Ladies who lunch, making a day of it

I have recently come to the conclusion that well off people not only have too much money, but also time on their hands. Having worked retail for many, many years, I've experienced the ladies who lunch syndrome all too often.

Take the lady that needs a small gift for her niece's birthday. She calls her friend to make a day of it. We can meet up for coffee at Starbucks, then get our nails done. Time for a long, leisurely lunch. A few glasses of wine will put a hazy, buzzed spin on the rest of the day. On the way to Coach after lunch they swing by a cute boutique that recently opened in the mall to try on a few dresses.

The sales person runs around to pull sizes and styles for the ladies who lunch, all for the fun of it. They have no intention of purchasing a thing. They just are pre-shopping for the future. (They will make a day of it when they need to get that new dress for a wedding this summer, and actually need to buy one.) The ladies laugh, snap photos of each other for future reference. One even posts a picture to Facebook asking her friends if they like the dress. She really is saying to her friends, "Look at me and the great afternoon I'm having, shopping with a wine buzz!"

They check the time on their phones and decide they should really get to Coach to get the gift, because they need to get home soon to receive their children from school. They leave the dressing room a mess. Not one thing is on a hanger as it was presented to them. Instead, there is a heap of fabric on the bench and floor of the fitting room. The smiling sales person from earlier, is now scowling and swoops everything up to put back.

The ladies reach the Coach store and are welcomed warmly by the sales person. They check out bags for themselves, trying them on and looking at themselves in the mirror. The sales person shows them matching wallets, and shows them how a scarf tied to the handle of the bag can create a fun look for spring. Again, the ladies realize the time, and decided to focus on the task at hand, the gift for the niece.

The sales person shows them some cute key chains, and wristlets. The ladies are having a hard time deciding. Do they go with a cute key chain with flowers, or the hot pink wristlet with Coach's signature fabric? It takes almost 20 minutes until they decide to go with the key chain. The sales person wraps it up, and puts a bow of lime green, satin ribbon on the box. The ladies are now planning next week's outing, and seem to not even see or hear the sales person thank them for coming in and to have a nice afternoon. The ladies race out of the store, one forgetting her Prada sunglasses on the counter. The sales person runs after them into the mall to return them. Not a "Thank you", but a "Oh, my. I thought I forget something."

On the way to the mall exit the ladies pop in Pottery Barn to look at dinnerware and glassware. One is hosting a party next month, so they will need to make a day of it when she needs to update her table scape to impress her guests.

I guess part of me is kind of jealous and envious of the ladies who lunch. I would love to have the time and money to get a mani-pedi weekly, hundred dollar lunches, and shop the afternoon away. But alas, I do not. Instead, I get to help the ladies who lunch. With a smile of course!