My one-year-old and I love the doorbell. It means there’s a surprise. Our ears prick up and we race to the door. A courier! The best surprise of all.
We sit on the porch and open the box. New shoes in a cardboard box. I love the shoes. My toddler loves the box. We’re both thrilled.
Shopping with my family has changed. A lot.
Years ago, a day at the shops with my Nan was the ultimate treat. We’d always come home with a handful of red and white bags from Gracies (i.e. Grace Bros), a stack of lollies from Darrell Lea and a belly full of house sandwiches from the DJ’s cafe.
I’ll never shop like that again. And I’m getting a little nostalgic after Premier Investments announced they’re closing up to 50 of their stores. These stores were the cornerstone of my teenage wardrobe. Just Jeans: my first pair of “cool” pants. Portmans: my first work suit. Dotti: my first party dress. But now, these shops – all shops – are an endangered species.
And I’m to blame. I grew up. I moved on. Online. It’s quick, sexy, cheap and exciting. A day at the shops is a thing of the past.
But sometimes I get the guilts. I see Megan Gale staring at me from the back of a bus or Jen Hawkins in some junk mail with a look in her eye that says “why don’t you want to be friends anymore?”
Days later I’m pushing a pram around an empty department store. And it’s hard work. Clothes are spewing from hundreds of sales racks, the counters look lonely and Kenny G-style tunes tinkle from the roof. Huff. So uninspiring. So desperate.
Top Comments
How about when you do go into DJ's or Myer, here in Newcastle, you STRUGGLE to find a sales person to purchase from. A number of times I have wandered and wandered the floor looking for staff members but most counters are unattended. I have given up. The one time I passed this information onto a staff member, they thought I was being rude!!
I don't like shopping online generally, I like to touch/feel etc.
Has anyone mentioned the quality and unoriginality of our stock in Australia?
I do a fair amount of my shopping online because you get better stuff overseas! Items that you don't see on every other person, or made out of shonky materials. You'll spend $200 on a poorly made synthetic dress these days, or $150 on a pair of fake leather shoes in an Aussie store. RIDICULOUS. I can get much better prices and quality if I order online, and that includes factoring in shipping, and I can be guaranteed I won't see what I'm wearing on every second girl at the bar. Plus online shoppin saves you schlepping from store to store to get the best price, you don't have to lug it home on the train, you get that nice sense of anticipation between when you order and when it arrives... Bonus.