s expected you’ll move around within my division to learn different aspects of the business if you eventually want to move into leadership. I got recruited into my current position after two years in the last one and was strongly advised to move so I didn’t look like I was “stagnating;” it was also a move from a not-very-valued department to an extremely valued one high up in the organization. So a good move for me but not sure how explainable it will be to others outside our company.

      1. I don’t think anybody considers it job hopping when you’re staying with the same employer.

        1. Yeah my understanding was that job hopping was when it looks like you can’t keep a job, or people don’t like working with you, or that you give up easily.

      2. Yeah this definitely isn’t a concern. Rotating into a different internal position after 12-18 months is the norm in many large corporations.

  5. I need a new pillow. I am at the point of my current pillow giving me headaches and shoulder pain. However, the usual method of buying a pillow is currently off the table (going into a store to hug pillows and put my head on them seems like a bad idea for the foreseeable future).

    I am willing to spend up to about $50 to get a decent pillow delivered. I prefer a medium-soft loft that recovers its shape easily. Does anyone have recommendations for options to look at?

    1. It was more than $50 — it was $85 but I did a Pluto Pillow and it was truly worth it. You answer a bunch of questions and you get a custom pillow. If you can spend a bit more, you might want to look into it.

      1. It was a MyPillow, and I can’t bring myself to give the really creepy guy who owns the company any more money.

    3. I like a good feather pillow for its recovery factor and longevity. Ours came from Macy’s several years ago and I anticipate them lasting for many more years. Allergies are not an issue for us and I do launder them in my washer and dryer a couple of times a year.

    4. We’ve switched to wool pillows recently and absolutely love them. They are so supportive and cozy! Wool Room makes good ones that are on sale right now for just a little bit over your price point.

  6. Any intermittent fasters who want to share whether they’ve been able to keep it up during the pandemic? Before all this, I fasted from 7pm to 11am, with most weekend days off. Once my kids and I started staying home, I began eating breakfast with them (plus eating homemade cookies, etc). Initially, this change did not seem to affect my weight, but a month in, I’m now 5 pounds heavier. I’m back to IF and hoping to reverse the weight gain.

    1. Nope I couldn’t do it because I’m staying up past midnight to work. I’m gaining weight again and I’m ok with it. This is a really hard season of life and I’m giving myself grace. I will get back to IF when this is over.

      1. I’ve been able to keep it up for the most part but sometimes my eating window goes a little later than I’d like. I’ve been having success making bulletproof coffee in the mornings to make me feel satiated, then pushing lunch as late as possible. I try to just drink water or seltzer whenever I feel like I’m bored (rather than hungry).

        I was also doing keto and slipped a little because I wasn’t tracking what I was eating. But, like Anon said, it’s a hard season of life and it’s important to give yourself grace.

    2. I’ve never done IF, but I’ve been maintaining or losing weight during this, even though I am not exercising as much because I’m not eating until about noon. It’s mainly a difference in my schedule. I start working as soon as I wake up then have a couple cups of coffee and, by the time I look up, it’s noon and I have breakfast food. I usually have something light in the afternoon (popcorn and a Vitaminwater) or sometimes something bad for me (peanut M&Ms) then I go for a 4 mile walk and come home and have dinner. I don’t have kids, so I know it’s easier for me not to snack on other things or eat what someone else is eating. I always got up at 6 and had breakfast at 6:30 and was then starving by about 11, worked out after work and came home and had dinner. But I was also burning about 700 calories in my workout. I just need less food right now.

    3. I have been able to maintain my intuitive eating, which translates to inadvertent IF, and continue losing weight. I just did not consider SIP a reason to change my food intake in any way. But I totally understand that this affects each of us in different ways, particularly those who have children vs. those of us (me) who don’t. I don’t think you should beat yourself up about it, and acknowledge that life took a very strange turn about a month ago. But if returning to your earlier weight is important to you right now, and IF was working for you, then I think you will need to accept that SIP cannot change that part of your routine and start thinking “I don’t eat before 11 a.m.” and “No, I can’t have that brownie now because I am a person who does not eat after 7.”

