In response to Mitt Romney's unabashed disdain for poor people, I have decided to spend some time reviewing businesses targeting lower-income families. Hey, many of us like to stretch a dollar, and some of us can't afford to do anything but. According to Romney, those less-fortunate among us are too spineless, entitled and/or ignorant to do anything but vote for Obama, never mind the concept of enlightened self-interest . . but I suppose that's better left for another forum . . .
Ross Dress for Less is a dirty, disorganized and depressing place. Here you will find the generally unbelievable lack of customer service that is common of discount outlets. I would imagine that this company doesn't pay or treat its employees very well, and we all know that shit rolls downhill. So the company philosophy seems to be that if you are desperate or poor enough to shop (or work) here, you are a fool to expect anybody to give a shit about your level of satisfaction.
Nobody gives a shit, ok, let's press forward. The key to finding a real bargain here is that you have to give yourself a lot of time to shop. You absolutely will not walk in and find something adorable just hanging there off the rack waiting for you, like you will at Anthropologie. No, in fact, you will have to think like an actual anthropologist and really dig through the dirt to find that valuable specimen.
When I was younger and positively imbued with vim and vigor, I could do the clothes hunt. And you really can find your favorite brands at a much cheaper price!
Lately though, I am just too jaded and filled with spite for humanity to be able to tolerate more than 20 minutes in Ross. I spend all day trying to be a good Buddhist, disciplining myself to emanate only goodwill towards all living things, and that headspace is thoroughly obliterated by more than 20 minutes inside of a Ross Dress for Less.
So the plan is, head immediately to the housewares section. There you will find deeply discounted glassware, dinnerware, French presses, nice pots and pans, cooking utensils, and an almost whimsical selection of sauces, spices, and candy. I recommend buying shot glasses here, oddly enough, if you want to deal with your financial stress that way. They tend to have an unusual selection, sometimes hand-blown, sometimes Star Wars-themed (score! Bought 3 sets for 5 bucks each, and we're talking Original Trilogy, not that weak sauce prequel trilogy shit).
They have some unique and well-priced bedding, rugs and small furniture pieces, plus cool throw pillows, shower curtains, lamps, picture frames, etc.
So, in general, this is a good place to go if you're a young person or newly single person looking to outfit a new home and kitchen, or, like me, on the perennial hunt for that good, random, cheap shit.
Do not go for the clothes unless you are very young and/or poor, or just want to challenge your threshold for tolerance. The clothing aisles are narrow and packed with ugly, repetitive crap and it's a hostile experience overall.
If you do decide to go just for the housewares, heads up, you might want to pop a Klonopin first.
Hey, Mitt Romney, do you think it's easy to live this way? read more