I tried. I tried really hard to order storage bins online but it came down to the fact that I did need to see them. I couldn't figure out what the difference between the gallon sizes were without hefting them...so off to Walmart I went.
Here are just a few observations...
*Why does every older person of diversity (and I don't mean black folks!) ask me what prices are, where things are located, and if I can lift something for them? Seriously, wasn't the suede jacket, purse over my shoulder or the fact that I had a shopping cart just like you a giveaway that I was a shopper just like you? And if it was a black thing...Lord help me! My mother finally just moved out of the aisle after the third, yes I said third person, asked me for a price and I looked at them and said quite loudly, NO...I don't work here!
*What happened to the day when people carefully watched their children in the store? Seriously, there were more little (and I mean little) people wandering around touching iPad displays, darting in front of carts and generally being parentless. I guess parents don't mind if those children go missing, huh?
*Does your Walmart only open three lines so that the lines are so long that you can read almost an entire magazine before you can begin to see the cashier?
*And does Walmart even hire people anymore? I mean besides cashiers? Try looking for someone to ask a question to...
Why was I in dreaded Walmart anyway? To purchase 25 18-gallon plastic bins to pack my fabric collection in. And why am I packing my fabric collection away...because I'm moving. Yes, that's right...I'm moving. *sigh*
There has been a lot of behind the scenes wrangling, buying, etc. but I'm moving just 7 minutes away from where I presently live. I will have a sewing room. An 8'x10' foot space but it's in the basement of the new condo. So all of my pretty sewing room plans have been thrown out and I'm going with very basic industrial furniture in case of basement flooding...hence the plastic bins.
My plan is to finish up the McCalls dress this weekend and then I'm shutting my sewing down. I have a lot of packing and then unpacking to do. I'm already stressing and eating gobs of junk food and drinking way too much Mountain Dew. So after this dress, it will be a minute before any more sewing goes on here...be patient...I'll be back...well I hope...if that mountain of fabric boxes doesn't fall on top of me and kill me! *laughing hysterically*
...okay, more later!
Oh how awful, I hate moving! I hope it goes well and fast for you. By the way, when I am at the fabric store, I get asked questions as if I work there too. Still, better than at Walmart and I can usually help too! Good luck with the packing.
ReplyDeleteoh dear moving....that would mean admitting how much stuff i have stuffed away lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's that supremely competent, 'I know what I'm doing' aura exuding from you that makes people ask you questions. At least that what I tell myself when it happens to me. Pity those folks, they can't find an employee either :).
ReplyDeleteI hope your move goes smoothly.
Hugs
I feel your comments on Walmart having spent a lot of time there lately as we are working on re-doing my sewing room and parts of the house. People usually think DH works in the stores and he always stops to help them out.
ReplyDeleteI have a small room so I ended up with shelves almost up to the ceiling on all of the walls. This helped to give me some open floor space so the room doesn't feel so small. There is light at the end of the tunnel because there is something satisfying about looking around a finished sewing room. I have never decided which is worse packing or unpacking especially my sewing room.
Oh, I hate moving! I hope it goes smoothly for you and that the new sewing space works out.
ReplyDeleteOh, you poor thing. Every time I have to move, I swear it's the last time. It really is agonizing. You are doing a great job of staying organized and thinking ahead.
ReplyDeleteWhen you finally get the move over with you will have such a feeling of accomplishment, and you can make your new sewing space pretty and customize it for yourself.
Hope all goes smoothly for you and I look forward to your blog return.
450 gallons of fabric!
ReplyDeleteI agree with renee--people are asking you questions because you look like you have answers (and, in fact, I'll bet you do). Maybe the fact that you DON'T look like you work there means you DO look like you might be helpful?
Congrats on a new sewing room! Moving frightens me. Packing frightens me. I still can't find things from my last move. We pay a fortune for a storage unit and after 4 years have finally found my boots and Doc Martens shoes. The buckles were corroded. You, however sound very organized.
ReplyDeleteI bet you look at peace. When I'm in a store, I look for people who look like they "belong" there, as opposed to people who are harried, holding a list in their hand, or just generally out of place. Don't take it as an insult -- you look competent. Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeleteOh, no! Moving? I hope everything goes as expected and you get settled in your new place quickly.
