Dec. 12-14: Spend $20, Save 20%...Duane Reade!

This offer may be worth enduring poor service and one open register per 15 customers. Duane Reade!!

Lord & Taylor: Bellwether that the Retail Sky is Falling

So I knew something was up when I started getting coupons from Lord & Taylor almost everyday. But then yesterday I got the ultimate Friends and Family coupon offering 25% off of pretty much everything and 10% off of fragrances and cosmetics. I didn't think I had ever heard of such a thing, and my instincts were confirmed when a GS stringer sent me an email noting her shock of the same. She also indicated that she was getting similar sky-is-falling sales notices from Neiman Marcus and Bendel's!

And by the way, anyone know the origin of the word "bellwether?"

Vinegar Hill House is Both Cool & Good...

... in fact, it is definitely cooler than I am. A stunning feat in itself.

Somewhere near the York F stop dwells this new, charming restaurant, apparently brought to the good people of Brooklyn by former employees of Freeman's. The food is very similar - both in selection and quality. I.e. it is really good MEAT. My friend and I ate sausage, chicken, etc. And while my photos are funnier than they are illustrative of the grandness of the place or the food, please take my word for it. It's really good. And will be a superb place to go when it's freezing and snowing outside. Actually, it's kind of a perfect spot for a holiday dinner.

They are getting their liquor license on Tuesday, December 16, but you can BYO or call a nearby liquor store to deliver wine to your table in the meantime. Which is what we did.

And even though the crowd was so damn hip that they could have shot a movie or an ad campaign in there without changing a thing, the vibe was welcoming and the staff down to earth and attentive - from the hostess, to the waiter, to the always affable bartender (Ryan from Hotel Delmano).

Oh and it's pretty cheap too! We had an appetizer, two entrees and dessert (an amazing spice cake that was to die for, by the way), and it ran around $47. Once the liquor license is in effect, I'm sure this average bill will expand, however.

Save 25% at Century 21

Century 21 - the Department Store, not the real estate company with bright yellow polyester sport coats... Click here for the coupon, which is good through December 14.

Get Money Off at Calypso

And since everything at Calypso costs about $500 or more, you are sure to save $100!

Brooks Brothers: Shop, Save $, and Donate Simultaneously!

Brooks Brothers helping everyone this holiday season!

December Sales at Rebecca & Drew

The extremely detailed sale is taking place at the Rebecca & Drew store in the meatpacking district on 342 West 13th Street.

Alice & Trixie Sample Sale:12/8 - 12/12

Christmas Tips: Filene's Basement 15% off

OK, so you may have heard that the off-price department stores are chock full of amazing inventory because the retailers need to unload unload unload. So now is a better time than any to visit TJ Maxx, Daffy's and Filene's Basement (15% off coupon ). I've been to 2 out of 3 and have made some incredible scores.

Barneys: The End of the $700 Shoe is upon us

I remember a couple of years ago when I started noticing that it had become "normal" for stores to charge $700 for a single pair of shoes. It wasn't just at the highest-end boutiques, it was rampant. I remember thinking, "No way, this is insanity." And now that the economic "adjustment" is upon us, I am happy to have been proved correct (for now). Apparently it also caused me to use "quotation marks" without pause, but I digress...

OK, so these are by no means "cheap," but I thought everyone would like to know about the huge shoe sale going on at Barneys, including everyone's favorite over-the-top designers.

As pictured above:

Prada : was $750, now $450

Christian Louboutin (red): was $865, now $520

Robert Clergerie (turquoise platform): was $695, now $415