On Sunday, after sailing (glamorous if you overlook the fact that the boat is a kid's sailing dinghy!) and lunch, we had to drop Kid 1 off at a shopping centre in the Eastern suburbs. It seemed silly to waste time driving there and finding a parking spot, only to leave immediately. So we thought we'd look at the shops.
We did manage to get shoes for Spouse and have a very pleasant coffee (hot chocolate for Kid 2). It went rapidly downhill thereafter. The shopping centre in question is one of those monolithic places designed to confuse you to such an extent that you get lost, panic, and then spend money to make yourself feel better.
We did get lost. Along the way, I saw some things I probably should have tried on. But the crowds, the noise, the treadmill of consumption led to panic. Instead of spending money, we went home.
I have talked often about how much I hate shopping. Even when I see things on the rack that I think I might like, I dislike the whole process. Service seems to range from the bored teenager who clearly thinks you're too old to be buying clothes anyway (because, OMG, like anyone cares what old people look like, right?), to the snooty older woman who gives the impression that she knows you can't really afford what you're trying on, to the sycophant of any age who tells you look great when you can see that the colour makes your complexion look like liver and the cut makes you look like your body was drawn by Picasso.
Because I dislike the process - and I resent every minute spent shopping - I am a great one for 'settling for' something, even when it's not really what I wanted, or doesn't actually look that great. Better to get it over with so I don't have to come back. But, of course, this is fallacious thinking, because getting the wrong thing means I WILL have to go back.
It's not even that I'm disorganised. I have a list of the clothes I need/want, neatly written into a mini Moleskine that is always in my handbag. I think I need retail therapy of a different kind - I need to learn how to shop mindfully. After all, there must be some lovely things out there somewhere ...
Real people: May at the market
56 minutes ago
2 comments:
I do like to shop, but only under certain conditions: I prefer shopping on my own, except for the company of my oldest daughter. And I don't like shopping when I really need something -- I prefer to keep the shopping more "theoretical," if you will -- and then, if I do find something that I love, if I know it can fit my lifestyle and my budget I tend to buy it, whether or not I specifically need it at the moment. I've been honing this approach for a few years now, and I'm almost at the point where I could manage for a year or so without having to buy anything -- my wardrobe could get me through most occasions, in a pinch.
Despite liking to shop, I do recognize all the annoyances you identify -- it's tough to find a truly helpful Sales Assistant, but when you do, it's really worth returning to her/him. Similarly, a small boutique that carries items that suit your lifestyle and taste can really make that mindful shopping possible -- they've done the pre-selection so that you don't have so much frustration.
Mater, I think your preferred shopping conditions would suit me also - I guess one of the problems is I can so rarely find/justify the time to do that sort of 'theoretical' shopping. I might try to find myself a week day in the next month or so when I can manage it! I also do have some rather large gaps in my wardrobe, and the feeling that I MUST buy something to justify to shopping time is hard to get over.
Yes, boutiques can be good, but the only ones I know in Sydney are so high-end they give me altitude sickness!
Post a Comment