Barney's ties up the holidays with string... literally the cheapest string they could find.

This article in the NYTimes about "shoppers being treated like kings just for, well, being customers" reminded me of how (humorously) appalled I was during a xmas trip to Barney's New York (Seattle outpost).

This is a retailer that (nearly) invented exciting, surprising, satisfying speciality fashion on a grand scale. That's why I was so surprised to have the Marc Jacobs baubles that I bought for my daughter boxed up and tied with a cheap,, scratchy, stretchy silver cord - not even a ribbon! Two words:  Tack-eee.
I'm pretty sure Walgreens down the block was using higher end materials at their cash registers.

The ironic thing is - and I mentioned this to the VERY gracious salesclerk - was that merchandised right there on the cash wrap was Simon Doonan's book, "Eccentric Glamour." The current darling of all things fabulous and he has prescribed the world's cheapest piece of schmutz to enliven the packages of one of the world's most expensive emporiums.

Simon, are you kidding me?? Definitely NOT fabulous.