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.