    4. I’ve kept up IF pretty well while home the last month, though for shorter fasts than previously and allowing myself coffee with a splash of milk in the morning (I know, clean fast yada yada, but it’s working for me). Previously, i usually did 18:6 (window of ~1-7 pm), taking food with me for lunch and afternoon snack, then eating dinner at home. Now I fast ~16:8 (11:30 or 12 to 7:30 or 8). It’s been helpful because having access to my kitchen full time could otherwise put me into a “eat all the time” mood, but now I do a lunch around noon, a snack or two in the afternoon, dinner around 5-6 pm, and often an after dinner snack/dessert/or glass of wine.
      There are obviously bigger issues in the world, but if you wanted to get back on track, having coffee while your kids eat breakfast or shifting your window from 8-4 pm could work? good luck to you, whatever you choose.

    5. If it makes you feel better, I have been strictly keeping to IF during all of this and still gaining weight. I’ve realized that IF doesn’t help much if you’re eating chocolate, chips, and baking every day. I’m trying to walk outside for an hour a day. At this point, I’m simply hoping to maintain my current weight and just not to gain more.

  7. I messaged my GP this morning to go back on antidepressants. I was on Welbtutrin in 2019, and it worked fabulously for defeating my depressive episode, but it gave me horrid headaches, so I was quick to go off of it when my depression resolved. Will probably go on Lexapro next. I already feel better just having taken this step.

    1. Yay, good for you! I started antidepressants last fall and I can’t imagine trying to get through a pandemic without them.

      1. Same – even before the pandemic I did not thrive when I tried taking myself off Wellbutrin and now more than ever it is helping me. Sorry it gives you headaches, I think Lexapro is a similar class of antidepressants so hopefully that side effect doesn’t climb on board when you switch.

        1. I just went on Wellbutrin last week after I weaned off Venlafaxine during the fall and winter. The first three months of this year were already super difficult and now with the pandemic, it put me over the edge.

          1. This page is what made me try Wellbutrin in the first place, there were so many positive anecdotes. I hope it works for you!

  8. My sibling just had a final round interview for a job at Company A–a small company with <50 employees, but well-funded and in a growing essential industry–but is also in contention for another role–military officer candidate school–that they want more. They think Company A will make them an offer later today, but they aren't likely to hear back from the military for about two more weeks. Company A said the role wouldn't start until the summer. I told them to say they want to look over the offer to buy some time, but not sure how long they can hold off giving Company A an answer. I don't think it would be good to accept and then back out in a few weeks, but maybe its not as bad as I think if the role doesn't start for ~2 months? I've worked for a large firm in a different industry for my whole career, so I don't have any relevant experience to offer. Anyone have any advice?

    1. One more important piece of information: this would be their first “real” job (graduated with masters degree then did a sort of Teach for America-type volunteer thing).

    2. Do not under any circumstances let him accept the offer and then back out. Assuming this is a pretty regular corporate job, this burns bridges MASSIVELY. Short of a serious personal emergency, this is an absolute no-no as a professional. If they want an immediate response, he should tell them he needs 2 weeks and is looking at other offers. If he accepts it, they will start doing things like reaching out and saying no to their 2nd choices. Then you leave them in a horrible place if he backs out later.

      1. I completely disagree. The company won’t hesitate to cancel the offer if they need to. Taking military service instead will not be looked down on.

        1. I’m with Anonymous at 3:56. I actually rescinded the acceptance of my first law firm job and although they were pissed, I survived and thrived. And military service? Yeah, perfectly fine reason. (But yeah, don’t reject the job until OCS is a dead-bang sure thing.)

        2. +1 on a hard disagree. People get better offers and rescind acceptances, companies change course and rescind offers. Do what makes sense. I’d take the bird in hand and if the military offer comes through, rescind later

        3. I accepted and then backed out of an offer from the company I currently work for. They were graceful about it and when I was later ready to jump ship from a toxic manager they were happy to have me.

    3. If sibling wants the job at Company A if OCS doesn’t pan out, I’d take the offer and not back out until OCS is actually about to start. People back out of job offers all the time. Even if they are accepted to OCS, I wouldn’t bank on OCS starting as scheduled given the current situation.

    4. Given the current environment, probably better to have a job than no job. I’d vote for accepting and either just sticking with it, or rescinding later if needed.

