While what's her name marched away in a huff, Sandra sat surrounded by a golden halo of light. There really was an air of innocence about her, despite all that she had seen and done to survive.
Before she was half way done with her breakfast, Marta came out on the patio to refill her coffee cup.
-"Would you like anything else?"
-"Hmm...as a matter of fact yes. I'm not very familiar with this area and I need to go shopping for new clothes. Do you know your way enough to direct me to a store? I'd also need a taxi, as Charles drove us here last night." Sandra inquired.
-"If you give me thirty minutes, I will take you there myself.
I need to go grocery shopping, but everything is relatively close. If you like, I can even pick you up at a certain hour and bring you back as well." Marta said with a gentle smile which was indicative her easygoing personality.
-"That would be so cool. Thank you Marta." Sandra reciprocated the smile.
Sandra consciously kept her mouth closed, so as not to trap any flies. The money she closely guarded in her purse, seemed like a lot. That almost amounted to two months' expenses for her, yet inside these retail shops it was barely enough to dress one.
Fuck me, $998 for a strapless cocktail dress? They even used less material!
Sandra ambulated about the tony shop, as she noticed someone following her not too far behind. She did not care, with these prices, they should have armed uniform security guards posted at every door.
$1,295 for pink pumps? $495 for a pair of capri pants? What the fuck? She had to blow guys like for one-and-half hours in order to afford those pants.
This last was simply too much, as her jaw slackened in awe.
-"May I help you with something?" The woman behind her caught up. Her tone was laced with condescending cordiality.
-"Yeah, you could. You could start with not following my tail, as if you assumed that I am a criminal." Reaching into her purse she extracts the crisp bills. - "See this? I have $5,000 dollars in my purse which I could use, if I felt like it. But just look here lady, this crappy...Pucci top, may very well match the capri pants, but at $995, it is utterly ridiculous!
I am not spending my money here, which would amount to naught, but I would very much like to view the exhibit, as if I were in a museum of contemporary art, without you breathing down my neck!"
-"I assure you, that is not my intention. We have security cameras installed for just that reason. I merely waited to see if you needed my aid." The store's employee said duly subdued.
-"Yeah, I need some coffee, and a foot massage. If you can't help me with that, I think that our conversation is done. Please stay away from me, as I am not through googling this...this stuff." Sandra said while waving her arms in disgust.
-"Why the sad face Miss?" Marta asked as she met Sandra at the designated spot.
-"Please Marta, simply call me Sandra. My name is Sandra Prue by the way."
-"And my name is Marta Ramirez by the way."
Smiling for the first time in two hours, Sandra said, -"It was a waste of time. Those prices are absolutely ridiculous. Whole families live on what a purse, or even one dress costs in there!"
-"Well, it is simply a tag to announce to the world that they can afford that, regardless of good taste. Listen, have you ever gone to the garment district in downtown Los Angeles?"
-"No, why?"
-"Well you see, there are designer boutiques, as well as knock offs sold at wholesale prices. In fact, some of the clothing sold in trendy boutiques, originates from there, at least in concept. For instance, you can find there a blouse for say forty dollars, which will sell in a trendy boutique in Melrose for about one-hundred-and-fifty dollars. And around here, well the prices are exorbitant because they have to pay for the retail space."
-"Oh, I see. I can probably stretch a lot my budget there, compared with a few pieces here. Marta did you bring me what I asked you for?"
-"Yes. I have separated Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines in this bag. And don't forget when you go downtown, to check out the alley. It's a corridor of shops with the latest fashions at discounted prices."
The very first thing Sandra did when she arrived to the garment district was change from her high-heeled shoes, into comfortable flats.
On her way there, she had scanned the latest trends in fashion, and she focused on those tasteful yet flattering. She knew exactly the look which she wanted to emulate.
There was a lingerie shop which caught her eye, and she went inside to check out the merchandise.
-"Hello, would you like me to help you with anything?" A pretty girl asked Sandra when she arrived.
-"Yes. Are these the real prices? These corsets sell for four times that amount in Hollywood's boutiques."
-"Yes they are. We are direct importers from China. That is why our margin is low, because we import in high volume, and sell at wholesale prices.
-"Hmm...interesting to know." Sandra said as she ambled about the store, as she visualized the stupefied profit margins when bringing stuff from China. It was evident that even some of the stuff in the up tidy shops were made in China too.
Shaking her head in disbelief as to how careless some people could be with their money, Charles - among them, made her realize how smartly she needed to handle her bonus assignment.
Instead of blowing those 42k in nonsense, she could really make it grow if she invested it wisely. Business nowadays, was not business as usual. She felt the need to improvise.
Sandra asked for a business card at every the shop, and planned to peruse each web page for further evaluation, as the seed of a plan began to germinate in her head.
Exhausted beyond belief, Sandra settled all her purchases into the cab. She had gathered more than tasteful and comparably affordable fashion. She had compiled a lists of web pages which she planned to utilize in order to form a comprehensive business plan.
She leaned her head against the head rest, and closed her eyes. He had information overload, and sore feet on top of that.
To be continued.....
