My economic equivalent of ornithology
Even though I’m not much of a shopper, for financial and ethical reason, I do enjoy perusing the retail facilities when I’m out and about. This is in addition to my love of hardware stores. Anyhow, this evening saw the happy wanderers on a tour of the mall down south of here. There are historical reasons for this mall as a target; it was the first one in the whole area, and so when our extended family wants to shop, to Barrie we must go.
The interesting part, for me, is the niche market that some retailers have found. Quite apart from the carwash offering a “touchless wash”, there were other amazing sights for the itinerant. In the mall we found a barber for babies, complete with seats that made me think of the kiddie section at the midway. We found an instant teller that dispensed rolls of coins. We found a fullsized four bench fireplace to allow relaxing between store sprints. We found an ice cream shop that had a collection of gumballs. We found a shop that stocked Swiss knives; not the biggest models, but the ones that make a serious pocket lump. And on and on.
I didn’t buy very much this evening, due to my aforementioned ethical mindset, but we did manage to waste spend a couple of hours in a new town. Or city. In the dark, the urban landscape all looks the same. Brand name trees in the forest. And if tomorrow is less cold, we’ll do it all over again.