  9. Can I get advice on work clothes even though it is not on anyone’s mind rn? My order from The Fold came in today (TY to the poster who mentioned their sale! anne-on I think?) and I have never spent this much on clothing before, even with the huge discounts. Love 2 of the dresses and DH says you can tell they are higher quality than the typical Jcrew/Ann Taylor work dresses I wear. I also ordered a black pencil skirt because I somehow do not own one and thought it’d be a good investment piece but I’m torn if it’s worth it.
    It hits a little longer than I normally prefer (slightly under knees) and I’m just not sure you can tell it’s that much nicer than one from AT. Thoughts? I can afford it, but as a typically frugal person, I am torn. How do you guys determine when investment pieces are worth it for workwear?

    1. If you got it altered to your preferred length, would you love it? Does the quality seem significantly better than AT? If yes to either or both of those, I’d keep it.

      1. And by quality I don’t necessarily mean does it look expensive, I’m talking more about if it will last longer and wear better.

    2. I look at the amount of wear I will get out of it. I would get the pencil skirt hemmed and then wear the heck out of it. I love my The Fold items!

    3. Are you in a high-status industry where the difference between a $$$ pencil skirt and an AT pencil skirt makes a difference to anyone but you? As in, it’s very very important to be well-dressed and polished, because people notice and look down on you if you wear a “mere” AT pencil skirt.

      If not, I wouldn’t put $$ into a black pencil skirt. They are so easy to find, and so easy to have altered for a perfect fit that I’d just buy the lower priced one. Especially since you currently don’t even wear one and don’t know how much (or if) you would wear it.

      1. This. In my industry mall brands are fine and worn by everyone, even people in high level roles. Clothes from a brand as expensive as The Fold are totally unnecessary and frankly would like kind of weird on a junior, not highly-compensated employee, which I think you are (forgive me if I’m wrong).

        1. Hm this is a good note. I work in finance and new job is fairly client facing, where the men are in suits. I’m really happy with AT clothes, but also received a huge jump in salary (x2 my old one) and was wondering if I should finally invest. Normally I buy things on sale only from AT, and I can’t say I regularly spend over $50 on anything. My reference for the status of workwear is that a woman who interviewed me had on Louboutins, but I think I’m going to return the skirt because I’m so iffy on it. Thanks all!!

          1. The Blind Side has its failings, but “If you don’t LOVE it in the store, you won’t wear it” is always true!

          2. Ok, your industry sounds a lot flashier than mine if your boss wears Loubs, so you can probably disregard my comment.

          3. Congrats on the new job! I recently went through a similar job escalation and my mother pushed me to invest in higher quality clothes. As mothers often are, she was right. I’ve picked a few outfits (Fold, Brooks Brothers, nice coats, etc) that are my go to when I need to project power with clients – I also get a ton of compliments on them from other women in my company as well. It’s really nice to sit in the room and not be thinking about whether my clothes are nice enough. I hope your purchases help give you that boost too!

    4. How much do you think you will wear it? For the cost, is it the best thing you can get from The Fold or is there something else more useful or special? I see less pencil skirts these days, but if it’s something you’d wear every week as a uniform, I’d keep it and get it tailored.

    5. Generally, I am very frugal but spend money on clothes that are high quality, fit extremely well, are flattering, will last a long time, and that I absolutely LOVE. If you’re not aching to wear the skirt, return it.

    6. I’m going to preface this with a disclaimer that I’m an unemployed corporate retail merchandising employee so I will always try and sell you clothes and accessories. However, as a person with a moral conscience, I will only try to sell you things you need. If you really need dresses and pencil skirts to look professional and great at work, then it is always worth the investment in better brands that cost more. Especially if you can wear them for years and can wear them into the next job promotion. If you don’t, then sticking with more budget-friendly options for those items is probably best and saving the splurges for investment pieces (i.e. nice coat, suit if job requires client meetings, high quality handbags and shoes, nice jewelry). I usually only spend a significant amount on money on these and dresses since they’re my wardrobe investment pieces. If you can’t spend money on everything, focus on the things that you would wear at least 5 times a month (minimum once a week) for higher-priced items. Hope that helps!

      1. +1 buying high quality items is usually cheaper in the long run for me as I can get years of wear from them.

      2. I’m sorry to hear you are currently unemployed, but also thankful for your way of framing your thought process, and not being annoyed at me for asking a frivolous question about expensive clothing. This helps a lot and skirt is getting returned!

