Canada Goose - Chalking it up to experience and one happy ending, blah, blah, blah...

So in my impatience, frustration, desperation, *naivete*, downright stupidity, (and need for instant-gratification!) I ended up ordering a Canada Goose online, through some random site after not being able to find any in my size anywhere in the city! I figured for 252.00 USD I was getting a really awesome deal for the real McCoy. Of course, they processed my card upfront, but because I've never had any previous bad experiences buying stuff over the Internet, I didn't think of it as a cause for too much concern when after two weeks after placing my order, it was still "pending." And right away, after logging a follow up ticket, I heard back from them with a tracking number "profusely" apologetic for the delay and "pleased" to inform me that the parka had been shipped out. So again, my excitement began to build!!!

So, it arrived last Thursday at the office where I had it sent to since no one's home to receive the package during the day anyways, and without wasting another minute after claiming it from Bessie, tore it open in front of a puzzled and curious Sema & Sheryl only to find out that I had ordered a men's parka by mistake!!! And to top it off, the thing was sooo fake with the funny looking fur ruff around the hood and its obviously inferior overall craftsmanship, having been shipped out fresh from probably some underground black market operation in China! I stuffed it back into the bag it came in and didn't look at it again. Yesterday, I decided to take the parka home in case Kumar might be interested but of course, he turned up his nose to it (although it did fit him like a glove!) having both a real bomber and a vest which he got through a special *package* exclusive to Harry Rosen (which is an authorized retailer of CG) employees only, of course, and excluding greedy wives, too!!!

I ended up checking out Canada Goose's *official* website, which I really should have done from the get go before I even toyed with the idea of getting one online, and read up on a whole section the site devoted to the subject of counterfeiting - a "scourge" as the company called it that they've had to contend with lately (and sadly something that all "iconic" brands must deal with) brought on by the recent exponential rise
in popularity that the brand (that has been around for half a century now) has been enjoying. I felt rotten for having inadvertently purchased a knock off! I promise, it was unintentional! I never wanted a fake jacket, for first of all, who knows what it's been stuffed with, yuck! I just couldn't find the exact color, size, and style I wanted this late into the season when only odd colors like canary yellow and sizes are left available and after finally having made up my mind that the jackets are the gold standard in outerwear, when it comes to functionality, the real purpose of the jackets (before they took the streets of all major temperate cities by storm) being intended for use under extreme Arctic weather and that, I, of course, *must* have one! Hey, if they're good enough for them Arctic expeditioneers, they're good enough for me! That's why I had resorted to purchasing online where they seemed to be readily available. I should have known better! Anyways, I'm returning the fake at my own expense, and will be getting a refund from the rogue site, if they give me a hard time I'll just threaten to blog and expose their cheating rears, whose activities adversely impact us. I am very
intimidating, you know, all five feet of me!

Feeling bad for me, Kumar asked me why I looked so dejected last night as I walked out the door to go and workout downstairs to run off my frustration. No, I wasn't sulking over the silly parka, heck, no, well, ok, maybe partly because of that, among the other far more important matters weighing on my mind, these days. But this morning I got a call from Kumar, asking me whether I liked the "Resolute" model of parka, because that one they had at Stylexchange in my size! The Resolute is a bit more industrial looking with reflectors to ensure that you're visible, perfect for when you're negotiating icy sidewalks in the middle of the night and find yourself in the path of those crazy snowplows and
with loops you could either hang, I don't know, things like jack knives, CB radios, compasses (??) or lipgloss. It honestly looks like something you could probably wear to put out fires with (but still very nice!) without singeing a single (body) hair! Did I want it, he asked. I hesitated, knowing it didn't come cheap, but as their official site also made clear, CG isn't offering any promotions or discounts at this time and that too-good-to-be-true deals such as the one I found, are simply that, too-good-to-be-true! They insist that their jackets are investment items, the quality of which they stand by and guarantee complete satisfaction of. They already have a core market of Arctic experimenters, so they really don't need to lower the price. And so I said "Sure, but wait, isn't it early? Are you on break? I asked "No, I came here straight, 'doing this first thing, for you." Kumar replied and got me my parka, putting an end to the sad and freezing, CG-less existence, I've been leading (lol). My husband's thoughtful gesture brought me to tears! But I also know that, I'm going to have to wear blinders whenever we hit the mall from now on because I won't be getting another coat from him in a good while, and that's totally fine by me! My Canada Goose makes its grand debut tomorrow - man, I've never looked forward to subzero weather like this before!