Don’t Front….You Miss the Storefront!

And here we are….still in quarantine…..home bound except for essentials and those of us who are needed for work. I find myself missing the most simple things….Starbucks, the library, the gym…..and can you believe it….actual physical storefronts! Shocking, I know! I am obsessed with online shopping, so much so, I wrote a previous blog post on tips for successful online shopping. Definitely go back and take a look it if you haven’t. At any rate, how did I end up here…missing going in a retail store. While this can probably be attributed to the the premise of wanting what you can’t have……lets discuss further. Taking the adage of not tearing down something without building it up, I thought about some pros of physical shopping!

First, you can touch, feel and try on items….duh! There is nothing better than physically touching fabric, stretching it out, feeling it against your skin and body. I have seen items on the rack that were two sizes below my regular, but by touch, I knew they may work for me….tried them on and voila! They fit and looked great…maybe not as they were conventionally meant to, but were a look none the less.

Next, there is so much camaraderie in shopping! I love conversation with other customers about brands, sales and just general things going on in my community or the world. Also, building relationships with sales associates can be a plus to find out if an item you are looking at is going on sale soon and what days new inventory is restocked!

My fav thing about shopping in store is the thrill of the chase, negotiating and bargaining! How many times have I noticed a missing button on a cute blouse or a small stain on a cute pair of pants? I’m quick to look for items I want but packaging is damaged, due to having been mishandled in stocking or during delivery to the store. Retailers often reduce prices at customer request based on these points.

While in quarantine, the thing I miss most though, is the family memories. I love shopping on weekends with my mom. She still lets me put items in her cart! LOL! I also miss the look of torture on my husbands face as me and my daughter drag him from store to store on Saturdays. Alas, you never miss your water until your well runs dry. But hopefully, these days will return soon. What have you missed? Let me know in the comments.