What's in a name?

Question for all you other frequent shoppers out there.  How much does brand name negatively influence your buying decisions?  I like to think that I'm pretty open to inexpensive brands and I frequent stores like Old Navy and Forever21, but for some reason there are certain stores I don't even consider shopping in.  I don't mean that in a snobby way.  It's not like I feel like certain places aren't good enough, but there are certain stores that I just ignore because for some reason I've decided they don't suit me for one reason or another.    

A few months ago, I was given a gift card to Aeropostale by a family friend.  It was supposed to be a gift for her daughter's 15 year old friend but they picked out a different present at the last minute.  I accepted it because I didn't want to be rude, but I promptly put it in a drawer and left it to be regifted or forgotten.  I've always associated Aeropostale with teenage girls whose shorts are too short so I never thought the store would carry anything I'd ever be interested in.

Well that may have changed today.  I was looking around for a gingham shirt to wear on our upcoming trip to GA over Memorial Day weekend, but wasn't having much luck.  Old Navy had some cute options but apparently I'm a little late to the party because the colors I like are sold out in my size.  I kept searching and searching and just kept coming back to this:

The Perfect Shirt in mini-gingham from J.Crew.  Priced at $75, it's more than I'm willing to spend on a shirt that I'm planning to wear while relaxing at a cookout.

J.Crew Factory online has a cheaper option, but at $49.50, it's still more than I want to pay for a casual shirt. 

After searching through all my favorite brands and online stores, I finally decided just to Google "women's gingham shirt" to see what would come up.  Trust me when I say I was more than a little surprised to find this:

The Woven Gingham Shirt from Aeropostale.  Marked down to $17.80 with no visible logos, I started thinking about taking a chance on a brand I never thought I'd buy.  What pushed me over the edge?  The site is currently running a 25% off coupon code (spr2012, expires 4/29) so at $13.35 each I could get blue, lime, AND pink without going over the gift card amount.  

Of course I assume that sizing runs small since the store typically caters to teenagers so I had a tough time deciding what size to try.  In the end I bought three colors in two different sizes and I plan to take back the ones that don't fit.  So technically I had to spend some of my own money but that should only be temporary.  I really hope they fit because I love the large gingham, bright colors, and discounted price tag. 

Speaking of trying out brands I've previously avoided, I finally pulled the trigger on the cognac pumps from Target.  If they fall apart in a day, then I learn my lesson and I won't buy Target pumps anymore.  But I've got no reason not to give them a try.

So sometime next week I should be the proud surprised owner of some gingham shirts from Aeropostale and a pair of cognac pumps from Target.  Who would have thought?



**Diet log 4/23-4/29
Amount remaining from last week - ($8.07)
Aeropostale gingham shirts - $0
Target cognac pumps - $24.99
Total spent - $24.99
Total Remaining - $1.94 ($35 - $8.07 - $24.99)