If I say, let’s go shopping, and the destination is the local mall, or the outlet stores, or those cute little shops on Main Street, does that invitation fill you with dread or excited anticipation? Does the necessity of going in search of something you can’t do without seem like torture, or are you happy for the chance at the hunt?
While I am not by any means a shopaholic, I do like shopping. I generally prefer it when there’s something in particular I’m looking for. For instance, I had a lot of fun shopping for dress shirts and ties for my husband’s Christmas gift. I get a great deal of satisfaction finding a shirt in the right size, the perfect color, and the tie that pulls it all together. It’s also nice when the price is right.
But I am aware that there are others who just despise shopping. When the jacket we’d ordered from Amazon for my son didn’t fit right, nor was it warm enough, we decided to shop locally for another jacket before he returned to the East Coast. To say he dislikes shopping is putting it mildly. While I see it as an opportunity to search out exactly the right thing at the right price, his reaction is more along the lines of dread.
But we truly lucked out. We headed for Eddie Bauer at the outlet stores. It just so happened they’d gotten in a couple of “East Coast” jackets, jackets that were rated for zero to 20 degrees. It was a mistaken delivery in chilly but still rather temperate Northern California. Because they knew the jackets were too warm for 99% of their shoppers, they were selling the two at a 50% discount.
Woo-hoo for us. One of the jackets fit fine and was plenty warm. We added a few pairs of jeans to the pile and in very short order we’d completed our shopping goal. I felt triumphant and fulfilled. My son was just relieved.
So how about you? Is shopping one of your favorite activities? Or would you rather chew dirt?
