the lamp story

So, I'm a hopeless fanatic when it comes to MacKenzie-Childs. My husband is partially to blame for this; it was through him that I was first introduced to these lovely products, as his mother and sister are both die-hard collectors as well.

I was bit by the collecting bug and bit hard. At one point in my life I had a 9-5 job during the week and worked at a boutique on the weekends that sold MKC, just so I could get an employee discount and buy all the pieces that I needed in order to build up a full set of dishes. It took me about a year to do this.

The culmination of my obsession for all things MacKenzie is this floorlamp. It is outrageous and way too big for my space and I am crazy about it. A home decor store in upstate NY used to have a 30% off + free shipping sale once a year that included MKC. Knowing this, I saved up for a long time in anticipation of buying this lamp.

When sale time finally came around, I called right up on the first day. The sales associate was so nice, but so apologetic - it wasn't in stock. They could get it for me directly from the company, but I'd have to wait awhile. No problem, I said, could I still get the sale price? I could. What about shipping? We'd have to charge you, she said, since it would be coming directly from the company. She felt bad. I told her I understood (frankly, I was just happy to get the discount.) When I asked how much shipping would be she had to get off the line to check with her manager. I braced myself while I waited. I wasn't sure what to expect but I imagined the worst. I knew the lamp was heavy. I wondered if it was possible that the shipping charge would cancel out the discounted price altogether.

When the sales associate got back on the line she had good news: $6. That was the standard for freight. $6! Needless to say, I didn't hesitate in completing my purchase.

That store still has their 30% off sale each year, but it doesn't include MKC, and when they do have free shipping promotions, they never include MKC products. I've wondered before if my floorlamp sale somehow contributed to a policy change on their end. Maybe not, but you never know...