We recently sent out a survey to better understand what we could do differently at NPR to improve your shopping experience. We were thrilled by how many of you responded and how much time you took with your answers.  We are listening to you also want to share why we do business the way we do. Some of the topics that were mentioned were our sizes, hours, style of clothing, fabric content, care instructions and the 8% mark-up. Here goes:

Sizes:  Remember that NPR carries mostly manufacturers samples in sizes that range from 2 – 12. These clothes were used by the manufacturer to sell the line to traditional boutiques and department stores. Sample sizes are definitely inconsistent and fit a range of figures- we always tell you, “it fits or it doesn’t”. What thrills me is that you are getting clothing at less than half the price of retail. I am working hard to find more clothing lines that I can offer at discount prices in larger & smaller sizes. Stay tuned…

Hours:  Our 10 to 4 Monday through Saturday hours can be challenging for busy gals. These hours were put into place as a way to create an environment where there would be a work/life balance for both myself and the NPR ladies. We are willing to try to accommodate your schedule- just let us know. We haven’t had good response for our evening shopping nights (unless it is a Style Seminar). Our location in the business park limits consistent late shopping.  I have recently added a Saturday Style Seminar for your convenience. Remember, we are happy to select and ship clothing to you. Contact us for more details.

Style of Clothing:  A few of you mentioned that you missed some of our old designers. So do we! Many of the high end designers went out of business during the financial crisis and haven’t been replaced. The retail business is perilous for both designers and sales reps.. My goal is to travel to various markets and search out unique, new products. Please keep your suggestions coming and I will try to check out/find the line.

Fabric Content and Care Instructions:  Samples are not required to have care instructions or fabric content. Thankfully, some of them do and some of them we can look up on line. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to guess. I have good luck with washing 99% of my clothing that comes from NPR. We are now going to provide you a general guide of washing instructions at check-out so that there is less confusion.

Prices & 8% Mark-up:  The prices of all clothing have sky rocketed over the last 14 years that I have owned NPR. Sometimes I am shocked, too, and then I think of how much the garment would cost at Neiman’s or Nordstrom’s (stores who carry some of NPR’s lines). Retailers traditionally double the wholesale price of a garment and then add an additional 2.2% to bury their operating expenses in the price tag. Rather than mark up on the tag, we keep the original hang tag that came from the manufacturer with the wholesale price. Our 8% mark up at check-out covers our cost of doing business. It is important to me that we are transparent and that you know exactly what the wholesale price is of the garment. A big plus is that we are located in unincorporated Arapahoe County and have a 4.35% tax rate. If you ever want to know how much something is going to cost, we will be happy to put in the computer for you before purchase.

Return Policy:  We are happy to offer store credit for anything that you want to return within five days of purchase.

Garage Sale Area:  If you are looking for bargains, this is the area to check-out. We are constantly adding to the sale inventory and on average the prices are discounted at least 50%.

We will continue to try hard to offer you great clothes at wholesale prices with personal attention. Thank you, all!