A couple of months ago, when I
overheard Donna Hutchinson talking about stopping at Guy’s Frenchys in Amherst
on her way home from visiting her mother in Moncton, I pounced.
“Teach me to do Frenchys,” I told
her.
It sounds weird to ask someone to
show you how to shop, I know, but although I’ve popped into Frenchys twice, and
both times scored an item of clothing I love, they came off the racks against
the walls. The bins totally intimidated me; they looked like giant messes.
To help me understand what I was
getting into, I asked Donna about her 30-year history with Frenchys as we drove
to Amherst for our shopping trip earlier this month.
“I discovered Frenchys when I
taught school in Dartmouth,” the retired Gulf Shore resident said. “I would buy
a really decent outfit for work then I’d get ink all over it. All of a sudden,
I found this shop in Lower Sackville where they were selling second-hand
clothes.”
Now as then, Donna considers it
“treasure hunting”, saying she doesn’t know what she wants or needs until she
sees it.
“Get a basket,” she commanded as
we arrived. “One with a handle.”
We went to the very first bin
inside the door, filled with scarves and hats, Donna got right in, pushing and
pulling scarves out of the tangled pile. I had no idea where to start; I kept
grabbing the same scarf but it was wrapped up around other scarves so I couldn’t
ever get it loose.
It was the same at the bin of Ladies
Long-Sleeved Shirts. To me, it was a mass of shirts tossed in a heap but Donna
seemed to know how to move her hands through the pile and pull out interesting
pieces. She was efficient, methodical and quick. I kept picking up the three
same shirts.
Are any rules to pawing through
the bins?
“Be the first on a new dump,”
Donna told me. “Don’t grab something out of someone’s hand, and don’t think, ‘I
really want that’ if someone is looking at it, or at least, don’t let them know
you want it.”
A woman overheard us. “Is this
your first time?” she asked me.
Linda, from Sackville, NB, told
us the first time she was in Frenchys, she was elbowed but she doesn’t want me
to write that down because that really doesn’t happen at Frenchys.
“You get to meet some very nice
people here,” Linda said. “I’ll tell you the bad thing about Frenchys: I buy
for everyone I know. My husband says I’m not saving any money.”
Donna chimed in, “I dress skinny
girls and babies,” and Linda nodded.
In the end, I managed to get the
hang of the bins, and without ever reaching men’s or children’s clothing, my
basket overflowed. As I piled my stuff on the counter at the cash, Donna
laughed.
“You’re the only person who
folded her clothes. Sure sign of a newbie.”
I had a great time, I’ll do it
again, but it won’t matter how many bins I paw through at Frenchys looking for
treasures, I’ll always be the one folding her clothes before she puts them in
her basket.
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| I didn't make it to Men's Clothing but found this great hat for my husband! |
Well, you certainly had the BEST teacher you could have!! Donna is an expert!
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