ReplyDeleteYou will be surprised to hear this from me, but I love Wal-Mart! I only go on weekdays, so no crowds, and it is so much more organized than Target! I can always find what I am looking for. My Wal-Mart has self checkout, which I prefer. That way, I can use my own bags without making the checker do extra work.
The walmart in my town *never* closes any of it's check out lanes because it's one of the busiest walmarts in the country, somehow it has managed to stay the only walmart in about a 100 mile radius... Good luck with your moving, I know it's not so much fun.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's happened to me too. Word to the wise--never wear a red t-shirt to Target!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on your new move. It'll be great to have a sewing room even if it's in the basement. You'll still make it chic, I just know it.
Being asked where things are in Wal-Mart happens all the time to me too. Even with my kids with me in the carriage and everything!
ReplyDeleteAs for putting your fabric in the plastic bins..be careful! I had some stuff in plastic bins in our basement and didn't realize that there were some tiny cracks in the bottom and everything after flooding became full of mold. To my dismay after I had to open them up a month later. I would suggest putting them on pallets or something off of the floor instead of directly on the floor. Or lining the bins with plastic bags or something to keep the fabric from getting wet, just in case!
Good luck with your move!
good luck with your move . You look like a kind and helpful person - you certainly are on your blog -so perhaps another reason why you were asked so often.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a challenge. It will be great when it's over and you are settled in, but oy.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a Walmart, so I can't comment on that experience. :)
Let's face it...Walmart is NOT a service oriented box store!! HATE IT! Good luck with all you've got going on.
ReplyDeleteI sew in the basement, and not because I have to. I have a huge pingpong table for a cutting area; I can leave a mess, have several projects going, close to washer/dryer for pretreatment,hang things from the rafters, never have to worry about moving my things when company comes, etc. I'm sure you'll make a nice space; you may actually like it there. I hope so. Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeletePaula in Albany
Good luck! Moving is such a pain. I hope you love the new place.
ReplyDeleteLots of luck with the move!! Hopefully you'll end up with a great set up for the sewing room in the end! :o)
ReplyDeleteMoving and Walmart in the same post! Ugh! For a number of reasons, I refuse to shop at Walmart. A Walmart opened in the same shopping center that contains JoAnn. I expect to have problem parking every time I need to buy zippers and thread!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have Walmart in the UK (yet?) but we have stores like Walmart sounds in terms of customer service - not the most fun way of spending time at the weekend! At least you got what you needed in the end. I do hope your move goes Ok - you have had plenty of packing and moving experience from your recent office move! Moving can be very stressful but it can also be a good opportunity for 'clearing the decks' and getting things organised how you want them. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you have to move, but am looking forward to seeing all the beautiful outfits that you will be making at your new place :) Sending positive vibes as you pack.
ReplyDeleteWow...... I thought it was just me that had those types of problems in public places. Good luck with your move
ReplyDeleteI had a WalMart day today too. Sometimes you have just got to go. I'ts been ages since I was there, but I understand how you feel exactly. About moving, all I can say is wheeeeeee!
ReplyDeleteThat is so exciting that you'll be in your very own condo with its very own sewing room!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your new home.
ReplyDelete~Sewjourner
I don't envy you moving. I hope the new condo is all that you want! And at least you'll have a sewing room, even if it is in the basement. You can still paint the walls a pretty color.
ReplyDeleteAnd, there are no people in Walmart here, either, and never enough lines open. I have had people ask me for help too, and I always tell them that I know nothing. So it's not a color thing; maybe it's a 50-year old lady thing?
I've never had to move- well apart from leaving my parent's house when i was married 25 years ago. A move for me completely scares me - so many treasures, stuff, things, junk & rubbish to be sorted through and packed.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of you and sending good thoughts your way - hope it all goes smoothly and that you can get settled fast and get back to sewing.
Don't have a Walmart here in Australia ( yet!!) but we have stores smiliar. I too get asked where things are in the aisles- generally by the elderly Italians!
