Mr. JB's turn on the spotlight

Saturday, March 28th of 2009: 3 days before the 1% tax increase in California.

Our goal for the day: to buy a suit for Mr. JB!

We (mostly me) wanted to get a suit for Mr. JB before April 1st so that we don't have to pay the 1% tax increase. I know, I know. How much more can that 1% make, right? BUT why should we have to pay extra 1% if we don't have to.

Our first stop: Nordstrom. Why? Well, simply because Mr. JB always wanted to get a suit from Nordstrom. We went to the Nordstrom at the Westfield, located in downtown San Francisco. We were looking for something simply. Okay, I was thinking something simply but him on the other hand had another idea because on our way there (or maybe a few days before), he mentioned how he looked online to see how much Armani suits will cost him. On the website, it said "$995 and up". I thought: well, it is also his wedding. So, why not, right?

We looked around and saw a sportcoat. He saw it and tried it on. Then Neil came. Neil is a sales rep there. He asked what we were looking for. We simply told them Mr. JB's measurements and said that we're looking for a suit that he can wear for our wedding and for times to come in the future. And then he said, okay and that he'll be back. And he went to go get suits that fitted our needs. He was so cute; he even came and showed me the suit colors first before giving it to Mr. JB. I thought that was cute because he knew that a woman also helps with the decisions and not just the man. Cudos!

Other cudos? Well, he helped Mr. JB try on the suits. I mean, he held it out and all Mr. JB had to do was put his arms in there. =) And when we finally found some suits Mr. JB liked, he asked if it was okay to try on the whole suits. Neil took him in the dressing room and helped out. And at this time, I was waiting for him in the front. Then came Mr. JB! OH WOW WHEE! Boy...he looked handsome!

He came out pimpy fly. ha ha. He had a white shirt underneath and he also had shoes on. Just the way suits should be tried on! I didn't have to use my imaginations to see how the suit will look like with a white shirt or anything. CUDOS...! Again! WOW! I was shocked!

Well, we narrowed it down to two suits -- a gray one and a tan one. I thought both were great choices. The prices of them? Well, a bit out of our budget. It was $2400 and $2700!!

He liked both of them but couldn't decide. I told him that that's how women feel when choosing a dress too. And now he knows why I had a hard time choosing my dress, even after trying on about 30+ dresses.

Then we went to the Macy's Downtown. We were looking around to see if they had anything we'd like. Then Kal, the sales rep came to ask if we needed help. At this point, I was tired and I just simply sat. The next thing I knew, Mr. JB had three suits for him to try on. He tried them on and I said they looked good. And after he tried them on, he brought them out. For a moment there, I thought he was going to buy all three. And then I saw him put the suits back on the rack. What? I was mad! "Why are you the one getting the suits if Kal is the one getting the commission? What the hell? It's not fair! He's not getting commission off of you if he ain't helping you!" You see, I based my outrage on what I was seeing from other sales reps who were running in and out of the dressing room trying to help their customers. I wanted that service as well! You gotta earn your commission darn it!

Then came Kal. He asked how we were doing. I said "not so good." And then I told him exactly what we were looking for. And stupid guy. I hate when people don't listen. We told him that Mr. JB is a size 40 R or S. And he said "well, he's a small guy, so I think he's S and he's also a 38". What? I just told you he was a 40! He took out his measuring tape and measured Mr. JB and guess what? It was freaking 40! Stupid! Why did he have to doubt us? UGH!

Anyhoo, Kal brough some suits for Mr. JB to try on and Mr. JB narrowed it down to two. The choices: a gray suit or a brown suit. Well, we didn't know how it will look on with a white shirt because Kal never offered it and we didn't have one with us. So, we decided to buy both so that we can decide at home. Oh, and the price of the suits? Approximately $2K for both! Yeap! We can get three suits at Macy's for the price of one suit at Nordstrom.

I also forgot to mention that Macy's having a sale in a few days (April 3rd), so Mr. JB can bring the suits back and get 20% off. I know it's after my 1% tax day but we'll still be good cuz we're still going to be saving 19%!!

If I had to choose between Nordstrom and Macy's...it will be NORDSTROM all the way. Their customer service does cost a fortune though.

Oh, and we went to Lids to look for hats to match the suits too. That way, Mr. JB can try on the entire outfit for our wedding at his own leisure. In case you didn't know, Mr. JB is a hat whore. Well, let me rephrase. Mr. JB is a Kangol hat whore. ha ha. He has more than 20 + Kangols (I lost count after 20) and you rarely see him without a hat. The only time he doesn't wear a hat is when he's at home, trying to give his forehead a "break" to prevent pimples.

We'll let you know which one he chooses...