Hmm...You like my Victoria's Secret sweater, don't you? Well, wait till I take it off...
Written: Jan 24 '02 (Updated Jan 24 '02)
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Why in the world would I get the urge to write about Victoria's secret online store at 9 a.m. while at work?
Because I've just received their clearance sale e-mail and I am shopping while writing, that's why.
They are currently holding a Valentine's day sale: until Feb. 13th, 30%-70% off and free shipping for orders of $100 or more!
Such sales are highlighted occasionally - three to four times year-round. There are always some of their wonderful products that are marked down as specials or clearance, but I usually wait for one of these huge markdowns to stock up on my favorites.
I love Victoria's secret lingerie - it looks fabulous on anyone's body. Anyone can look sexy and beautiful, and find their perfect match, as there's something for all tastes, shapes, sizes and moods. You'll find dainty little lacy g-strings and Grandma-style cotton high briefs. Velvet push-up halters, mesh see-through brassières, embroidered balconettes, flannel nightgowns, boxer pajamas, silky teddys... Anything that may come to mind when thinking of "lingerie" is readily available and just a mouse click away.
And their clothes are equally impressive: the same high-quality standards that have brought their lingerie to such great fame extends to elegantly feminine sweaters, trousers, swimsuits, even coats...
That alone should get you jumping onto their website right away:
www.victoriassecret.com
Not enough? OK.
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Let's go shopping together, then.
Here we go. I'm on front page right now. I'm looking at top model Gisèle wearing a Miracle Bra. (How depressing.)
The menu features the following sections:
Bras; Panties; Sleepwear; Clothing; Hoisery; Swimwear;
Gifts; Sale; Beauty Boutique.
This is a very well-organized and user-friendly site. I have a number of options to choose from: I can select a bra by style or by collection, and I can find the perfect bra for me, or take a look at the best-selling bras.
I can also pick my favorite collection or style of panties, sleepwear, hoisery, either by browsing the entire section or by selecting directly my personal choice, all by just clicking on the pull-down menus at the top of the front page.
The site features the same collections you can find in your local Victoria's Secret store: Body by Victoria, Second Skin Satin, Miracle Bra, Body Bare, Dream Angels...More sleepwear and clothing that you'd find in the stores, and swimsuits year-round. If you have a mail catalog with you and you already know what items you're searching for, you can shop directly by the catalog's pages.
But today, I want to search the clearance sale.
The sale section is always featured. What's really practical about bargain-hunting on this online store is that I have the choice of selecting the category I wish to browse - all collections Victoria's Secret carries are also listed in the sale selection, from shoes to handbags to clothes to, of course, lingerie.
Once I've clicked on the category I wish to look into, I then plug my size in and see only the items that are currently available in my size.
And as usual, in this section the sales are outstanding. I am purchasing a Dream Angels Divine Balconette bra marked down from $38 to $19.99. By clicking on the thumbnail, I get a larger picture, with a detailed description - the style, the material, a swatch of available colors. In this case, since the panties are also on sale, I get the same description for the matching item, with styles, sizes and colors available. The panties are down from $18 to $5.99.
I can either add these to my shopping bag or to my wish list.
Before I continue on my shopping spree, and you start thinking I'm an addict, I'll pretend I'm checking out.
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Since this is a pretty secure site, I am registered and have all of my information, including my credit card number, already memorized so that I can skip directly to checkout. For the order to be completed and processed, you must complete the usual billing/shipping addresses forms. Victoria's Secret is a U.K. company, and it features worldwide shipping: Europe, Asia, Canada... If you're willing to pay the price, you can get your pretty underwear anywhere in the world.
Unfortunately, they save the bad news for last:
Shipping and Handling:
Unless you wait for the occasional U.S. free shipping bonus, Victoria's Secret charges a pretty steep price for delivering:
Shipping and handling charges for U.S. standard shipping:
Merchandise Subtotal Via Surface
$0 - 25.00 $4.95
$25.01 - 40.00 $6.95
$40.01 - 55.00 $8.95
$55.01 - 75.00 $10.95
$75.01 - 100.00 $13.95
$100.01 - 125.00 $15.95
$125.01 - 150.00 $17.95
$150.01 - 250.00 $18.95
$250.01 - 400.00 $19.95
Over $400.00 5.5% of merchandise subtotal
Next Business Day Express -- add $15.95 to the standard shipping charge;
2nd day Business Day Express -- add $10.95; 3rd day, add $5.95; Sat, Delivery -- add $23.95.
Shipping to Canada is about $6 more expensive than to the U.S.
And Europe and Japan's rates are much, much steeper - ranging from &14.95 to 99.95!
Delivery is expensive and slow. really slow.
When purchasing online, don't rely upon wearing your new undies the same week you've ordered them. My experience has me supposing an 8 to 10 day wait before I can actually start expecting my pink and white bag to arrive. I once sent out a European package and it took 21 days to get to my front door. (From England to Italy they probably use swimmers through the Channel and Gibraltar.) But I've never had any trouble with the contents and they always did eventually arrive. You can also track your order fairly easily - There's a "check your order status" link in the Customer Service area of the site and, provided you have your Client Number and Order Number, tracking is usually reliable.
I've never had complaints with any of my Victoria's Secret purchases so I can't really judge their Customer Service. Overall, however, since I've been an active customer I tend to believe their staff must be as dependable as the site itself is. After all, if I've never had to use Customer Service, they must be doing their job pretty well, right?
So go ahead.
SPLURGE.
Treat yourself and your man to a delicious and calorie-free Valentine's day! (HE'll be licking his chops, THAT'S for sure! )
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
elsa70
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Location: Ciao, baby.
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 24 members
About Me:
temporarily out of order. ZZZZZZZ.
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