Ok, hate is a strong word. It's just that as a mom trying to decorate an entire house - my blank canvas - and on a modest budget, I am so inspired and awed by the pages of my Pottery Barn catalogs. My heart races as I head to my mailbox everyday, hoping the newest catalog will be waiting for me, all pristine and free from rips, wrinkles and coffee cup rings. Perhaps it will be like last months copy, the extra large "preferred customer edition." The insane thing is, I've never once ordered a single thing from the catalog and am not sure how I am a preferred customer (although I did purchase a nice pair of curtains from their store once...as they were 75% off). It's the mere anticipation of the inspiration the catalogs will provide. I will clip pages for my idea folder, hoping to find similar knock-offs at Target, Hobby Lobby or the neighborhood garage sale. Let's face it, their prices our insane...at least from my standpoint. Even if Troy and I suddenly became millionaires, it would physically hurt me to spend $120 on a vase or $70 on a twin bed skirt.
However, this past weekend's arrival was different. I received the latest Pottery Barn Kids catalog. Having two children's rooms to decorate, this catalog was a treasure chest of ideas...kids in the front, nursery items in the back. As I flipped through the pages for the third time yesterday, an adorable set of three circus-themed prints jumped out at me. They were equisite, simple and the perfect color scheme for the nursery. I glanced over at the next page to find the price and was shocked to see $49.00, for THREE framed prints!! I immediately showed it to Troy and made it known that I just had to order these for the nursery. After all, I have a 10% off coupon. We agreed that I'd take it out of the monthly home improvement budget, and I quickly raced to the computer to place my online order. I was finally going to be a member of the Pottery Barn club.
As I pulled up their website, I began to wonder...what is wrong with these adorable pieces of art if they fit in my budget with money to spare? They must be some type of sub-grade PB product...made in China with lead paint. Regardless, I typed in the item description and held my breath as the page came up. I pulled up the close-up view of the prints - a circus tent, a seal balancing on a ball and an adorable, fat elephant with a balloon tied to its trunk. At last, I would order something from my design mecca. I re-read the description. The fine print, which wasn't listed in the catalog, jumped out from the screen. "Gallery Frames Sold Separately." You've got to be kidding me!! Being an odd size, I knew that finding them online somewhere else (and I tried) would be impossible. I looked up the pricing for the frames - $39 a piece. My now adorable $49 purchase would be over $170 for the complete look. This was clearly not in my budget!!
I put my head down, sighed deeply and clicked the X to close the web site in defeat. How dare they lure me in with their misleading catalog description only to dash my dreams on their website. Those evil Pottery Barn marketing geniuses! Darn you!!!! Darn you and your adorable, fat circus animals in the perfect shades of blue & green!
So for now, I will continue to look for similar, sub-par replacement pieces at my old stand-bys. And, yes, I'm sure I will continue to salivate over the pages of upcoming catalogs. Especially their fall & Christmas issues. Those are the holy grail of catalogs, virtually dripping with scents of pumpkin pie & evergreens. And I know I will have a greater sense of satisfaction if I can find something just as cute for a lower price. It just seems that my bargain finds come with scratches, holes or something else that needs to be mended before displaying.
If anyone from Pottery Barn is reading this, please cut a girl a break and add a "mom on a budget" section (or special insert for "preferred customers") so that I can finally order something from your catalog and display it proudly on my now naked & cold walls. It's the least you can do for one of your most devoted fans. And for heaven's sakes, please put the "fine print" in the catalog as well!!! I can't take any more online disappointment
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