Do you have a "safe place"? You know, when you need a break from the kids after being cooped up in the house all day... work is stressing you out... or you just have an hour to fill before an appointment or school pickup?
If you're like me, you head to — The Mall. Okay, maybe Target. Borders (RIP). Costco.
That happened to me. All in one week.
I've been really trying to avoid those places since I started A Year (Almost) Without Shopping, but old habits die hard. Maybe it's a bit of serendipity, but not once — but TWICE — within a few days, I've run into friends while out wandering the aisles.
On Monday, the refrigerator was looking woefully bare, and I headed out to Costco to stock up on bread and sliced turkey. Snooze. As I labored to push my loaded cart to the door, I heard someone call my name.
Looking up, I to saw my friend coming in the door.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Oh, just wandering around," she said. "I thought I'd stop in and grab something to eat."
So we bellied up to the food court and had an impromptu ladies' luncheon of hot dogs and Diet Pepsi.
"You're the only person I run into when I'm out shopping," my friend said, ennumerating the other times I'd seen her out and about: Costco. The Costco on the other side of town. Nordstrom Rack. The other Nordstrom Rack. The list was getting a bit embarassing. We are both shoppers. But we tend to go about it alone. Maybe not in such a great frame of mind.
What circumstances prompt you to shop? Do you shop alone... or with friends?
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Urban Outiftters and Gap are the worst to walk into at those moments.
ReplyDeleteGarden and craft stores bring out the worst in me as far as impulse buys, but heck, even Target can be a dangerous place when I'm in "that" kind of a mood . . .
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting - I find that shopping prompts me to shop. 'Old Poppy' (as opposed to New Poppy who is on a shopping hiatus) used to find a great bargain on say... a Burberry nova check pencil skirt at a designer consignment shop and then I'd suddenly be off and running on eBay - did I get a good buy? Is there another good buy? Ugh - such bad choices. And, if I'm bored or feeling low please keep me away from TJ Maxx or Marshalls!
ReplyDeletePoppy - I can identify with that feeling! I often come home from a shopping trip second-guessing my choices, and wondering if I should go back and get the "other one" instead. Or, I get prompted to think about other items to go with the new thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, TJ Maxx and Marshalls are quite dangerous. It's the thrill of the hunt...