📦 Package Purgatory

Anthropologie is all flowers and charm as a brand, but the way is runs on the inside is a lot more cutthroat. Let me take you back to one Thursday evening, years ago, when I found myself fresh-faced and ready for what was supposed to be a routine package run. For context: every department had to send out packages weekly—tech packs, samples, designs, you name it. They were headed to China, India, all the places we hoped would transform our quirky sketches into the next Anthropologie sensation. Normally, this was a job for four people—four, —but on this particular night, it was just me. Alone. Like an overambitious intern in a rom-com, except less glamorous and more... frantic.

The UPS truck was scheduled to swing by sometime around 6 or 7 p.m. Don't ask me to recall the exact time—I was busy pulling my hair out. My job was to check in with each department head, collect their packages, and make sure everything was packed, labeled, and ready for the big brown truck. Simple, right?

Wrong.

One department was finishing up samples. Another was MIA. One designer decided last minute that the fabric swatches weren’t "vibing" and needed to switch them out. So, here I am, sprinting between offices gathering boxes, tech packs, samples. Schlepping them all to the mailroom, copying tracking numbers, slapping on labels. It was like an Olympic event for people who like cardboard and stress.

Finally, I dragged everything to the front entrance for pickup. Exhausted but triumphant, I clocked out and went home, sure I’d aced the night. I’d done the deal. Or so I thought.

Cut to Monday morning. Every. Single. Package. Was. Still. There.

Did I get sabotaged? Maybe. Did heads roll? Absolutely. And by heads, I mean mine.

Here’s the thing, though: I got done. It happened to me. And the lesson I learned from that night? You do the deal, or the deal does you.

Too often in business—or life—we’re in the passenger seat, and it’s not a smooth ride. We’re hustling, yes, but there’s this lingering feeling that things are happening to us, rather than us making things happen. And let’s face it, when you’re in that space, you’re not in control of the narrative—you’re the underdog, begging for scraps, hoping things fall into place.

Over the past six months, I’ve been involved in a handful of deals. Some felt balanced—there was an exchange of value, respect, and mutual growth. Others? Not so much. In those, I was the one hustling, trying a bit too hard to make something work. And you know when you’re in that position. It’s when you feel like you're hoping for a deal instead of knowing you're driving it.

If you find yourself in that position too often, it might be time to reassess. Deals should have power parity. Sure, a little grind is healthy, but it should never feel like you’re dragging packages alone, doing a four-person job by yourself, and still expecting a win.

So the next time you’re involved in something—whether it’s a deal, a project, or just your Thursday night run for UPS—ask yourself: Am I doing this deal, or is the deal doing me?

If it’s the latter, it’s time to rethink your approach. Because let me tell you, Monday mornings with a pile of unsent packages isn’t a fate I wish on anyone.