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.

Nordstrom Preview. Black Eyed Peas Make Me Watch Oprah.

Ok Cincinnati. So we're not Chicago, but we now have a Nordstrom! Woo hoo! Well, almost. It opens a week from now, and press tours are today. Watch for frequent tweeting from Laura Baverman (@laurabaverman) while she is touring the new store.

The grand opening is 9/18 at 10 a.m. Keep in mind this also means, we're getting closer and closer to Nordstrom Rack. Be still my twittering heart.

In completely unrelated news, oh the genius of the Black Eyed Peas. Only they could make me watch clips from Oprah's season premier. If you haven't seen they're flash mob audience as they perform "Today's Gonna Be a Good Day" (is that the title? I don't even know), you have to check it out. Like stop what you're doing now and watch the video.

A better blogger would give insightful opinion and a full witty repertoire, but I can only say.... watch it, watch it now!

Nordstrom Rack in Cincy: dreams do come true!

- Why hello there, Nordstrom Rack.
- Yes, yes I missed you too.
- I realize it's been nearly three years since I visited. I left L.A. though.
- I know. I'm sorry.

- But I'm super glad you're coming to Cincy!

Oh how I do adore Nordstrom Rack. I can't afford to be a snob about it, and even if I could, I think I'd still go. It has all of the luxuries of Nordstrom at half the price. Think of it as THE T.J. Maxx for Nordstrom.

Speaking of which, with Nordstrom coming to town September 25, 2009 (not to be terribly specific) to Kenwood, we Cincinnatians also get the happiness of the Rack - opening its doors November 20, 2009 in Rookwood Pavilion. That's just one week before shopping's darkest day, Black Friday. Now I'm not going to discuss exactly how fair that will be to all of the newbie employees manning the Rack that day, but seriously, isn't it a little mean?

Check Nordstrom's new store openings and mark those calendars, ladies. It's going to be a shopper's paradise in Cincy this Fall.