I went to Forever 21 for the first time my freshman year of college. I am from Vermont and we don’t have a lot of popular stores like Forever 21 so after hearing everyone rave about it I had to check it out for myself.
3 hours and $230 dollars later I was on my way out. I was exhausted, I just wanted to sit, I couldn’t figure out how such cheap clothes could total so much and how I let myself walk out having spent half my semester’s budget. The place was just so massive and unorganized and overwhelming, the stress was almost more than I could handle, but the clothes were so cheap and cute! It was the first and only store I went in that day, and I left unable to even think about having to rifle through another rack.
Now, 3 years later, I would definitely consider myself a master in the art of Forever 21 shopping, having had more than my share of horrible mistakes along the way. So here are some tips to help make your experience less crazy mess and more actually enjoyable! Imagine that!
[pagebreak]
1. Don’t go if you don’t have a lot of time
I can’t remember how many times I’ve said to my friends, “Ok, we can go to Forever, but only for 45 minutes…” HA! Yeah right, you say that now, but it’s not gonna happen. Something will catch your eye and then another and another, plus dressing room time… Don’t kid yourself if you think you’re making it out in less and an hour and a half. If you only have a certain amount of time at the mall, fight the temptation and skip the store altogether. ‘Sorry I was held up at Forever 21,’ is not an excuse for being late.
2. Do everything else on your list first
Do you have Christmas shopping to do? Or need a new suit for a job interview? Yeah, do that first because chances are, you are going to have all the shopping energy SUCKED out of your body if you wait until after. Get all of the important things done first so you can enjoy your time more in Forever 21 without stressing having more to do after.
3. Use the calculator on your phone to add up the prices
Since everything is so inexpensive at Forever 21, it is so easy to get caught up in a “rounding down” situation. Keeping track of your total in your head would work at most stores, but not here. Not only will you be buying more items than normal, but when the price on something is $18.50, that can easily get adjusted in your head to $15, and I’m sure some of those little $7 t-shirts will slip through the cracks. Keeping track on your phone is a great way to keep you on budget and prevent you from having a panic attack when you see the total on the register and asking the checkout lady if she made a mistake (she isn’t wrong and will justifiably be a little annoyed).
[pagebreak]
4. Go at an off time
Have a Tuesday afternoon with no classes? Or a Thursday evening maybe? Forever 21 is a whole new world when it isn’t filled to the brim with ravaged, tween bargain hunters with an I-saw-it-first attitude. Biggest perk of this: No line in the dressing rooms! Imagine not having to stand for 20 minutes in line while your arms shake under the weight of dozens of new outfits.
5. Speaking of dressing rooms…
Remember: you are only allowed 6 items in the room at a time, so choose your 6 favorites beforehand. Once after spending hours wandering the store for the best clothes, I returned from my first round of 6 items to discover that the rest had accidently been put away. It felt like spending an entire afternoon writing a huge paper just to have your computer crash when you go to print. Make sure your items were put on the right rack when you go in your room to prevent this tragedy from happening to you.
6. Basics/Risks
Most of these tips have been pretty negative so I need to reiterate that I do actually love Forever 21. One of the best things about it is they have any basic item you need at a fraction of the cost. Don’t spend $40 on a plain tank top from J.Crew when you can get the exact same thing from Forever 21 for about $4. This rule also applies to taking fashion risks. Really want to try a pair of harem pants but are scared you will look ridiculous? Get a $12 pair at Forever and if you absolutely hate it, hey, it’s only $12.
[pagebreak]
And last but definitely not least…
7. DO NOT BRING YOUR BOYFRIEND
I repeat, do not bring your boyfriend. Don’t do it. Don’t. Seriously, don’t torture him like that. There is absolutely no men’s section. There is nowhere for him to sit. He is not allowed within 20 feet of the dressing room so he can’t even give his approval of your outfits. Think you can just pop in real quick and check out that cute dress you saw in the window? Nope, not gonna happen, and later when he wants to spend all of a beautiful Friday afternoon playing Call of Duty, you can’t even complain because Forever 21 for men is a far worse Hell than you sitting in a comfy chair waiting for him to get bored with his game.
That’s it! Now that you have this handy survival guide at your disposal, you just might be able to tackle the four-story Forever 21 on Newbury Street! Maybe……..
Image Sources: