canalisuits – CDTalent Enterprises

After two weeks off from COVID-positive test, I’m just thankful brothers and I visiting Mom on her birthday wasn’t affected by my last visit. Tuesday I had a regular temp of 97.4 and oxygen 99 at check-in, sinus draining manifested Wednesday. That Sat. I did nose swab, which showed positive. https://cdtalententerprises.com/2023/02/14/finally-positive-for-covid-right-after-english-gents-tux-suit-double-broke-a-long-cold-streak/

All of us noted Mom is physically less frail on her 89th, she feels solid in shoulders and upper arms. Her hair was freshly done up curly, she spoke often.

*Mom’s hair was fine for b-day, this is styling genuine Russian fur hat.*

There’s an awareness that, #BoomerwithAttitude aside, there’s going to be less of such moments in the future. Taking the Universal balance POV, my nephew Ian successfully proposed to Nicki, grand-nephew? Trace is fully three, nephew Spencer will defend his PhD thesis (and turns 30!) this spring, and so things go forward. Just sayin’…

Brother Mike and dogs is in town from FL for birthday , and attended the St. Gabriel Men’s Club meeting Fri. This week (10th) is annual Lenten Fish Fry Dinner for parish and beyond, I’m sure Mike will get some glory for his kitchen efforts in past, while enjoying the camaraderie again.

The club did it exceptionally well for thirty years straight, stopped since COVID, so 600+ this Friday would look a lot like #NewNormal. I had no insurance coverage the first year of the pandemic – I’m 4x vaxxed now, good to hug my Mom, and willing to shake hands again.

Spring has Sprung? Three weeks to desired product

A $4,290 Friday proved that our suits at Nordstrom are gaining destination shopping status. Being up 58% over last year is a fact. I worked Wed-Thurs.-Fri. (1-8:30 = 22 hrs.), and manager essentially gave me weekend off because of funeral service and ‘life celebration’ for a buddy Saturday a.m. (More on that later)

That I ‘paid for myself’ in micro-economy vs. draw with big Friday finish is how it can roll this time of year. FYI – I picked up where I left off on Monday, a broad-shouldered, shorter guy, who jammed in a Hugo Boss Blue, which keeps my streak going.

Friday wasn’t a typical three-suit day, but I did an outstanding job delivering my personal #best practices to three customers who really needed it. Saying customer count is at a premium Wed.-Friday during week is true.

Mr. Skeen – Older gentleman, hasn’t needed a suit in years, grand-daughters wedding is event. We didn’t have to discuss any of the slim cut lines, and everyone (including wife), agreed the charcoal gray with white hatching Peter Millar was a great match with his hair.

Totally painless, minimal alterations, and he appreciated that we could ship the finished suit to Cornelius home (no cost). His wife did not find the kind of dress she wanted.

The Whole Family Event

The other designers we carry (Hugo Boss, Ted Baker, Jack Victor, Peter Millar) are between $795-$995 for suits, Canali is a definite jump in price – $1,600 sports coats, $2,400 suits – so its great to hear a potential client ‘really likes the fit of Canalis’ right off the bat.

Client and wife had two youngsters in a stacked stroller, and I eventually put all of them in the largest dressing room. Wife and I were both strong on a beautiful silvery-charcoal, with a subdued blue stripe that showed when closer. The dark blue suit he checked early didn’t have a chance.
— Short-armed client needed sleeve alterations on shirts, and he asked about picking up by 1:00pm Saturday for flight to Vegas. Got it expedited. Few buyers sweat fees for bang-zoom! great service.

A Man with Yikes! Suit Needs

Sales-wise, its always been part of my methodology to impart a decent amount of information to someone quickly. First job out of college, twenty cold calls a day, I projected a fairly simple idea, why TIME, Inc. titles, especially People magazine, should be around their registers. With #suit-sizing, there’s nothing like putting a 42 Regular or 38 Short on just to learn some basics, how it hangs.

The final person Friday really needed a fully fitted suit. His neck-shoulder muscles filled an area well short of the shoulder seam, causing a handful of nothing. Eventually he fit well in a 48 Hugo Boss, which is a champion in giving shoulder-space, and its a slim cut jacket on the sides. People usually think about the pants after there’s interest in overall fit. In gentleman’s case, basic math of ‘chest size minus 6’ wouldn’t work (48-6=42″ pants).

If standard pants with suit are 42″ and guy is no more than 36″ waist, that can’t be hemmed. Next part would have been whether ‘thunder thighs’ could’ve fit in the slim cut pants, but…

At start of March, I feel fine about imparting ‘sizing’ information people can take forward in looking for suits overall. As long as we’ve got product, I expect very similar micro-economy results, now that weddings and proms are very consistently the deal.

My Contribution to a ‘Life Celebration’

*St. Gabriel’s legendary Lenten Fish Fry happens Friday, March 10th.*

(Three previous speakers bloviating overrode possibility of nice looking sandwiches/snacks at Legion Brewing, so I had a beer in the man’s honor and skedaddled. My story would have been like this, and relevant to the upcoming Fish Fry)

Men’s Club member Armen Boyajian (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/armen-boyajian-obituary?id=38372268) worked at the Diocese of Charlotte. As noted, our Men’s Club has done fish fries a very long time. In the early days, with only two fryers vs. current four plus upgraded other cooking elements) and often longer lines, we started giving people beer in line.

We couldn’t sell it because didn’t liquor license, but people often dropped off contributions. We did it forever, donated (and up-sized) those $$$ donations for places, like a parish we had a connection with in Houston during massive flooding, but mostly its about good works in Charlotte.

So, Armen is selling fish fry tickets down at the Diocese, and tells a couple ladies, “…and you don’t have to worry about beverages, your beer and wine is free,” which caused a nearby lawyer to quickly jerk and say, “What?!”

While we’d done it openly all those years, *apparently* the Diocese owns the school and its cafeteria, and dispensing alcohol, free or not, on the premises, got the lawyers involved. No more guys filling up a couple pitchers for the workers in back (and never the Boy Scouts or workers from middle school and HS aged, doing community hours of course), everything done by licensed bartenders. BIG game changer.

I’m sure the look I would have put on my face the moment of “What?!” would have livened up that life celebration considerably. That’s also #NewNormal, we get to celebrate and grieve our loved ones again. Still can’t understand taking chances with elderly family along the way by so many. Feeling Mom’s 89-year old good shoulder under my hand, that counts for something.

From my porch this side of *Sharon Road*, ‘The Seam of Charlotte’, Southpark left behind at S.Wendover. *Down a long, definite downhill* and past the tennis -pickleball courts. That little left hook on the sign is for Chilton Ave., where homes on left border Myers Park CC. Keep right for more *very* nice homes on twisty-turnie Sharon to the church and Queens University.

Having recently been gladdened by a Thanksgiving gathering – and that commission check with a comma in it – there’s a genuine feeling of peace about important subjects in the title, especially that booster shot.

After getting enough ‘nothing they charge for’ support from the techs at YouBreakIFix to be back on a laptop and producing my first blog in three weeks, I left $20 for tech snacks anyway. I’m writing about thanks and gratitude as soon as possible.

The Great Suit Feel comes from my manager at Nordstrom’s getting me into 42 Regular suits with four of the designers we carry: Baker, Boss, Millar, Canali. I noted in a LinkedIn post that the easiest way to describe it was “It felt like Money.”

The Check with a Comma

I’m very okay with reflecting and enhancing the good cheer of this season, and yeah, I appreciate what Maverick called a target rich environment right now to work with – I was $5,000 (25%) over goal for first paycheck. Business cards and a significant online resource to track customers is part of the process.

I received half the promised $500 sign-on bonus in this weeks check, and Saturday I’ll invest in extending my wardrobe – the employee discount during ‘House Week’ is 30%. Nothing earth-shattering, but I had needs.

Fact: My micro-economy is definitely better, I have wardrobe budget!

I’m pretty good in 1-1 situations, helping people make buying decisions, and produce about $600/hr. I don’t typically get many returns either. My essential credo of customer service is sell it right. My writing and sales communications background has always relied on assembling facts, so walking a motivated looker through a ‘how about this, what else, and how much’ process that ends in a sale has always seemed natural.

Career salespeople and content writers know that getting all the lights green, and somebody signing something, is what has to happen to create Success. https://cdtalententerprises.com/2019/08/05/content-creation-client-needs-same-as-dating-info-to-righter-decisions/

Nordstrom’s is my first time back in retail since leaving another SouthPark Mall retailer across the parking lot seven years ago. I blogged about retail during those rugged times (2008-2014) – pssshhh, nothing Great about that Recession – and as a single guy without a mortgage, kids in school, or even a car payment, I still accumulated significant credit card debt. Bare bones 28 hrs. a week retail jobs meant lots of coworkers were taking from their futures to pay the bills.

