Product Review: Buxton Over the Shoulder Organizer Bag

This over the shoulder organizer bag has been featured on many infomercials. I myself have watched in amazement as the woman stuffed that big pile of handbag necessities into that seemingly small area. I thought the bag being advertised must be bigger than it looks, either that or the gal was a magician!

Because I am someone who is forever searching for just the perfect purse, I gave this Buxton bag some serious consideration. Except, I just didn't want to order from a television commercial where I couldn't even actually examine the product. I've been taken before, haven't you?

Well, now several stores are getting into the act of selling the "As seen on TV" products. Okay, maybe I can actually hold one of these wonder bags in my hands before purchasing it. I really did look at the over the shoulder organizer in several different stores. Walmart has the "As Seen on TV" section, as does other stores like CVS Pharmacy and Alco.

The thing is the darn thing is stuffed into a very well sealed box and you don't get to see much more than the infomercials shows you. Did I mention that the box seemed to be very tiny? I figured maybe it was folded up in there or something. So, still I debated the purchase.

I do a lot of my shopping at CVS Pharmacies. They do a lot of Promo things to get and keep your business. One time they were offering a $25.00 gift card when purchasing a new prescription. It just so happened I got a new prescription and that nifty little gift card. Hey free money is always good, right?

That's how I came to actually purchase the Buxton Over the Shoulder Organizer. It was free money after all, so there was no out of pocket risk if I didn't like the bag. Besides, I really wanted to see how they had it stuffed into that tiny box.

As it turned out, the bag was not stuffed at all. It was smaller than the box it was sealed up in. My first thought was "took again!" Maybe I could play like a magician and stuff the contents of my twice as large purse into this tiny scrap of leather.

The Buxton Over the Shoulder Organizer bag measures out at about 9 inches tall and 7 inches wide. It does have a lot of compartments, and even a zipper section that will expand the width of the bag if you need more room. I definitely needed more room.

I was not about to give up my rather large billfold. You know those kind that holds your check book, credit cards, paper money and change? They have lots of snaps, zippers and compartments. First off, if you carry a billfold like that, forget it. The only way it will fit is to slide it in on it's side. That took up one entire section.

Next, it was trying to figure out where to stuff an eye glass case (You have to carry those if you only need them for reading), a pair of sunglasses, car keys, and a few other basics that all of us women carry. Okay, I got it packed up like trying to use an overnight bag for a week's vacation. At least it has a cell phone holder right there on the adjustable shoulder strap. That will be handy.

Wrong! Apparently, when the bag was designed people were using much smaller flip type phones. I have an LG Shine, and there was no way it was going to fit in that little cell phone pouch. So now I have a totally useless little pouch, and have to stuff my cell phone into the bag, or figure out where to clip it on, using the case designed for the LG Slide.

The shoulder strap is designed in such away that it is supposed to sling comfortably over your shoulder. It never felt quite right and I usually ended up just toting it by twisting the strap around my hand. The front flap fits across the section you keep your billfold in, and has a magnetic snap.

If I would have given up the larger billfold it might have worked better, but I was not willing to do that, so it was a real struggle to get it out of it's sideways position, pay for purchases then get it shoved back in. I never could remember which little cubby hole I shoved my keys in either.

I suppose you've figured out by now that I really didn't like this Buxton Over the Shoulder Organizer. Oh, the leather was nice, and it would probably have cleaned up well, had I used it long enough to need to clean it. I guess the best thing I can say about it is that it didn't cost me anything.

But, this is just my opinion. Maybe I carry to much stuff, or maybe I really like digging through my big old purse in search of keys and sunglasses. I even like having a place to stuff my grandson's pacifier and a diaper, when I take him somewhere.

For me, the Buxton Over the Shoulder Organizer was more of an inconvenience and aggravation than it was a super organizer as the infomercial claimed. But then, I have heard that others liked it. To be fair, you can check out this review that has nothing but good things to say about this bag. www.associatedcontent.com/.../buxton_bag_over_the_shoulder_organizer.html

You can also check out the Buxton web site. You can order the bag there in color choices of black, red or tan. As of the writing of this article the web site was offering the bag for $19.95 plus a processing fee of $8.95. Order now (they say) and you will get a second bag free, for just an additional $8.95 for processing. That's nearly 40 bucks for two of them.

If you find it at a store that has "As seen on TV" stuff you will only get it in black, but it will probably be cheaper. I have seen them from $10.00 and up, unless of course you get a deal like I did, and use a free gift card. . Come to think of it, I wish I would have saved that darn gift card!