The Art of Shopping

So I was in the mall the other day. I haven’t been there in years, but I went to buy a present for my brother who turned 50 this week. I mean, 50 is a pretty big milestone. Not only for him, but for me. It means I AM OLD!! Oh well… Anyway, 50 deserves a present. I used to work in the mall at the Camera Shop before I got the job I am in now. Ages ago…. Decades ago…you get the picture. So there I was wandering around looking at all the shops and trying to make a decision on what to get him.

Anyway, I am wandering around the mall and I come across the Pandora store. A few years ago I got into Pandora charm bracelets. I was buying charms off eBay and got enough for one full bracelet. They were all the rage and I loved to wear mine, even though it was really heavy with all the charms on it. I thought to myself that the Pandora store could be dangerous for me. I don’t really need another bracelet, but they are so pretty…and so shiny…and I fought really hard to resist.

I reminded myself of my mission and ended up deciding on getting him a pen. My first thought was that he should have a fine distinguished pen that men of that certain age have, like a Mont Blanc. My ex loved those pens and longed to have one. I knew they were expensive but I had no idea. So…there is a Mont Blanc store in the mall and I went in. I should have gotten my first clue when I walked in and no one was in the store. The sales person was polishing one of the many glass cases looking rather bored. He blithely asked if he could help me, looking rather disdainfully at my t-shirt and shorts with flip-flops, and I launched into my story about my brother’s milestone birthday and said that I was thinking about the type of gift I was going to get him. I told him my price range and I am sure he nearly choked, silently of course. The least expensive pen is the corporate model for $150 and the least expensive regular model with the custom engraving is $350. Clearly, out of my range. He tells me of another store in the mall which has pens in all kinds of ranges and I went there. I bought a fun pen with notes all over it since he is a musician, along with a journal and two refills, and the total cost was well below my original estimation.

The cost of the pen was still more than my husband would have paid for a pen. When I told him of my saga, he said, “why would you spend that kind of money for a pen when you can buy him a Bic for 38 cents?” You see what I have to deal with?