Without getting into the specifics of why, I have not been a very mobile person the past few years. They say as you get older, you lose joy & pleasure for the things that made you smile. I'm not saying I'm older than dirt or that life will become impossible, but I have slowed down over time and (as detailed elsewhere), I don't make it out to events or places like I used to.
When I do go out, it's usually solo as most of my friends are either just work associates, have busy schedules of their own, or live too far out of the way. I don't really go out to socialize, either: most of the time, I'd rather stay out of people's way and stick to what I need to do.
So imagine my indignation this morning, when I did some forced travelling to avoid being stuck with the roommate. I went to three stores: Borders Express (bookstore), GameStop (which sells PC games) and OfficeMax. Not even five steps into each place, and I had a salesperson on me from the get go. "Can I help you find something?" "Do you need me to direct you someplace?"
All the fun has gone out of browsing around. Though I gravitate to the humor, sports & local history sections of the bookstore, I never have a specific book in mind. I don't need to feel pressure to buy a certain book or check out a certain section. I can be my own guide in these stores - the sections are clearly labeled - and if I just want to read for a few minutes to put my mind at ease, that should be a customer's right. When I can't go at the slow pace I want to, it spoils the entire trip.
Gaming stores? I don't get catalogs in the mail saying what's hot out there, so I never go in with a certain game in mind. I know which games I don't want, but attacking me within three feet of the store entrance will set my mind into unnecessary overdrive. If I want overdrive, I'll go to work on my days off!
The funny thing about office supply stores is that I used to be mesmerized by them, thinking of how I had to have a place like this to own when I grew up. I used to hold a semi-professional job years ago and always browsed for things I thought could fix up my office space. Those days are past, and I went in, this time knowing exactly what I wanted. But I wanted the right to browse the aisles & find what I needed.
Nope. The attack came from no less than two hungry salespeople just feet inside the door, and I just wanted to hide and scream, "What happened to the innocence of browsing?"
Most stores now seem to teach their employees the new-car showroom brand of helping people (read: commission pay). You can never expect shopping for a car to be low-stress, even if money is not the object. They never seem to be satisfied with a customer just exploring; each customer must be a productive customer & have an agenda already figured out.
That, in my opinion, is grating in regular stores, and keeps arming me with the constant excuses to stay home more & more.
Darn those people on commission - and to the ones that train them. There's no leisurely shopping at your local malls anymore.
