Reactionary

I frequently engage in what’s known as “shopping therapy” in some circles and in “wild spending” in others. I’ve always liked shopping for Christmas presents and never feel the unhappy stress some people do. I like shopping for other people almost half as much as I like shopping for myself. I started the first phase of the Christmas shoppery this weekend, my first off in nearly a month. It’s the phase of Reconnaissance in which I hit the major department stores in the city and look at what’s available. This is even before the actual List is made.

I was doing that Saturday when within minutes, I was presented several good examples of why I shop online so much. I had just picked up a bag I liked and was immediately, immediately accosted by a saleswoman if I needed help. Listen, unless you wanna get me a stiff martini so I can cope with the child-toting crowd, get lost. Commission is really a bad thing. The thing is, if I feel watched as if I were on a Wanted poster in a store, I’ll leave. Who needs it. So, I don’t get why these saleswomen feel like being effective entails swarming anything that breathes. It’s the same thing with overzealous waiters. The best are the ones who greet everyone in a friendly manner, make themselves available, and swoop in only when and if needed with a perfectly judged solution to the current need. That’s what keeps me coming back. I don’t like to feel as if someone were waiting for me to do something wrong.

Another incident ws when a babe in arms dropped a full cup of orange juice on the floor… just an inch from my foot. Good thing it was one of those child-proof covered contraptions because if it had spilled juice on my green suede Italian slingbacks… What bugged me the most was the way the mother of said child looked at me as if she expected me to pick it up for them. I ignored her. She’s your kid, she’s your problem. If you can’t control your kid, don’t bring them out in public.

My conclusion was I may buy a few things online but I may need to schedule a Manhattan shopping trip. I’ve picked this city clean. They really need to do something about the ugly, cheap sprawl that is the midtown mall.

November 26th, 2006 | Category: General |  Print |  Send it | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL