I've been in Santa Fe for a week shopping the major retail stores, consignment shops, and galleries in the area. I am related to a major artist/designer, as well as one of the premiere home stylists in the country, so I often browse when I travel to make recommendations to their buyers. Wow, was Nathalie the biggest disappointment of the week. First, even for Canyon Road the entire store is overpriced (which is saying something coming from NYC), and everyone who works there has some sort of attitude -- the salty woman when you enter (don't ask the pronunciation of the name of the store!), and the uncomfortably flirtatious saleswoman working in the back room.
Now, let me be clear, this next part is not about the price of a coat, but about the principle. With my eye mostly on furniture, and home accessories, I stumbled on a very eccentric coat made from a red Pendleton blanket that totally caught my eye. It was on their consignment rack way in the back of the store next to their sale items (a rack with maybe 10 undesirable pieces of second hand clothing), and was steeply priced at $450. Fawning over my find, the flirty saleswoman told me I had to have it, and insisted she would hold it for me (I did not ask). As you do (and should!) with any consignment piece, I asked nicely if there was anything she could do to work with me on price, to which she scoffed, "Why can't your pay $450? It is less than the cost of a Pendleton blanket! And it is Vintage!" I decided to leave to look at some other stores, but I would return to buy the coat (for $450!) if I couldn't stop thinking about it that afternoon.
When I left, I did a little research and found that this saleswoman was lying to me! I found on the Pendleton website that blankets average between $150-$350, and I even found a few vintage Pendleton coats on Etsy (some with shearling collars), and nothing was more than $350. So, I called the store, explained that after some research, I felt they were overcharging, and offered $350 to buy the coat. With a air of entitlement, the saleswoman told me she thought the owner/buyer wouldn't "go for it," that consignment pieces were non-negotiable (unheard of!), but she would ask. I asked her to have the owner call me back so I might have an opportunity to discuss the cost with her. Well, flirtatious saleswoman called me back (not the owner), and feeling quite proud of herself, told me that as she expected, the coat is $450 and she would not work with me on the price. Then, all of a sudden she had all this new information about the coat -- it was made by a designer, they aren't making them anymore, etc. But wait, I thought it was Pendleton!? Is it even vintage?! Was I being spun talking points just to sell at full price? So, once again, I asked to speak to the owner (who was there!), but was told she would have to call me back. I'm still waiting on that call...
So, as much as I love this coat, still want it, and can't stop thinking about it, Nathalie will not receive my business nor my recommendation. Consignment finds are special because they are singular pieces that fit you and your style. You won't find hundreds of people wearing them, which is partially why negotiating the price is part of the process. Not here! For Nathalie, it is not about making a sale, but rather about their bottom line and gouging their customers in order to make their commission. Disappointing and greedy, disingenuous and snobby. read more
