Nordstrom Rack: to shop or not to shop

Nordstrom Rack is open at Rookwood Commons - hooray for Cincinnati raising the bar in shopping. I made sure to stop by the Friday of its opening. The holidays have delayed my posting a bit so if you've visited the Rack and want to share your reaction - please do!

The scoop. The store is moderately sized, clean and efficient... I feel like I'm describing a doctor's office which isn't too far from the truth. Everything is pretty straightforward and sterile, but the staff was plentiful and helpful. I'm used to a much larger Nordstrom Rack so it's hard for me to be objective. However, there is some good deals to be had, and I'm sure as time goes on the inventory will increase and prices will improve even more. Be sure to hit the shoe section - quite a good selection there.

Moving customers through the purchase line was really impressive. The line was pretty intense, but employees were prepared. Extra registers were in place, and they moved us through like a well-oiled machine. Job well done.

In Summary...

Will I shop there in the future? Of course. Recommend it to friends? Definitely. Was I wowed? Not really. It's functional but just slightly missed the mark on deals and variety.

Some photos from my experience :) I really need to work on a steady hand... sorry about the blur!

Be prepared

Hey there, lovelies. It's been awhile since I've had an update for you, but there should be a bit of a landfall of entries in the next few days.

Why haven't I updated this recently? Well, you see what happened is that there were these aliens. And they brainwashed me. It was awful. I could only speak Finnish, and they made me think I hate shopping. AND because no one speaks Finnish anymore because the Vikings kind of failed, no one knew what happened. Everyone thought I lost it, and they tried to put me in a psych ward. I found out though, and now I'm in hiding. I'm in negotiations with the aliens about letting me shop again. I can work with the whole Finnish thing :)

That being said, I do plan on attending the grand opening of the Rookwood Nordstrom Rack tomorrow. My grandpa also offered his services to help me erect a proper dressmakers dummy/sewing mannequin-whatever thing. I'm going to pick her up today!

All that being said.... stay tuned for future updates.

Cincinnati Premium Outlets - I detect a shopper's haven

All the discount divas out there should know by now that Cincinnati Premium Outlets is celebrating its grand opening August 6-9. The outlets, located in Monroe, will house several -go figure- premium brands. Some run along the lines of those at Prime Outlets in Jeffersonville, but there are a few standouts.

New outlet stores I'm excited for?
* Columbia Sportswear
* Kenneth Cole
* Maidenform
* MICHAEL KORS!!!!
* Oakley Vault
* Maybe Saks (hopefully it'll be better than its Cincinnati Mills version)

* Cole Haan
* Ecco
* Rockport
* Le Creuset

Some of you may also be happy to know that there will be a Crocs outlet there. I honestly didn't know they made enough products for an entire store (illustrating my ignorance on the brand). Except, I do know about these lovely Frocs. I do judge anybody over the age of 11 who wears them.

I must say Northern Cincinnati is becoming quite the affordable shopping mecca. A coworker and I were discussing whether Prime or Premium Outlets were a better trip since both are about the same distance for us. We agreed, though I love Jeffersonville, that Premium would be a better destination based on the surrounding area where Ikea and the Frontgate Outlet are both nearby. Jeffersonville is sadly just too isolated from other shopping destinations (although conveniently on the way to and from Columbus, OH).

Check the Cincinnati Premium Outlets site for sales, deals and stores.