How is it already June?! I can’t believe how fast this year is flying by. I am currently in bed sick from this past week. You know when you over-exert yourself and then regret it? Yeah…that’s me. I can’t even talk today! I had to cancel plans with one of my best friends this weekend because of so many unfortunate events and now I feel terrible!
Let me just recap for you; Last week of school madness, I officially resigned from my teaching position which was so hard to do, I started training at this super upscale clothing store, I had my first photoshoot with this amazing professional photographer and brought my boyfriend along, I hosted a blog shopping event, we had high school graduation where I had to RUN IN THE RAIN (probably helped me get sick), I got my first flat tire….should I stop there? Life, y’all. Life.
Kendra Scott Event
Anyways, my good blogging/teaching friend, Julia of Little Piece of Chic, and I put together this shopping event at Kendra Scott in Southlake, Texas. So many things I could say about this event….. should I be honest or “fake smiles”??? Y’all know I am an honest person so….honest it is.
When Julia and I got there, it was already clear that their was lots of miscommunication going on. I had talked with the manager of the store and thought we were on the same page! When we got there I asked to see her, but she wasn’t even there! We walked in and the store was packed with costumers….and no one even paid attention to us until I walked up and introduced myself.
Luckily, they did have a sign welcoming us (it was in the back)! However, it said “Welcome Kelly and Friends” at first…we had them change it….
There didn’t seem to be a lot of advertising for this event either. I contacted all of my friends and contacts and so did Julia…but it was monsoon-ing outside so only a handful could come! The employees also made it known that only our “friends” could receive the 15% off as a part of our event…so regular customers had to pay full price! They would have gotten a lot more business if they advertised the event (Ex: Special Guest Bloggers, Kelly and Julia, will be hosting an event this Friday! Store wide is 15%!!), but what do I know. I wanted to introduce myself to the customers, but it was clear that we were more like “guests of honor” and not hosting the event. It was an EXTREMELY awkward experience, to say the least. So thankful I had Julia there with me!!
We shopped around for a little bit and tried to engage with other customers… which was also a fail. I wish the sign they made for us was shown when you first walk in instead of in the back corner so people would be like.. “oh you are a blogger!” and not just a girl in a dress awkwardly trying to talk with customers. I don’t think anyone even noticed the sign.
They did have champagne for us! It was supposed to be for us and our “friends”, but other customers ended up having some too. Which….. would have been a great, “hey have champagne we are the bloggers hosting this!” but…… that didn’t happen.
It was also super strange because I was promised ANY item of my choice up to a $200 value (unfortunately, this was over the phone so I don’t have any proof in writing…). The one piece I wanted so dearly from Kendra Scott was this tiny ring that retails for $45-$60. So I thought for sure this wouldn’t be a problem. Towards the end of the event I talked with some employees and either no one knew what I was talking about or I would get different stories as to what items I could have. Finally someone came back to us and told us that we could only get store credit of $50…and it COULD ONLY be a piece from the “Signature Collection”. I didn’t like anything because all I wanted was that dainty ring!! Which…. was still less than $50. After me asking and asking and pestering, they finally bent the rule and let me purchase the ring. After all that, I still had to pay $10 for it. Which, hello $10 for Kendra Scott is SUCH a deal; however, when you are promised anything in the store for free (up to $200 piece) and you can’t even get a $60 ring…. you feel kind of burned. The employees were so nice though! I just wish the event went more…as planned.
Then, after what seems like a marathon of a week, I walk out to my car only to find a wonderfully flat tire. I then called AAA and they said someone couldn’t come out until 9:45pm (over 2 1/2 hours…). A growing experience for sure.
Day in the Life of a Blogger
This scenario just highlights what it is like to be a blogger sometimes. There is so much unknown because the Blogging World is a new world for many! Let me tell you, I LOVE the idea of hosting events. I am an Organization QUEEN and pride myself on time management, organization, planning, decorating, and making people feel at ease. So, this event was very frustrating for me. There are so many things bloggers do that might LOOK glamorous (or easy) online, but in reality it is a lot of questions, finding answers, struggling, failing, and trying again.
I often work hours upon hours trying to get a good post up! Whether that is shooting for a blog post, shopping for outfits, going online or in magazines for inspiration, planing content, rough drafts, mapping out my instagram feed, and trying to gain followers. The life of a blogger is no easy task. I truly invest in this blog because I love it, but it is a very hard challenge sometimes. I get so many friends saying how “glamorous” my life looks or how easy and fun blogging looks! Yes, sometimes I get free items and I do (rarely) get paid, but there is SO much behind the scenes work (and money) that goes into producing content that it really can be a full time job (with no pay…hhah!). I love what I do and I LOVE connecting with others, which makes this blog so amazing. I have grown so much as a person throughout this experience too. I am excited to keep bringing y’all new and fresh content. Just know that everything I post comes from the HEART and I will always strive to give y’all the best quality I can.
Let me know what you would like to see next! If you haven’t already, I did my first ever makeup tutorial on youtube!! Check it out!
