So this NYT article has been on my mind lately (excerpts of which I cobbled together up top for an Insta story post), especially since I do a lot of online shopping to write this blog. From almost the very beginning, this blog has been all about reviews. And for me, shopping has also been a way to distract and numb any sort of anxiety (so you’ll see the damage I’ve done in tomorrow’s “What I Bought in March” post—eek). But now more than ever, it’s time to get mindful of my purchases: not only are my own earnings diminishing over various revenue streams, but also it seems ridiculous to spend money on non-essentials during a pandemic. Now is the time for essentialism.
But this is something I’ve learned after a bunch of frivolous spending so I definitely don’t have all the answers. This is just to say, going forward I’m definitely going to use my dollar as a vote now more than ever. I’m going to support the small business that I want to see “on the other side” of this pandemic. I also will try to shop less online overall so as to not clog up delivery times for people who really are relying on deliveries for essentials.
Also I have some thoughts on the whole Everlane union lay-off drama, but I talk about it in tomorrow’s post. But I think Renee said it really well in her post here and Leah in her post here. I’m with them, and won’t be purchasing any new Everlane items nor accepting gifts. And is it no surprise Everlane just added an impromptu 25% off sitewide (they didn’t even tell affiliates about it beforehand, unlike their combo deals they were running last week, so I’m pretty sure it was a last minute thing). When I saw their unprecedented blanket 25% off sale I immediately thought of this article—is this a “Warning” or cry for help? Or maybe a slap to all the ethical bloggers who are now taking a stand and won’t be making any “Buy this at Everlane" guides to make much needed commissions at this time—lol that’s just me taking it personally. {BUT if you do buy during this sale I think it’s definitely ok despite what I said about my own Everlane ban. I’ve been buying them for yeeears. TBH I’m probably Everlane’d out at times. But if you have been waiting for a really good deal—like now—to purchase then you should 100% go for it because the quality of their stuff is good and now at an even more reasonable price. I am lucky to be able to get up on my high horse and say no to them, and as a blogger who’s been promoting them for almost 5 years (and largely for free), it’s the time for me to take a stand to show you where I’m at with their HR policies. But these are my circumstances and probably differ from yours so please don’t think I’ll judge you for your purchases. I mean I purchased a trampoline during a pandemic—I talk about it tmr—so who am I to judge lol}
P.S. If you want to see how Everlane should have done it, look at Eileen Fisher who asked employees to take unpaid leave so that they could cover medical costs for everyone (it’s in Leah’s blog post linked above).
P.P.S I am no longer buying anything new from Everlane, but I am going to be finishing up my reviews that I already had in the works from before, especially since this last item is ne of the best things to come out of Everlane for awhile IMHO.