        1. Get another investment dress if you need another piece to round out the work weeks!
          And thank you, I hope to be employed again soon. I went into the fashion industry after working on Wall Street because even if the world were sinking into the ocean during a global apocalypse, I’d be the lunatic talking about which blouses match best with my skirts, and why one should never wear pearls when sinking into the ocean. :)

  10. I’m going to use my new handle to die on this horse.

    “We know from history that when citizens become restless and protest to their leaders about lifting these sanctions too early, another rise in cases invariably occurs. In some places it was worse than the first peak. This creates a situation where you have endured shelter in place sanctions and crippled the economy for nothing.”
    Will post link below.

    1. I have so little faith in our government getting anything under control that it feels like my options are shelter in place for 1-2 years or accept that this is going to kill a bunch of people. Oh and the second option is still possible even if we shelter in place for 1-2 years. So yeah I feel like a lot of people are going to die anyways and we’ve crippled our economy for nothing.

  11. This is for all the posters who are discouraged because it feels like shelter-in-place is never ending and actual solutions are not being worked on. I am just on an all-staff meeting of my research facility which is mostly shut down, with a handful of people having special dispensation to do COVID research (normally hundreds of people working on dozens of projects at one time). One of the colleagues just updated us that in the last week, they resolved the crystal structure of a promising antibody that could be part of a preventative or treatment drug. I am not saying that this will be the very one that ends up in a pill, but rather that hundreds of people are making progress every day on many fronts in combating this virus. That research progress on top of ramping up tests (which is happening), and production of PPE.
    At the same time, our lab is overrun with press inquiries, freedom of information requests and reporting responsibilities to our funding agency, all wanting to know what we’re doing right now. Taking a break to explain to The People what’s going on is of course important, but it’s not the only thing on people’s plates right now.

    1. thanks for sharing some positive news. i think i speak for a lot of people who can’t wait to be done with this sh*tshow. <3

    2. I have faith in the research, but not in whoever will make the $$$ producing/distributing it to the public … do you have any info/reassurances about that? Or what to look for in order to determine if something is safe as a consumer? (It seems there are so many companies that push faulty products out knowingly to make a profit, create demand by limiting supply in order to charge more, big pharma/insurance take their cuts, etc.)

      2. Those questions concern a number of different sectors in which I am by no means an expert, and all I have is what I believe is an informed opinion. I have a lot of trust in institutions, both in government (generally trusting career public servants more than elected officials, also right now looking at states more than the federal govt for my information), nonprofits and journalism. That means I typically will be happy to vote for political candidates that propose more oversight, anticorruption and ultimately, regulation. I think the economy needs to work for our society, not the other way around.
        So I will look to the FDA, the WHO, the CDC, NIH, AAAS, watchdog organizations and mainstream news media to get my information and hope that the Bill Gates foundation can help speed up mass production of an eventual vaccine as they are proposing. I think that the many researchers, public health officials, and journalists are on average good people that want to uncover the truth and do the right thing and make the world a better place. I think that for every corruption scandal, or research plagiarism scandal, or whatever, there is a lot of good work that just doesn’t make the headlines.
        At the same time, private enterprises make money, that’s what they do. I don’t have a problem with that, either. Let’s say a vaccine could be provided for $20, that would still be $6 billion revenue if you give it to 300 million people, and then the breaking news says ‘Greed: Novartis $6bn vaccine’.

    3. I just came back to check on any responses on my post above, but I think this is a very uplifting and positive post and you should repost early tomorrow just to give everyone some hope on a Friday (:

    4. There was literally a front page article in the LA Times today about discussions at the local government level about re-opening some businesses next month (with an interview with the director of the Department of Public Health). And an article yesterday about discussions between California, Oregon and Washington on the subject. I am not sure where all of these people who think those there is no planning are getting their news.

      And unless you have a degree in something relevant, this is really a subject on which we (and politicians) need to defer to actual public health experts. Fortunately, very loud voices notwithstanding the American public is being reasonably compliant and seems more concerned with things re-opening too soon rather than not soon enough.

    6. Thank you – so great to hear. I have no idea at all how science happens (like where do you start? What do you do?) and would love to hear more about the process

  12. If you do a roundup of nude-for-you heels, I would love to see enough styles and colors for dark skin tones. As an African-American woman, sometimes selecting “brown” shoes doesn’t fully cut it. Can’t wait to see what you come up with, in due time.

Comments are closed.