Roadhouse and Restoration Hardware

Wow! Roadhouse is a crappy movie! But so, so ripe for the skewering. And much more ribald than Burb remembered, making it that much funnier. Good times.

Four people went into a Restoration Hardware with a $300 gift certificate. And couldn't spend it. It sounds like a joke, but it isn't. That place is unbelievable. Here I am, in the middle of a bathroom remodel. There is Restoration Hardware, full of stuff to remodel with. I ended up with some bronze switch plates and outlet covers (5 total, for the low, low price of $35.00), a bucket (oh, sorry "Pail"--it's labeled), and a $12.00 bottle of "Sweet Orange" hand cream. They had a selection of 5 different bronze towel hooks, but had none in stock. I couldn't pay $80.00 for a linen/cotton shower curtain, even though it wasn't my money. I loved the lights, but needed two for the bathroom, and two would have cost more than $300. As for the other bathroom fixtures, they had some cute ones, to be sure. But they had the exact same stuff (visually, anyway) at Lowe's for less than half of the price.

The media image that Restoration Hardware has created for itself is very ready-made Martha chic. They have Sweet Orange hand lotion, but also Sweet Orange laundry detergent, dryer sheets, cleaner, bath beads, even a matching pail. All of these products are also available in other scents (two different kinds of lemons, lavender, "bay rhum"--the usual suspects) packaged in beautiful containers that would look unbelievably great in a laundry room decked out with lots of crown molding, over-priced fixtures, and little linen cafe curtains embroidered with silky bees. I frickin hate shopping. And the "outdoor shoppe-ing experience event" was PACKED yesterday, absolutely crawling with shiny people paying outrageous prices for things they don't need. Ugh.