Shopping Story

Today I went with a group of seven other American women into Milan to do some shopping. We took the subway and had to change from the Yellow line to the Red line to the Green line to get to the area we wanted to shop in. Many of us had never been to the area before, so it was a bit of an adventure.

As we were wandering around, we came across a shop selling leather goods - purses, wallets, etc. Being women, we went in! There were signs posted in the store, but they were in Italian, so we didn't know what they were saying.

We had been in the store about five minutes, and we were all busily looking at things. Suddenly a few of the ladies who were in the back of the store started coming forward saying the owner had told them we had to leave. We were all a bit disbelieving, thinking they must have misunderstood. Then the owner came up to us and said, "Go. You leave. No touching. You leave. Now."

So we left.

But I can't tell you how surprised we were. Apparently the signs in the store said "Don't Touch the Merchandise". Tell me this, how do you buy a purse or wallet without touching it to see if it's configured the way you want it? I don't understand that at all.

Also, we obviously were not Italian. We were all talking in English - and not with Italian accents! Why would she assume we understood her signs?

Another example of Italy's wonderful customer service!

Oh, and at least two of us were getting ready to buy something. Her loss.

Wal-Mart!

Wal-Mart's open!  Hurray!  I must admit that I am not a big fan of Wal-Mart, but this one is close to home, which will be nice.  And it's brand, spanking new!  That's always a plus with Wal-Mart - they don't seem to hold up as well as some other stores.  The layout is a little different from any Wal-Mart I've ever been in - especially the food side.  It will take a little getting used to.  

Now if they would just get moving on my Kroger....

Old Town Spring

Kimberly and I went to Old Town Spring today.  Old Town Spring, for those of you who don't know, is basically an old residential area, except the houses have been turned into shops.  Here are some observations about Old Town Spring:

1. It's been a few years since I've been there, but a lot of the stores I remembered were gone.  

2. Old Town Spring is not wheelchair friendly.  There were ramps up to the shop porches, but then there was still a step or two to get into the shops.  Also, the sidewalks were very uneven.  I saw a woman pushing an older woman in a wheelchair.  Not only was it difficult, but the lady in the wheelchair was really being bounced.  

3. A shop selling Asian objects seemed out of place.  We did enjoy their handwritten sign, though:  "Camera We Watch You".  Very nice.

4. Most of the shops seemed to be run by older women or gay men.   

5. The main objective of the shops seemed to be to cram as much stuff as possible into them, with aisles barely wide enough for normal sized people.  Between me and my large purse, I was a little nervous a few times!  I think they do that so that can guarantee a "you break it, you bought it" sale!

6. Funnel cake is yummy!  

7. You will not find Wal-Mart prices at Old Town Spring.  But that's okay.  I did get a metal scarecrow and some metal pumpkins, all on stakes and ready to be put in my front yard.  And they were half price - which makes their price reasonable!  But they are very cute - come by in November and you will see them. 

8. A bubble machine can blow a random bubble over a block away!

9. I do not like street parking.

10. I like shopping with Kimberly!

There you go.  My astute observations about Old Town Spring.