My Mother Is A Rock Star

*For the record-that is NOT my mother. Sorry mom.*


My mother is a rock star, plain and simple.

She has that intangible "it" factor that others can only envy; always has. My mother has been blessed in many ways. She has five beautiful and talented children, 13 equally beautiful and talented grandchildren, the kindest of hearts, but she is no fool, (nobody messes with her- she will CUT YOU DOWN) and possesses the style of a Hollywood star, with a bank account to match.

Now that last detail, while generally irrelevant, is important in the context of the story I'm about to tell.

My mom, having completed her life's work; raising her five kids, has reached the stage in her life when she can enjoy herself, safe in knowledge that she has done her job well. The career path she is currently enjoying is that of SHOPPER. Stylist, to be exact, as we all benefit from one of moms daily excursions to the store of her choice. My mother has exquisite taste and style and is one hell of a hip chick. I speak the truth. She is the envy of women of all ages because not only is she beautiful, but she always looks stunning and stylish, and she knows quality. As I said before, my mom is not limited to where and what goods she can buy. I always tell her that if she were looking for a career she could easily be a Hollywood stylist. She's that good.

This is a woman that goes into Nieman Marcus and has a team of associates that follow her around to make sure her every need is catered to. She does not ask for such treatment, her mere presence in the store serves to create the buzz. One would think that because my mom would be considered a "big hitter" the commissioned employees have alterior motive when they see her, but the truth is they love her. They love to talk to her, ask her opinion and solicit her advice. Wherever we go, everyone knows and loves my mom. They know all of us by name, even if we don't know them because they picked out our birthday gift or Christmas gift. With service like that you would think that my mom would shop no where else, but you would be wrong. My mother is a wise woman. Her favorite destination, the store that is closest to her heart, where, like Cheers-everybody knows her name, is TJ Maxx. My mother enjoys the thrill of the hunt.

If you are in need of a new toaster, mom's got one. Need a panini maker? Check. Coffee maker?Espresso or Cappuccino? Whatever you need, moms got it at TJ Maxx South.

Fast forward to last Friday morning. My Guy is flying home from business in Atlanta. He is seated on the plane next to a woman executive who is working on her laptop. She tells him that she has been up all night preparing a presentation to deliver to the board of directors of her company this morning and asks if she can bounce a few ideas off him. He, of course, asks her what company she works for. She replies, "TJX Corporation". The executive continues on and when she is done, My Guy says, "I have a story to share with you." He goes on to tell her everything I have just told you here, except to elaborate on TJ Maxx South. He has dubbed the 2000+ sq ft area in my moms basement, where she stores the over flow of said goods, TJ Maxx South.

The woman executive is speechless. She tells My Guy that she has been up all night, looking for a way to wow the board, planning her strategy and in five minutes her just gave her the perfect opening to her presentation.
"Can I use her name, " she asks.
"Of course." he replies. "They all know her. Just mention her name."

They all know my mother because she has been contacted by high executives in the TJX Corporation on numerous occasions. They have called her to thank her for being a valued customer, they have solicited her opinion on her shopping likes and dislikes and they have asked her many times what they could do to make TJ Maxx better.

The executive on the plane was infused with a new energy, and told My Guy that my mom is EXACTLY the kind of customer they are looking for!

I can only imagine the look on the board member's faces as the executive from another state comes to town singing the praises of the legend that be my mom, who is, of course, their very own rock star.