Major and minor purchases
Tonight I ordered a red sofa from Major Department Store on Busy Thoroughfare of Big City Like No Other.* I ordered it, not exactly impulsively (I have been needing a new sofa and planning to do this for awhile) but without much agonizing. I sat on a few different kinds of sofas, noted with disapproval that some creaked when I leaned back (these were the ones that were more within my price range, of course). I made a big circle around the floor, at one point getting a little confused about which sofas I had already encountered. I made a note to myself to come back to one where someone else was lounging and talking to the salesperson. I came back to that one--the red sofa--tested it out by sitting, leaning back against the cushions, and, finally, taking off my shoes and stretching out, my head propped up on a pillow against the chair arm. I imagined myself watching TV (yes, sad but true). As I was lying there, a salesman came round the bend with a potential customer, a youngish guy in a suit. The salesman was saying, "Oh, and here's another one you might like." I tried to pretend I was a mannequin, part of the display. I think I was afraid I would get into trouble if I let on I was human. Then the salesman acknowledged me, saying to the guy, "You can see how comfortable it is." I sat up so that the guy could also sit on the sofa. He said to the salesman, "Yes, very comfortable." Then, as they left, he said to me in a very concerned and solicitous tone (oh, and he had a British accent, just perfect), "Please put your feet back up."
Another salesman came by, I told him I was interested in the couch, we discussed various options and I decided to buy the sofabed version. We went back and forth over the color for awhile. I was drawn to the red--I told him, "I need a change in my life, maybe a red sofa will make things more exciting." He said, "Yeah, maybe it'll bring you luck." I don't know if we were talking about the same thing, but he was totally matter-of-fact and unsmarmy, so maybe he meant it in a kind of general way.
While he was writing up the sale, I started fretting about the color again. I thought maybe I should go for the other color, which was camel. What did he think, I asked him. He shook his head dubiously. "Well, you can't go wrong, it's a neutral color. But who doesn't have that color?" I said, "yes, you're right."
But we left it that I could call him if I had a change of heart about the color.
To allay my anxiety over this decision I decided I should go to the "intimate" department and buy some bras. I took the escalator down a couple of floors and wandered into the sea of dreamy, filmy lingerie. I was touching one of the lovely nightgowns admiringly, thinking about a conversation I had recently with a friend where we pondered whether buying sexy underthings as a gesture of optimism would somehow bring good things (i.e., sex) into one's life or whether it was like when you plan ahead and bring an umbrella and that almost guarantees that it won't rain, when all of a sudden I saw among the nightgowns a male colleague, a fellow adjunct. It took me a minute to place him, since I hadn't seen him all summer. Then we were both kind of embarrassed. He said, blushing a little, "I'm buying a present." Then he added, "It's not for me." I said, reassuringly, "Yes, I thought either you were with someone or you were buying a present." We chatted about our adjunct jobs for a little bit. Then there was an awkward silence, which I filled in with, "I just bought a red sofa." I told him I was having second thoughts about the color--maybe I should go for the camel. He said, emphatically, "No, because if you live in New York and you open the window all kinds of dirt and soot comes in and then it gets dirty and it doesn't look so nice. That's what happened to mine." I thanked him for the reassurance and we went our separate ways.
Now that I am home I am of course worried about the sofa again--not about the color but about whether it is too big for the space I have available in my very small apartment. So it seems I have just postponed the agonizing, not avoided it all together.
More when things are clearer.
______________________________________
*I am borrowing that last pseudonym, of course, from jo(e). Hmm, how does one cite a pseudonym on a blog?
Another salesman came by, I told him I was interested in the couch, we discussed various options and I decided to buy the sofabed version. We went back and forth over the color for awhile. I was drawn to the red--I told him, "I need a change in my life, maybe a red sofa will make things more exciting." He said, "Yeah, maybe it'll bring you luck." I don't know if we were talking about the same thing, but he was totally matter-of-fact and unsmarmy, so maybe he meant it in a kind of general way.
While he was writing up the sale, I started fretting about the color again. I thought maybe I should go for the other color, which was camel. What did he think, I asked him. He shook his head dubiously. "Well, you can't go wrong, it's a neutral color. But who doesn't have that color?" I said, "yes, you're right."
But we left it that I could call him if I had a change of heart about the color.