SOme of those people asking you questions are probably older people that are starved for any sort of human contact. When I worked @ a library people would come in and ask different people the same questions about something they already knew the answer to. Sometimes you want to tell them to take up leather craft or buy a dog.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Virginia they only had one lane open for check out! Then the cashier would say, "hurry, hurry!" and herd us through like cattle. I hate going there. I avoid it at all cost!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that you will have a nice sized sewing room. I know moving isn't fun (the actual process) but it can definitely be worth it!
Every single time I am in a Joann's people ask me where stuff is like I am an employee. Which is sort of fine, I don't mind helping people, except for the fact that Joann is on the way home from skating practice. So when I am there I am usually sweaty, gross, and wearing work out sweats. How on earth that looks like I am an employee of anywhere is beyond me...
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I hope the packing and moving works out! I know when time comes for me to move I am going to have to be really creative to get all my sewing stuff packed in any sort of reasonable manner.
I wish you the best of luck on your move. A new beginning (which this is) is always a good thing, even if the path to it is stressful.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
ReplyDeleteI wish you a painless transition to your new condo. In the meantime all of your followers will miss your sewing blog. Myself, I read it everyday! So don't stay away too long..........
I don't wish moving on my worst enemy. I've only done it once in the last 25 years and the next time I move...it'll be to the grave. If you fabric stash should fall over, crush and kill you, can I have it! Good luck on the move.
ReplyDeleteMoving can be stressful; here's hoping everything goes smoothly for you! And yes, you've enumerated only a few of the many reasons I'll *never* shop at a walmart again unless there are *extreme* circumstances. However, I get asked questions as if i'm an employee in many stores, but they all seem to be stores without helpful people around and i've been told by a couple of the older ladies that ask that they were asking because I 'looked like i knew what i was doing' or something like that. /shrug idk. best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteI don't envy your moving- I hope you'll have plenty of help. I also hope your sewing room is close to your living area so you don't have to "travel" too far when your mojo is working. I'll miss your posts but don't stress...
ReplyDeleteAren't the staff at Walmart supposed to wear a beige (this thing with their name and the sign STAFF) on their clothes? In stores if I want to ask questions, I usually ask if the person works there.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem on streets, people ask me how to get to the places. I guess, I look like a knowlegeable person!
About moving - it is good when you WANT to move and this is the chance to get rid of things that you don't want around anymore. I will move in a month too, something that I don't want to do, but have to. And I have to pack my fabric too, but I don't have so much as you do :) (I stopped buying fabric last month, I only buy if I'm sewing it right away. I want to have more free space!)
Put these plastic bins with fabric to a table/tables in the basement, it would be safer if you fear flood. I lost a lot of clothes in boxes in similar conditions when I moved from America to Russia.
I hope your move goes slowly. I can empathise, having just switched our dining room and office spaces (did someone say books, heavy furniture and dust? Holy crap!)
ReplyDeleteI do envy your Rubbermaid tubs just a little, though. I have a dozen or so, but now that I've moved to Denmark, I can't get them - or anything that comes close to their quality - at all. I strongly second the suggestion to raise your tubs a bit off the floor, and I really hope you never have to deal with flooding.
May your move be smooth and your new condo everything you could want it to be. Along with everyone else, I'll be looking forward to your return. :)
Smoothly, I hope your move goes SMOOTHLY.
ReplyDeleteNot slowly. Yeesh.
Good Luck on the move!
ReplyDeleteOnce in a while I venture to Walmart. Every time I do I am sorry I did. It's like my memory of the last time is wiped. I keep thinking it'll be ok. I guess it's not just on the west coast where the inferior service is.
Good luck on the move - eventually my partner and I will be selling our own houses to move in together - I dread to think of what the move, packing etc will be like.
ReplyDeletegood luck - thought your story was very funny re Walmart.
Hope the move goes smoothly! And good luck moving your stash.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll make your new (sewing)place your own very quickly (or at least I hope so..)
Walmart bought out one of our larger supermarket chains (Asda) a few years ago and went on an aggressive building campaign. We have one just down the road from us, about 3/4 of the floor is given over to cheap clothing and everything for the home so that means the food choice is diabolical! Anyway, I wish you luck with the move
ReplyDelete- 25 boxes of fabric?! I thought I was bad!
