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Dany Levy

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Posted Tuesday, June 19, 2001, at 9:00 PM ET

The Candy House Rules

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The Sample Sale Sisters are calling me. They want in.

It's 7:45 a.m. I'm still home, trying to get in a squeeze of writing before the day starts. Today's schedule is filled with riveting stuff: check-chasing, batting e-mails with harried subscribers, a financial meeting, and a dentist appointment (to flake or not to flake?).

Anyway, back to the Sample Sale Sisters. Sister A, who writes about sample sales, is furious with Sister B, who hosts sample sales. (All names have been withheld to protect the innocent [?]—the wholesale market, the livelihood of those intrepid bargain shoppers, and whoever else gives a flying %$^#!! about sample sales.)

Sample Sale Sister A is adamant that I not speak to Sister B. "Puhleez," she begs, "Don't write anything about her sale."

"Call the police if she's so out of line," is what I really feel like saying.

Then, the clincher: "Let's have dinner," she says. "My treat. I'll tell you all about my sister."

I'd rather eat tuna from a can. With my fingers.

I have a sister of my own; we have issues, too. Her best line ever: "You call yourself a sister???? I want a refund!" (Save it: It's a good one.)

Mothers come into the picture, too, in the let's-try-to-get-a-plug-in-DailyCandy pitch. A guy once begged me to write about his new whatever-you-call-it product because if he didn't bring in the business his mother was "going to freak." (Paging Dr. Freud. … Paging Dr. Freud …)

"Listen," I say. "Here are the rules. You don't talk about your mother. I don't talk about mine. Now, how can I help you today?"

So, he drops the mother talk and offers to send me some free product. I explain the DailyCandy no-graft policy. "The Candy House Rules," I call it. It's something I learned from Kurt Andersen back in my days as "A Very Young Journalist" at my first magazine job. All three employees at DailyCandy have been given a copy.

"So, how do I get a write-up in DailyCandy?" Mama's Boy asks me.

The eternal question. There's no real science behind it. It's editorial selection, a concept that seems to be quite foreign to most people on the Web. You cannot pay to get into DailyCandy. Yes, you may buy an ad or a sponsorship package—as a matter of fact I'd be thrilled. ("We'd be happy to send you a copy of our media kit.") But as for the daily "item," that's editorial. No payment accepted. Period.

So, why is FuzzyBrush (an odd little tooth-cleaning gadget from England) an item, and Elizabeth Taylor's new perfume is not? You guess. Why does the release of Lucinda Rosenfeld's book make it into DailyCandy, and [insert another young female writer's name here] does not? Because I read both books, and—you guessed right—I liked the former. And I think my readership will too.

Some other examples:

Seven jeans? Comfortable, and a sell-out in the shops.

Petal Tops breast stickers? A brilliant concept. "Best item ever!" my lawyer e-mailed me. Perv.

The Condé Nast girls' stealing FedEx sticky pouches from the supply room to use as lint brushes? An indispensable tip.

The pearl thong? Too outrageous to not write about.

The fashion crisis on Wall Street that was all the chatter after the 24/seven Dress Down policy was issued at several investment banks? It seemed a perfect an idea to get Simon Doonan on the record to advise.

The opening of the third outpost of Haru, a cult Japanese restaurant on the Upper East Side, in Times Square? Those poor Midtown workers need some good chow. There are only so many who will brave the salad bar at Smiler's Deli.

Vitamin-infused Gummi Bears? I'm still on the fence.

And so on …

As for the sample sales, sometimes it's simple rotation. I can't write about so-and-so's sale every three weeks. It gets old. And, I've learned from experience—and from reader feedback (what vocal subscribers they are!)—which sales have the good discounts and which do not. I know who carries "gray goods," who peddles crap, and who has the real McCoy. I know my readers will flip over the Vera Wang sale (if they can stomach the crowd). Once upon a time I played the role of the Sales and Bargains Lady at New York magazine, so I learned the circuit. (A tip: If you don't mind the queue, the Hanro sample sale is a keeper. Wool undershirts for 20 bucks!)

And, if you haven't been to the zoo in awhile, then by all means, go to any of the above sales. Get your discount. Feel proud. Show your friends.

Otherwise, pay retail. It's worth it.