Yesterday, the boys were going to be busy all day with scouts. My husband suggested I head to the mall and see a movie. I thought about it, but in the end decided to shop around first. I needed new jeans and our youngest, steadily growing, had requested I search for new (non fluorescent) sneakers.
My first stop was for his sneakers. I am never disappointed in the Nike store. They are always very good about assisting me in finding just the right shoe to make a teenage boy happy, sometimes a challenging mission for this mom. I usually do pretty well, but its nice to have the opinion and expertise of the sales people when making my final selection. Speaking of mission...I also picked up a Lance Armstrong "Live Strong" T-shirt for myself. It actually says, "On a Mission". I couldn't resist. It was so me...and well, it was on sale. I left the Nike store with a smile on my face.
My next stop was for jeans. I am what you would call a focused shopper. I bypass all the vultures in the hall desperately vying for my attention. Try our hand cream? Straighten you hair? Tweeze your eyebrows? Massage? There are quite a variety of services and products, but when my mind is set, I can literally blank them out with little effort. The Easter Bunny did; however, catch my eye. I love seeing all the children, dressed in their finest, standing in line to visit the Easter Bunny. Well, I made it to the Levi's store, tried on a few jeans and shorts, then left with only one pair...but at a significant savings. Maybe I should go back and get another pair.
It was Saturday, so the mall was beginning to fill up. I always prefer to shop on weekdays. No crowds. Maybe just a few walkers and some die hard shoppers with a day off. People on a mission. "In and out"...as my husband says. I had what I came for. I decided it was time to head home. I would enjoy my alone time, and maybe catch up on laundry.
I passed by the Bath and Body Works. Its hard not to notice their brightly colored store. Normally, I am a regular customer. I am a fan of their "warm vanilla sugar" signature line. Today, business was slow. I immediately noticed that the sales people outnumbered the customers three to one. Was it early? Perhaps. No, when I looked at my cell phone, I noticed it was around noon (I rarely wear a watch anymore). Still, I was curious about their line of antibacterials. On the way in, no less than three young women approached me asking if I needed help. My first thought was that they really needed a coordinated plan of attack so as not to become an annoyance to customers.
I honed in on a display that caught my eye. It was travel size antibacterials. They were very cute and small enough that we could, if need be, pop them in our pockets or well, at only 2.5 fluid ounces, take them on a flight if necessary. I like to plan ahead for our adventures. I know there is continuing controversy both pro and con regarding antibacterials. Personally, I like them if only for the convenience of their travel sizes. Spring Break was coming. We are always out and about during that week. Its better than having nothing at all to wash with. I started to select a few that the family would like. Then, I thought, "Hey, this would make a great blog." So, I snapped a couple of camera photos. Up until then, the sales people had left me alone to shop. When one of them noticed I was snapping photos, she approached me and asked what I was doing. I told her I was planning on blogging about their new line of antibacterials..."word of blog advertising" so to speak. She shocked me by saying she would ask if it was okay. What the heck? I was merely a motivated customer looking to spread the word. Surely they would invite my positive remarks. I mean, they were doing everything they could to get customers in...brightly colored signs, overtly attractive sales young girls with perfect smiles, etc... Why would this be an issue? Anyway, she returned and told me I could do it this time, but in the future, I shouldn't. She insisted her store manager claimed it was store policy. Yeah...Okay...Don't sweat the small stuff, right? No worries. The customer, I guess, isn't always right in Bath and Body Works. Well, I already had my camera photos. Time to pay for my selections and leave. All the empty smiles in the world couldn't keep me there. All I could think was, "Where was all the love they were supposed to be spreading?"
I chose two travel antibacterials (vanilla and coconut...$4.00 each) with "carabiner" snap rings (total cost $10.50). They get you with the additional cost of the accessories. Pricier than the smaller pocket size (5 for $5.00) without the extra holder (ranging in price from 50 cents to $4.00 each), but nevertheless, a cool new product I liked. http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11166532&cp=4090259.4090258.4090283.4431587.11443729
When the cashier (the same one that had tattled to her supervisor about what they somehow considered a negative exploit) rang up my purchase, she asked if I wanted to give them my email for on line coupons. I politely said no thank you. At this point, I was getting antsy. I nearly dropped everything and left. Then she continued with the fact that she going to put coupons in my bag for their new line of "country chic" products. "Fine." (Girl, hurry up) Something else for the recycle bin, I guess. As I departed the store, the girl assigned to the door said, "Come back soon." Yeah, if I do return, it will only be for the warm vanilla sugar product line. And to be honest, I might just look for something similar elsewhere, in a store that honestly makes me feel like a welcome customer. In hindsight, I should have returned to the warmer, fuzzier, Levi's store and bought that second pair of jeans. It would've made for a more pleasant drive home.
On the up side, when I did get home, I watched a relatively good scary movie on demand..."Vanishing on 7th Street". And to top it off, our youngest loved his new shoes. : )
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