Oh, I hate moving! That's not very encouraging, is it? I really hope yours will go much smoother than any of mine have in the past...
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move! I was just thinking about packing up my fabric for an impending move myself.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move, I hope it goes smoothly for you. As to Walmart, that happens to me literally all the time in Walmart. It is right across the street from where I work but business professional not withstanding people still seem to think I work there.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
ReplyDeleteI will miss your blog while you are absent!
Good Luck on the move...keep us updated on that. We share your life, not only the sewing. I will be thinking of you. I moved about ten years ago and got to reset my sewing room and did some purging. It felt good when it was completed. Here's to new adventures and to set up the room the way you want it!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I feel the same way about Walmart.
Can't wait to see your new place and your sewing room when you get all finished. Moving can be stressful but you can handle it. You've handled other stressful events in your life very well, right? Everything will be fine. Please take pictures and post them of your new place. And looking forward to see how your dress looks.
ReplyDeleteMoving?!?! Wow. Have you been planning this for long? Somehow, I don't think so, if at all since last we heard you were still planning the sewing room at the current apartment.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move and re-planning the sewing room.
Moving!!! and FABRIC!!!! not a good thing. Never REALLY know how much have until you move. And Walmart. I try to stay out of walmart.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling your pain, having just moved interstate. It takes ages to get sorted and settled and aewing! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteMoving is not fun, but hopefully you'll enjoy your new home. Good luck with the move.
ReplyDeleteOh, moving, groan. We're planning on moving next year, and the other half has been following me around with empty boxes for weeks, expecting me to fill them up so he can put them in storage - and not have our lives disrupted. I haven't started the sewing, knitting, craft and doll room yet and I'm just dreading it. I've got a ton of those plastic bins, too.
ReplyDeleteMy sympathies. It's only fun if you find something you love that you forgot you had.
If you're worried about water in the new basement, there's a water stop wall paint that you can buy. It's not cheap, it's a bit messy to apply, and you should do 3 coats, but it works very well. It's white, so at least it looks clean once it's on. That and filling in any cracks between the foundation and the ground with quick set cement mix so water can't get down there in the first place.
Good luck, and don't overdo it.
Relax and breathe deep.....that's what I do when I go to Walmart. I actually try to go late at night or when they first open in the morning. No matter what ----still the same thing : only 2 cashiers open!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more sewing post from you. Enjoy your new place !
it's nice to hear of another person who gets asked questions like you do and me in walmart. As for helping to lift things? I'm 5ft 10" most of the time it's a small older person who asks for help so that may be why you get asked that. It happens in the supermarket too. Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeleteI have people asking me to help them with things all the time, too, even when I'm carting around my three babies in the cart. I think that they look for people that they think are more likely to help them.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on a smooth move!
I get asked all the time where things are in stores, so I don't think it's a color thing so much as it is an air of competence thing, really. You have great posture and an air about you that always comes through in your photos that you know exactly what you're doing, and I think people respond to that.
ReplyDeleteI got asked for directions once when I got lost in Cambridge, England looking for an office building-I had to tell the poor man that he'd had the bad luck to spot the only lost American in the whole city to ask directions from!
Hopefully your personal move will leave you less battered and bruised than your office move. Wishing you a smooth transition to your new digs -- and dedicated sewing room!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck... and to be honest... I don't shop at Wally's World... mostly cause I get tired of the same sort of stuff and I'm trying really hard, to buy American! Try to pace yourself!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see how things look (when your all done!) after you get moved. Be careful.... if we don't hear back in a month or so... we will send out the National Guard to dig you out! LoL...
And I always thought those senior citizens in Walmart asked me for help because I looked so intelligent! I am caucasian, so it's not a race thing. We must just look so smart to other folks, plus I am tall, and can always reach the top shelf for them! LOL
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your move! How smart of you to flood proof your fabric - I call that having one's priorities straight!
ReplyDeleteHappy Trails To You!!
ReplyDeleteMay All Your Moving Go Marvaaaalously Quick!!