Buddy Jack W. and I worked the Nautica line strong, and even during a Recession (2013-14) nearly always made their bonus levels. Although we seldom created the two credit card applications a week Belk management obsessively valued, I had enough bonus that January to – with a little bit of credit card – self-publish my first book.

This September I submitted my second book in the Marlena the Magnificent line, https://www.wattpad.com/story/218725526-with-platinum-fury-focus/ while tip-toeing with homelessness between June and the end of October, when I landed in the terrific location described at the top. Here is what I’m calling ‘The Seam,’ with a literary nod to my suit selling.

Having suit-buying customers see I’m well put together-being stylish means I’m wearing suits and ties again for the first time in years.

SUITS is where the action is in Men’s Furnishings. Just yesterday a load of those good suits showed up, and the velvet tuxedo jackets are $725 (“Yes, Mr. McDaniel, you were right on the money about 40 short…”), and those asking about black Canali suits ($1800) is consistent – I’ve talked about it numerous times in two weeks.

Laughably (almost) is fact many guys are still showing up three days before major events and requiring emergency measures. While $$$ can expedite anything, point is people are planning on formal occasions and dressing up for it.

Its a pleasure to talk with those who know what they actually want, and I’m now comfortable with the returns and alterations functions. Even compared to being a WFH (work from home) person for essentially two-plus years, I feel safe there. Corporate culture has all employees masked, as are vast majority of customers, and I’m never bum-rushed by a dozen people all day like maybe Walmart.

Customer Satisfaction

Our ‘Team Selling’ of Mr. Martin’s suit (Nordstrom’s has a button for splits), and my first suit sale included a GREAT job with alterations, but coming back with a promised article (I always say “8 of 9 yesterday”), creates customer anticipation and brings a smile when its presented.

The relief one Mom got from our good tailors was cool. She’d been a little tense about her HS football guy in Ted Baker pants wanting to show a little ankle, and the tailor’s, “I’m not cutting anything, we can always change it back” was the whew! she needed.

Getting my secretary back

Having recently referenced Jim Croce regarding work conditions, https://cdtalententerprises.com/2021/11/01/croces-carwash-blues-is-an-anthem-for-american-workers-in-2021/ that he “should be smoking on a big cigar, talkin’ some some trash to a secretary…” well my secretary is a 200-plus year old, honey brown upright heirloom that two brothers are hopefully shipping to me for Christmas. (How about that Oriental rug Mom was so fond of too, for my wood floors…)

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It had to go north with brother Dave in early May, because I didn’t have a plan for an important heirloom when I was starting a five-moves-in-five-months odyssey in mid-June, and nobody wanted it to wind up by the side of the road,

More than just furniture, that secretary means reclaiming a psychological asset and another positive uptick to current lifestyle. I was never sure I’d see it again once it was on the truck,

2021’s been that kind of year. Plenty of angst, starting out lousy enough with the January 6 Insurrection, so many wondering how anyone could slow the train wreck of political considerations and deadly COVID concerns. There was a real powering up on vaccination front, and being Officially ‘immunized’ in mid-March instead of late May, I’ll continue putting that under customer satisfaction delivered by Biden administration.

(Closer to) Normal is Good

FINALLY – Last year was the first time in 35 years our community group didn’t sell Christmas trees, so getting ahold of 350 and selling out in nine days really put us back on track. (Sigh) The absolute JOY of three young brothers, those energetic little guys rolling down a small hill – wow! Unquestioned tree hugging fun, and pretty damn close to Life as Normal, y’know? It brought waves of good memories, years of ‘us four guys’ looking for a tree expeditions, cutting and tying onto our station wagon’s top.

$5 any tree back then! plentiful snowball throwing, “Here’s a good one!” and all the rest that decorating entailed.

The Great Suit Feeling as life in my micro-economy, things DO feel a lot better than even forty days ago, and I’m not alone on making positive changes. I’m better positioned on ‘The Seam of Charlotte,’ have improved personal lifestyle and economics – clothes and computer, about $700 each – will be small testaments to progress. I am safe by all applicable standards, and am willing-able to socialize.

I also believe its okay to give the guy walking the traffic median $2 any time of year.

Tag: canalisuits

#NewNormal still legit, 3-day work week post-COVID, plenty of product keeps suit-selling micro-economy positive