Thursday 11 October 2012

Bag Lady

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Handbags and their contents seem to be a popular blog topic this week. At least two of the blogs I’m following have brought it up: From My Mental Library and MacQue Blogspot. Ladies… You entice me… Today in town I suddenly felt that I needed yet another handbag!

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(And a headband, and a pair of gloves.)

The thing is, I’m always looking for the ultimate bag. I tried explaining this to the saleswoman in one of the shops I looked into today – because she was the kind of salesperson who does not let you browse in peace but insists on offering help before you’ve had time to have a look around. So I said – meant mostly as a joke – that I’m looking for a bag that is tiny on the outside, but really big on the inside. (Those of you who read the seventh Harry Potter book… It’s really Hermione’s bag I’m looking for! Weighing practically nothing, but still able to hold everything from your whole library to a fully furnished tent.)

I don’t think the lady in the shop had read Harry Potter, because she started showing me regular mid-size handbags which were nothing like what I had in mind. I also specifically said I wanted a red one, whereupon she showed me a black one, and a grey/purple one. She obviously thought those would go better with the black jacket I was wearing at the moment. When I tried to explain that I also have other colours in my wardrobe, she clung even harder to the opinion that black would be my safest choice.

As I already own three or four black bags, I gave up (i.e. politely said I needed to give the decision a bit of thought) and went to another shop where they don’t keep following you around giving advice, but let you make your own choices.

Now, as for the use and contents of my bag(s)… As I’m nearly always on foot or going by bus, I usually also bring a backpack if I intend to go shopping, or if I’m going to be away from home for more than a few hours. If I have a backback I usually prefer just a small handbag (shoulderbag). But if I don’t bring a backpack, I may need a bigger handbag. So I usually have two or three different handbags “going” at the same time/season, all equipped with some basic stuff like paper tissues, comb, chapstick and a few loose coins (for shopping carts and public toilets and such). I then have a mini toilet bag that I keep up to date with basic medicines that I need or find best to always keep with me; and that and my wallet I move between bags.

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My camera has it’s own little case with shoulder strap; and my phone goes either into the handbag or a pocket depending on what I’m wearing.

Because I do keep changing bags, I don’t really tend to accumulate a lot of completely unnecessary stuff in them, like old receipts and tickets or whatever. If I ever find myself out of small change, though, it might be worth while to search the various pockets of my handbag collection…

15 comments:

  1. Oh! I must go and look at the other blog you mention here - thank you for linking to mine! It really is an interesting topic, isn't it?
    As for that sales person in the first shop... I am in sales myself, and although it can be a good thing to make a suggestion the customer has not speficially asked for, it is an absolute no-no to so blatantly ignore what they say they are looking for.
    Your choice of bag, along with the gloves and headband, looks very nice, and loving polka dots myself, I really like your small toiletries bag!

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    Replies
    1. She may have been doing her best... But mind-reading certainly wasn't her strong point! ;)

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    2. The fact that you walked out demonstrated that her best was not good enough. Knowing or anticipating your customer's wants are paramount.

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  2. i really like the new bag and gloves and band, the color is my favorite and my whole house has accents in this color. i don't carry a bag, but when i worked i had one that i took with me for what if things at work. i only had the one bag. i retired in Sept 06 and put the bag up on the shelf, 5 years later, i needed to use it for something i was going to and when i looked, i had packed away a 20 dollar bill and the meds i had already purchased again because i could not find them. i sat it on the shelf and never touched it except to dust once a year.

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    1. I have two friends (female) who very rarely carry a handbag anywhere. I don't know how they do it. If I go out without one, I keep getting sudden panic attacks thinking I've lost it!

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  3. I was looking at handbags yesterday, huge bags seem all the rage. One or two of them could have doubled as overnight bags. I think I'll get one. When I travel by plane to visit my youngest daughter I get cheap carry on luggage only flights - one 7 kg bag/suitcase and one handbag. But none of the ones I saw were in red and I love red handbags. Yours is lovely!

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    Replies
    1. Pauline, If the weight of the handbag does not count, then I understand if you'd want a huge one for those occasions! I like wearing red in the winter because "my world" is so colourless then.

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  4. Love your bag collection....I too like long straps on my bags, since I can never get comfortable carrying a bag with handles.
    Thought I would try adding a large bag with short handles to my collection while I was shopping on my last trip, but ended up giving it to my girlfriend when I returned home.
    Good sales persons are hard to find these days....love the red bag you finally bought to add to your collection.

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    Replies
    1. I don't like carrying bags with handles either, especially as I have a bad right shoulder/arm.

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  5. Generally speaking handbags for men are not fashionable in the UK or New Zealand. It's a shame because I would probably carry a handbag everywhere: a discrete one you understand like the one I use when travelling by plane so that I have things to hand and don't have to get things out of the overhead locker. Life was more simple when I wore suits and jackets with lots of pockets but now I don't wear clothes with decent pockets apart from my trousers. As I will explain in a blogpost soon, they are not always a good idea.

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    Replies
    1. A tip for you, GB: You could try a camera bag... even if you don't really need one for the camera!

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    2. As it happens Monica I did use my camera bag whilst I was on holiday and just slung my camera around my neck - it was constantly in use anyway. Unfortunately as a matter of common practice it's not quite so easy because I wouldn't usually carry my camera when I'm out shopping for example. Interestingly in France and Italy male handbags seem fairly common and acceptable.

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    3. GB, I'm shocked! Not carrying your camera when shopping?! Seems a serious break of the Edwards rules... ;)

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    4. I rely on my iPhone camera Monica!

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  6. Jo has got one of Hermione's bags. There is just so much crammed into a small space on the outside and what must be an enormous room on the inside! The problem is that no matter how hard she looks she can never find anything in it.

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