One of the best things about my job right now is all the great perks that come along with it. In the media side of advertising, all the sales reps from magazines, online sites, etc. are always trying to win over business. And just how do they do that? They wine and dine us, if you will.
But free stuff isn't the only great part. Meeting amazing people and having fun with them is also something I've really enjoyed. Alas, I do feel that I need to record what I've been able to experience; and I do this for two reasons: 1. So I don't forget, and 2. To show the world how fun advertising is!
- Manicures and Pedicures at lunch: Honestly, I can't remember the last time I paid for my own mani/pedi. Fabulous! I love coming back from lunch and looking at my pretty, shiny nails. One of the best instances happened just a few days ago. My rep from one of the celebrity gossip magazines emailed me, letting me know where we were meeting that day. Such a huge smile came across my face when I read that we had appointments at the Saks salon on 5th Ave. It was like nothing I've ever experienced! Each of us sat in a cushy chair, and we didn't even have to get up after our pedicures to go to the manicure table! They just had a little rolly cart that they wheeled right up to our chairs. Oh, and we ate lunch while we enjoyed all the pampering. Delish!
- Lunch! Lunch! Lunch! And sometimes let's throw in a breakfast with our meeting! Yes, I've had my fair share of steak, fish and pasta lunches. The occasional And boy do I appreciate them. I really do see this as a blessing, as I have had many meals provided for me when I tried my hardest to make my existing food supply last until I could buy groceries again.
- A few weeks back, I was able to go to "The Police" concert at Madison Square Garden. This is actually a good story. So, one of my friends at work told me last minute that a rep had extra tickets to the concert. Having just gotten back from Utah the day before and being extremely tired and feeling a sickness coming on, I was having a really hard time deciding whether I wanted to go to the concert. After a few minutes, I decdided that it would be lame if I passed up this opportunity. When I called the rep, she let me know that there was one extra ticket and I could bring someone if I found someone. So I started calling people. Mind you, this was about an hour before the group was meeting up for appetizers and drinks and it was Halloween. Most everyone I talked to already had plans (shocking!), until I talked to Chateau. He was totally in and so excited to go. We met up, did the whole bar thing for a while (no alcohol, though), then headed over to the concert. When the guy at the turn style tried scanning our tickets, it didn't work. Nor the second or third time. Finally the worker looked at our tickets, and much to our surprise the tickets were for two days later! Kind of a bummer, but at least we were both able to go! The concert was a blast! Very interesting, however, because we were surrounded by middle-aged, drunk Police fans. Never a site I thought I'd ever see.
- This next one is one of my favorites! It was truly a special treat! And surprises just kept coming...First, my rep asked if we could do massages. Um, yes!!! Of course! How could I pass this up?!! So, we went to the spa at W in Times Square. It's this amazing hotel - very chic and modern. Not exactly my style for my own home, but it's cool. I met my rep at the spa, where they let us wait with these cushy chairs and lavender scents. Then the other rep (they have a job share, where one works Mon-Wed and the other one Wed-Fri) showed up and they took each of us to a separate room. We each had a 60-minute massage! I do think that was the best lunch I've ever had! And to top it all off, they took me to lunch! I thought we'd just grab a sandwich and be on our respective ways. Oh no! This would not do. We went to Blue Fin, a fancy schmancy sushi/seafood restaurant. All in all, it was a fabulous (two-and-a-half hour) break in my day.
