After a year and two months of buying stuff only online, last weekend I busted out and went shopping IRL. Three weeks had passed since my second Pfizer shot, and I had a dentist appointment in a few days. So I thought it was time to mingle with the masses -- and see if I remembered how to drive. I chose my outfit carefully, settling on a navy sweater with a rainbow stripe in the middle, ripped jeans, navy crushed velvet flats with yellow socks, a quilted red and black shoulder bag, and a side pony tied with a red and white polka dot ribbon. It turned out to be way too warm -- I was sweating even before I crossed the parking lot! -- but I liked the look, so no regrets.
My first stop was Macy's. It was a Sunday, so it was crowded. I threaded through the racks, careful to avoid fellow shoppers even though they were masked. I visited my usual haunts, namely juniors, shoes, and costume jewelry, and was disheartened to come up empty. Everything was picked over, and what was there was lackluster. So I hotfooted it up to Macy's Backstage, which is the Marshalls clone section. Fashion-wise, it too was a wasteland, but I did find a cute picture frame, some pastel gnome salt and pepper shakers, and a pink potted faux succulent for my office. When it was my turn to pay, I slid my finds through the opening in the Plexiglass that separated the clerk and me. "I like your outfit," the clerk said, "It's very mall girl." "I'll take it," I answered. But that's where the good vibes ended. Because next he asked what brought me to Macy's, and I explained that it was my first outing in a year after getting vaccinated. "And you chose Macy's?" he asked, incredulous. "There are far better places!" I bit back the urge to retort, "I don't think Mr. Macy would agree," and instead gamely uttered, "Don't worry, I'll hit them all," meaning other stores. But that turned out to be the wrong tack to take. "You don't have to spend money! You can do anything!" he counseled, wrapping my $20 worth of baubles with the authority of a financial advisor trying to talk his client out of buying a Bentley. "Now go out and do something fun," he decreed, thrusting the bag at me as if it held dog poo. Oddly enough, this wasn't the first time I'd been shopping shamed by a clerk. But it was certainly the most dramatic. Nothing like dipping your toe back in the pool only to be tossed into the deep end!
My next and last stop was Kohl's. I was disappointed that there weren't any exciting clothes there either. However, I did score two rainbow rhinestone Simply Vera brooches and a faux wicker pineapple picnic server that I now use to store/display beads. This time the clerk was much kinder, so much so that she erred on the side of anxious. I felt for her. I wouldn't want to work in a store during a pandemic, wondering if each and every customer was carrying COVID.
So, was the expedition a success? Even before the quarantine, department stores were definitely on the decline. But being away from them for a year and then seeing them with fresh eyes made me realize that maybe they weren't so great in the first place. Online, you can find anything in any size, style, or color without having to settle for something just because you could reach out and touch it. Brick and mortar stores are always there for you, but they don't always have what you want. They're like that boring banker boyfriend who's punctual and remembers your birthday but whose stories about his coworker stealing his PB&J make you wish you were with a guy who doesn't wear a watch or have let alone manage a bank account. That said, the best part of the day was, shocker of shockers, the driving -- or, rather, rediscovering the radio (apparently, I like Machine Gun Kelly). There's just something about being out there on the road with no responsibilities, singing at the top of your lungs. Another surprise was the, ahem, pedestrian one of walking. Despite (sort of ) keeping up with my exercises, running in place in my living room just isn't the same as getting out of the house. Carrie Bradshaw once famously said "shopping is my cardio." But it wasn't until I became housebound that I realized it was mine too. That said, some shopping trips may not deliver the goods in terms of actual, well, goods. But they give you more than you bargained for in other (good!) ways.
So, yeah. It's nice to know I can still take on the world, snarky clerks and all. But that I don't have to if I don't want to.
Which means that next time I'll hit up Macy's online instead of heading Backstage.