Take Care for Now!!!
Last time I moved was 11-1/2 years ago and still have unpacked boxes in the loft of the gararge... ask me what is in them and I seriously don't remember. Matter of fact the last time I was up there was the day I moved in.
ReplyDeleteI was in Walmart this past weekend and it was insane, just massive people & kids. However, I am like a Madea with a tractor trailer cart, moving fast & furious. When I turn a corner or barrel down an aisle, people start moving with a swiftness, the kids even have sense to tuck & roll on to a low shelf or cling on a shelf for dear life.... seriously, move ya arse outta my way....lol
Hoping your move goes smoothly and look forward to your sewing fabulousness.
Please do not shop at Walmart. The company treats its employees horribly and for years Walmart lied in national advertising campaigns about their products being "made in the USA" when all along they were selling crap from China. Walmart is responsible for driving thousands of small and medium size businesses across the USA out of business. Any red-blooded American should HATE Walmart for the cheapening of America that it is responsible for, all in the name of profit. BLOOD MONEY! As a professional woman who has no doubt seen her share of friends losing their jobs to outsourcing and similar antics by the corporate masters over the past several years, you should hate Walmart, too. Best advice I can give - don't shop at Walmart, and don't put ANYTHING you value down in any basement. It's going to end up stinking like damp unless you live in the desert and you will never be able to get rid of the smell, even if you store the stuff in plastic bins. The bins you bought at Walmart will NOT keep the smells out - they are no doubt loaded with substituted and diluted products rather than actual "plastic." Chinese manufacturers are masters at substituting illegal substances and products for quality products and charging the same high price for - well, it's just crap. You're not going to like this at all, but I think you should find a different place to move, as soon as you possibly can. What are you thinking - a sewing room and storing all of your precious stash of valuable fabric in the BASEMENT? DON'T DO IT. Why don't you buy your own place with an ideal sewing room on the main level? With the millions of homes that people have lost due to companies like Walmart, you should be able to pick one up for cheap.
ReplyDeleteHappy moving...I've been moving all my life and still I have another move to do, hopefully soon! I look forward to seeing the NEW sewing room in the very near future!
ReplyDeleteWalmart is so stressful! I need to take Rescue Remedy before attempting a trip there. (Actually, it's good for the stress of moving too!)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move! Hope it's not long before you're settled and back into a sewing groove!
Good luck with the move, it is a drag, but on the positive side a chance to have a proper clearout. I would like to think that the lack of shop assistants in Walmart and the fact you looked like you knew what you were doing was why people assumed you worked there.....
ReplyDeleteGood wishes for you during an incredibly stressful time. But I'm sure you will come out the other side with all sorts successes and great plans for new projects. I'm not looking forward to my own impending move, but only for the packing and moving part. The rest will be exciting - as I know a new place will be for you too. I hope it has a guest room and guest sewing machine, for when I come by for a visit. :-)
ReplyDeleteAlthough we dont have a Wmart in Australia ( yet??) the culture seems universal! Whilst I enjoyed my own children I rarely took them shopping for the obvious reasons. I hence dont like other peoples free range 'cherubs' I have the opposite problem in shops - the invisible over 50 phenomenon. Ie when one turns 50ish all assistance evaporates into the ether. :-)
ReplyDeleteHa. People always always mistake me for a store person too - figure it is because I am very purposeful when I shop - that's because I want to get out of there - and not a wanderer. At least that's my story.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move.
"Why does every older person of diversity (and I don't mean black folks!) ask me what prices are, where things are located, and if I can lift something for them"
ReplyDeleteBecause we look like we know what we are doing. Seriously, you and I probably shop with intent. I'm also the only person who seems to know how to open those flimsy plastic bags in the grocery section or knock watermelons. People follow me around the grocery store asking for help. Interesting note here, I'm white, living in a predominantly white area but everyone asks me for help with those dayum grocery bags.
Bless your heart! I hear you on the Walmart experience. When they had fabric, I always had to help people out because the employees had no idea how to sew or where any of the notions were. Good luck with the move. I hope you enjoy your new digs.
ReplyDelete