To allay my anxiety over this decision I decided I should go to the "intimate" department and buy some bras. I took the escalator down a couple of floors and wandered into the sea of dreamy, filmy lingerie. I was touching one of the lovely nightgowns admiringly, thinking about a conversation I had recently with a friend where we pondered whether buying sexy underthings as a gesture of optimism would somehow bring good things (i.e., sex) into one's life or whether it was like when you plan ahead and bring an umbrella and that almost guarantees that it won't rain, when all of a sudden I saw among the nightgowns a male colleague, a fellow adjunct. It took me a minute to place him, since I hadn't seen him all summer. Then we were both kind of embarrassed. He said, blushing a little, "I'm buying a present." Then he added, "It's not for me." I said, reassuringly, "Yes, I thought either you were with someone or you were buying a present." We chatted about our adjunct jobs for a little bit. Then there was an awkward silence, which I filled in with, "I just bought a red sofa." I told him I was having second thoughts about the color--maybe I should go for the camel. He said, emphatically, "No, because if you live in New York and you open the window all kinds of dirt and soot comes in and then it gets dirty and it doesn't look so nice. That's what happened to mine." I thanked him for the reassurance and we went our separate ways.
Now that I am home I am of course worried about the sofa again--not about the color but about whether it is too big for the space I have available in my very small apartment. So it seems I have just postponed the agonizing, not avoided it all together.
More when things are clearer.
______________________________________
*I am borrowing that last pseudonym, of course, from jo(e). Hmm, how does one cite a pseudonym on a blog?
posted by Sarah Sometimes at 9:50 PM
11 Comments:
Red! I vote for the red sofa! And then you can buy black lingerie to go with it because it will look cool against the red when you are lounging on the sofa ....
Remember the red room in Minneapolis? And how very cool that was? And the woman in the black dress who came and stood in the doorway and said, enviously,"Oh, you have the red room. I looooove the red room."
I knew I could count on you for encouragement! I think I must have had the red room in the back of my mind tonight when I was buying the sofa.... Now if only it will fit into my apartment. I think it will, more or less.
I say red also. I have a red diningroom and it is always noticed and have received many compliments on the color. (And it does hide dirt - fingerprints in this case.).
jar: thank you, too, for the encouragement. alas, I lost my nerve and canceled the order today. not because of the color but because I was afraid the sofa wouldn't fit. apartment living can be trying. but I will order another, smaller sofa, maybe another red one. it was fun to write about it, anyway.
Oh, too bad you cancelled the order - red sounds great! I hope you get a smaller red sofa. Did you measure it to see whether it would really be too big?
Lilian--I think probably if I had had the sofa delivered I would have found a way to fit it in the apartment and work around it, but it was 20" wider than the one I have now. I think a little too big. I know, it's a bummer. I'm all depressed now. [Whoa, my word verification "word" is "weeplzz"--I think sometimes it knows what we are writing.]
Oh, 20'' is a lot, so maybe you're right about this. You don't want to get too cramped, even though this sounds like a very comfortable sofa! I hope you can find what you're looking for and then feel happy that you did the perfect purchase!
Ah, I came to vote for red, too. Even though you cancelled...I was just watching something on TV today about feng sui (sp?): red is a lucky color.
You did just the right thing spreading out on that sofa. My advice for the next trip would be to stay on the potential furniture a good long time. My best friend paid a small fortune for furniture that seemed comfy enough in the store, but no one ever sits on it because after a few minutes backaches ensue. So the last time I bought furniture, I sat on it for a good 20 minutes. And we're living happily ever after.
My l.r. furniture is not red, but my accents are. Red is invigorating!
I came to vote for the red too. We've got deep red walls in the living room and love them. Who wants camel? Good luck finding another one.
Actually, the couch and sofa in our current living room were purchased from that same Major Department Store on Busy Thoroughfare of Big City Like No Other ... about ten years ago. They've been moved four times since then, and they're now slip-covered and kind of broken down, but they're still relatively comfortable and we don't mind if the kids spill something on them or anything because we certainly know we've gotten our money's worth out of them. THey were pretty close to the cheapest ones available back then.
Hmm... lots of votes for red. I will certainly keep all of your votes in mind as I continue my search....
When the sales guy said 'maybe it'll bring you good luck' I think he may have been thinking of Chinese colors. Don't quote me on this or anything, but I think red symbolizes good luck, and gold symbolizes riches and good fortune, so that's why Chinese restaurants are often red and gold.
I hope this doesn't add fuel to the insecurities, and maybe I'm just boring, but my sofa is camel-colored. My rug is reddish orange though, and blue, and black, and camel, so there you go.
I sure like the sound of your red sofa, but without seeing a picture of your living room, I'd hate to throw in my lot either way.
No pressure, but maybe we could see a picture? :)
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