I actually hate “haul” videos and blog posts. Unless it’s telling me what I’m able to get in the shops around me (which is unlikely because Frankfurt is useless on the shopping front) I really don’t have any interest in sitting here looking at all the things other people bought – wondering how on earth they afforded it all.
However – this is a little different. Living in a different country can be really hard sometimes, and having nice online shops that deliver nicely is often a real help.
Forever 21 was my hero when I lived in Japan. I didn’t like most of the Japanese fashions (it’s not all Harajuku… a lot of small town Japanese girls wear what can be described as potato sacks…) and even if I did see something I liked, the chances of it fitting me were one in a million. Forever 21 has a handful of shops in Japan but their online store is great. Not only is it foreigner-sized, but it’s also nicely priced and has cash on delivery!
Thinking that I would get the same level of service and niceness here in Germany, I made a small purchase. Everything above (two dresses, a t-shirt and a tank for Zumba) came to 60 euros. However, the delivery was a pain in the bum. They used DHL, who tried to deliver at 4.30pm on the Wednesday – I took the yellow card and wanted to wait til the weekend so I could go pick it up. On the Thursday, they came at the same time. I took the card again. By Friday, I could see a pattern forming and left a note on my mailbox saying that I am at work at 4.30 and please could you leave an address for me to go get my package from. I found another yellow card – this time saying that it would be taken back to where the package came from – and no address.
Using my initiative, I went to the nearest DHL place on the Saturday to pick it up. It was closed. Of course. Angry, I phoned their number and they said that I had to go somewhere that was really inconvenient to get it. I asked if there was another way and she said that I had to be at home on Monday from 3-5 to get it – or it’ll be sent back.
So, after taking time off of work I finally got my Forever 21 haul. You’ll be pleased to know that I have a Packstation now so hopefully I won’t have these problems anymore. And I know it’s not Forever 21′s fault that German’s post system is a pain in the bum. It’s just one of those things…
Ps – who likes my Jubilee duck?!
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