To reward my daughter for getting into an Ivy League college, for her 18th birthday, we went shopping for a Canada Goose coat to survive those frigid Northeast winters. Yes, if you want to attend an Ivy League college, particularly those further North, you have to deal with harsh winters.
On a beautiful Saturday day in January in New York, we stood in line in front of the Soho Canada Goose store in Manhattan. There were about six people ahead of us, and soon there were ten people behind us. It took about 20 minutes to let us in. Wow, I felt I was in a sample sale, but in a store with full-priced coats, each over one thousand dollars. We asked for someone to help us, and a very nice young lady appeared to assist in finding the right coat. First, daughter tried on the Shelburne, a longer parka. It sort of bunched under the shoulders. Then, she tried on the Lorette and it was perfect. I even managed to get daughter to accept a medium instead of a small because it was over a thousand dollars and daughter was only seventeen with a lot of growing ahead of her. But alas, they were sold out all over the country! We put our name on the waitlist and left to go to our next destination.
Is a Canada Goose coat worth over a thousand dollars? My daughter said that it is the warmest coat you can buy. I suspect that she wants one because it is popular and trendy. I mean, there was a line in front of the store. However, walking around Soho that day, I noticed lines in front of Louis Vuitton and the Apple store too. During this pandemic, there is an increased demand for everything and a shortage of everything. My friend bought his Canada Goose jacket for $400 before it got popular.
Canada Goose is hot because it is popular with celebrities. Even model Kate Upton had a Canada Goose jacket over a bikini on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The round logo on the sleeve is a status symbol. They also make a black logo, but my daughter insisted on the classic red one.
I am reading a book called Lion Dad, How to Nudge Your Cub into the Ivy League – A Comprehensive Guide For Elite School Admission and it says that a Tiger Mom’s way of rewarding a kid for achievement is not the way to go. My daughter would beg to differ. A reward for good behavior encourages more positive behavior. I don’t agree with all the Tiger Mom’s ways, like the mental and emotional abuse and discipline, but the rewards for achievement is one thing Tiger Mom and I both agree on.
A few days later, I received an email from Saks Fifth Avenue after submitting my email in the notify me section of the coat we wanted to purchase. I immediately signed on to the Saks website and ordered the coat. A beautiful Canada Goose coat arrived for the birthday girl a few days later. Happy ending to our shopping story.