- I often think that it's a good idea to go shopping by oneself. This was confirmed today when, within 15 minutes of arriving at the mall, I witnessed one toddler meltdown (a little boy was screaming at the top of his lungs that he HAD to take his shoes off, which mom wouldn't allow. I felt bad - he was clearly miserable, in that "no one understands me!!!!" way of little kids. I remember feeling like that) and one intergenerational spat (adult daughter to elderly-ish mom: "If you tell me one more time all the things you want...!").
- It's not that I like to shop by myself because I want to avoid enduring such moments. I just want to avoid inflicting such moments on others.
- I didn't really NEED anything, but it's been a while since I spent the day traipsing round malls trying on everything that looks remotely interesting and coming home mostly empty-handed, dehydrated, with low blood sugar. (Especially since one of the places I went was an outdoor mall and it's pretty hot and dry here.) As awful as that experience sounds, I find it soothing every now and then.
- I was sort of semi-looking for a suit. No, I don't NEED a suit. I have two suits. But neither is the PERFECT suit, and I continue to believe, against all empirical evidence, that I can find the PERFECT suit that will be all things for all seasons and, while we're at it, make me look 20 lbs. thinner. The exciting thing was that I found a bunch of stuff that fit me, and actually looked pretty decent. But nothing was different enough from what I already have, or cheap enough, to justify buying a THIRD suit. Still - if some unforeseen suit tragedy occurs (like the dry cleaners mangling all my current dress clothes), I have options, and that in itself is reassuring.
- Oh, and I did I mention that I don't have any interviews yet? I don't NOT have any yet, either; I'll find out next week if anyone wants to interview me. So whether I like my suit(s) or not may be moot. But if I focus my anxiety on whether or not my suit is right, I can actually do something to assuage it (go shopping!), whereas I can't do anything at this point to convince people to interview me. So, you know, shopping is really just a healthy coping mechanism!
I generally enjoy shopping by myself, mainly because I don't care to go to every.single.store. in the shopping center. My goal is to get what I need and leave. Others, generally, don't share that sentiment.
Interviews? Isn't this the start of your 2nd year? What are the interviews for? Clearly I don't know anything about law school.
Posted by: rageyone | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 06:00 AM
RBOComments...
Posted by: Another Damned Medievalist | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 06:46 AM
I enjoy shopping by myself. I get into that mindless zone. It's great.
I second the thrift store idea. When I was in law school and shortly after graduation, I didn't have much money. I found beautiful suits, some with the tags still on. I would look for dry cleaning coupons to spruce them up.
I do love Banana Republic for suits. Very nice!
Posted by: Seeking Solace | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 06:57 AM
this is why my children are perpetually shoeless.
Posted by: Anastasia | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 08:31 AM
I enjoy shopping by myself, but I miss the friend giving an honest assessment of what I've just tried on. I'm not always the best judge -- not just that I buy things that don't work, but I don't buy things that do.
Posted by: Susan | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:46 AM
I agree, shopping with others can be fun, too - they just serve different purposes. :-) I agree, Susan, that an objective pair of eyes is useful; my marathon shopping days are often scouting expeditions, for coming back later (and making NLLDH tell me what he thinks ;-D).
Seeking Solace, I love the BR suits, but alas, I have a hard time fitting into their bottoms (phooey!).
Anastasia, I have to admit that if I were the mom I'd have probably just let the kid take his shoes off, but you know, not my kid! (I actually seriously wondered if he had a sensory thing going on because he was so. very. upset. about the shoes!)
Consignment shops - I've never tried them. I should, but the only place I know of is Goodwill. And I'm sort of convinced I'll never find anything in my size (no reason to think so, though!). Will have to consider that...
Posted by: New Kid on the Hallway | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 05:54 PM
When buying separates at BR the word you need to look for is "Jackson." There is no point in even touching the pants labeled Martin. The Jackson pants are the only ones worth looking at.
Posted by: Rudbeckia Hirta | Sunday, August 09, 2009 at 12:29 PM