Went Shopping

Office was closed Friday before the 4th of July and thus, I decided to do my little part to help revive the badly ailing American economy.  I went out this morning to do a little shopping. 

I was badly in need of a few pairs of pants and some shirts and thus, with the weather cooperating, I drove out today to a small outlet center about a half hour’s drive from my place.

Since today was the start of the July 4th holiday weekend, a lot of stores were offering very good discounts on their merchandise.  I bought a couple of pairs of cotton, wrinkle-free pants at a 40% discount at the Brooks Brothers outlet store shown above.  One thing I’ve always done whenever I shop for clothes is never pay for them at full price.  I always wait for a Sale to come along before I shop for clothes.

A shot of a few more stores in the same section of the outlet center I was in.  I got my shirts at a Timberland store in an adjacent section.  Timberland had a good deal going for I was able to buy my shirts at a 30% discount.

I wish I could show you more pictures but this photo and the one before it were the only ones I took while I was shopping.  However, both photos reveal a few things about me as a shopper.

You don’t see a crowd of shoppers in either picture.  Whenever I go shopping, I always make it a point to go early.  I often begin my shopping around 10 or 10:30 a.m., way before the crowds roll in.  I can’t stand crowded areas and situations because I have a very low tolerance for the rude and uncivilized behavior a good number of misguided animals (yes, that’s what I call them) display when they take advantage of such situations for their own selfish ends.  Thus, I avoid them like the plague.

In addition, shopping early provides me with three distinct benefits.   First is the availability of parking spaces.  I get to choose where to park my car instead of fighting for a spot or spending a good amount of time looking for one .  Second, I often get better service from sales personnel.   At that early hour, they’re still usually in a pleasant mood due to the fact that they still haven’t been stressed out by unpleasant, whiney or rude customer(s).  Third, beating other customers to a store means I have more and better items in front of me to choose from.  This is the part I love best because a lot of the “nice” or “nicer” stuff are still available for sale.  I hate having to come in late in the afternoon or in the evening and having to deal with “leftover” stuff.  At that point only the not-too-good items are left.  No way.

Lastly, as a shopper, I’m the “in and out” type.  Before I drive out to a store or a mall, I make a list of the items I need.  I then drive out to the place and once there, I go straight to the rack, aisle, or section that has the stuff I need.  I pick the stuff up, inspect it, pay, and head for the nearest exit.  It is quite rare that I hang around a store to check the other items on display.

Thus, with my shopping ways, I am often done before lunch time.  I then treat myself to a good lunch as a reward to myself (naks!) for yet another relatively stress-free shopping experience before I head home.

This is how I shop.  How about you?