Mall Guy

I recently joined Missus Moonbase on an evening shopping trip to the local 'outlet' or 'mall', which as is the case around the World, is basically a 'pedestrianised' street of shops spliced with the odd eatery. We went for something to do immediately after finishing work. Having not been for at least a year I had visions of continental-style street cafe's brimming with convivial chatter and the tinkling of expresso cups. What we got was a soulless desert of empty shops, where the only place to get a coffee was deep inside the bowels of Thorntons. Outdoor tables and chairs were forlornly stacked up everywhere else.

Okay, I admit it was mid-week around 5pm and most normal folks would be heading home for their tea. But this particular outlet loudly boasts late-night shopping every night so we expected a hive of activity. The odd person I saw actually wandering around reminded me completely of the listless zombies in Dawn of the Dead, as they were no doubt suffering from the same sense of tedium beginning to grow inside me!

I realised as we sauntered about the place that I really do dislike shopping! I particularly dislike shopping for clothes and household utensils. But really I dislike all shopping which involves physically entering shops! Now I am confused as to where this condition has originated. I had simply dismissed it as the onset of my grumpy old git phase. I have also toyed with the notion that the current recesssion and incessant economic gloom has brought out the miser in me, my hunched alter-ego  lurking just below the surface! But no, I do actually think that I really do dislike the whole shopping experience.

I very seldomly need anything new and being a bit of a luddite have no requirement to upgrade my lo-tech life. Most modern stuff I simply dismiss as clutter! I still listen to tapes and watch videos after all! No, I have a sneaky feeling that my current ennui has more to do with a bad case of chronic nostalgia, where past purchases have become artifacts and objet d'art to be bid for on auction sites and haggled over at boot sales. In my defence I do contend that Ebaying and car booting are themselves a form of modern shopping, albeit one where the outcome is not certain and the goods are invariably wants rather than needs. Chance shopping if you like!

Now I do realise that my apparent stinginess is not in the least patriotic. If everyone was like me the economy would never recover. After all we are all born to shop aren't we, but I have a suspicion that the biggest consumers are somewhat more youthful than me. What's that saying, only the good buy young!

So dreaming of my next SWORD bidding war on fleabay, I wonder if I am alone in my shopping mall hell?