I made her PROMISE that we wouldn’t have to go *into* the mall
June 20th, 2006Twice I have dropped my phone in the past couple of weeks. When I say dropped, though, I’m not quite conveying the accuracy of this statement. Both times, the phone, the expensive phone, FLEW out of my backpack and landed HARD on the ground - shooting the back cover and battery far, FAR away. The first time I dropped it in the street, the second time I dropped it on a concrete floor.
The phone still works fine, but I cracked the casing, broke/lost the headphone jack and lost 3 screws. This is not a huge problem, but the phone was starting to come apart at the seams.
So when Princess called me to ask if it was ok if we went to the Mall - just to go to Best Buy (an anchor store), I made her promise that we wouldn’t go into the Mall itself. Now, what you have to understand is that the Mall makes me claustrophobic. I get tense and a little frightened. It is ALWAYS a harrowing experience for me.
So we went to Best Buy and I figured that they would be able to help me with my screw problem. While Princess picked up her geek item, I went to harass the cell phone people. They couldn’t help me there, but one of the sales team suggested I try a jeweler, since they almost always have eenie weenie watch screws lying around. From Best Buy, I could see a jewelry store, so I ventured out.
They were no help at all and suggested I try the Sprint Store (who probably have old dead copies of my phone lying around), which is in the heart of the Mall. Of course, at this point, it has become a mission. At my behest, we entered the Land of the Mall.
As soon as we got downstairs, we were accosted by a woman who wanted us for a focus group, but we were on a time line and, frankly, not wanting to be IN THE MALL. Even finding the Sprint Store (after consulting the map) was a challenge. Princess was convinced that we were going the wrong way, I was appalled that I was actually in the Mall - and that it was MY IDEA.
We get to the Sprint Store and there are, of course, no available salespeople to help. One woman had TWO sales folk working for her. I really hate the Mall. Finally we get a woman who thinks she can help, but tells me that they don’t have any screws. I ask about old, dead Treos, but they don’t have any of those either. She tells me that she can replace my phone for $55, which is ABSURD, because all I really needed was a couple of screws! (However, this is good to know for when I have an extra $55 (HA!) and get annoyed with the cracked casing.
At this point, I am really unhappy. Not only am I *in* the Mall, I can’t even get the screws to fix my poor phone, we’re going to have dinner in the Mall, since we’re already here, I’m IN THE MALL and, did I mention, I can’t even get the eenie weenie screws? AUGH!
We pretty much gave up until we walked past a watch kiosk (I love that word, "kiosk"). Thinking about where this whole "adventure" started, I figured why not? All I really need are a couple of eenie weenie screws and they’re not busy.
They fixed my phone. The watch kiosk… in the Mall. ROCK ON!
And then we got accosted again to participate in a focus group (by a different woman). WTF? We are BUSY and deliberately giving off the "I’m in the Mall, I’m in a hurry, leave me the FUCK alone vibe". They don’t care, but we are young, single women - we KNOW how to brush people off as expediently as possible 
On to dinner and a movie, but if you want to know about the movie, you’re going to have to read about that over at the Firing Range.
Heh. Your opinion of the mall is largely the same as mine, though I now adventure in occasionally to check out stuff I can’t afford in the Apple Store. I don’t even like the anchor stores though–Best Buy sucks, imnsho. Unless there’s a movie that absolutely has to be seen at the best sounding theater in the area, or I have money to burn on geeky Mac stuff, then I avoid the mall…
Comment by Jason � June 21, 2006 @ 8:04 am
Alas, Best Buy was the only place in the Capital District that had Season One of my Geek Item when it came out a couple of months ago, so I decided to skip the nonsense and go straight there for Season Two. Far better than arguing with fifteen other stores that yes, the freaking thing came out today, no, it’s not live action, it’s a cartoon, no, I don’t have children, actually, GIVE ME THE FREAKING DVDS!
Ahem.
Comment by Princess � June 21, 2006 @ 9:00 am
OK, I am going to sound like a big giant A-hole right now, I hope you don’t hate me for it. I can’t always control when I am a big stupid jerkfaced butthead.
I hate people that hate the mall. I can’t explain why except that I see people that will avoid the mall on principle then complain that they cannot find or purchase and item that can easily be found at the mall, I know, I have seen them there, or possibly bought them there in some cases. Then if I tell people they will say, I don’t go to malls, then I say your widget is there and is 85 bazillion dollars cheaper and the mall is 47.2 trillion miles closer than this out of the way store that you are going to spend 1.21 gigadollars in gas to travel to and waste 6.27 years of your life travelling too. And they are like, yeah but I hate the mall. It drives me nuts. I don’t get it.
I have heard, it’s too busy, but then those same people will go to busier less convenient places. Or some other excuse that is not used ever accept for the mall. I just don’t get it.
I understand hating the mall on December 24th, but you hate every retail anything on those days. But people that will spite themselves just to avoid the mall is crazy to me. If you need something, you know it can be found there, just go and do it.
Wow, I like to complain.
OK, well I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, and people are welcome to hate the mall, but why a retail store is all of the sudden not good enough just because there are other retail stores around it just doesn’t really register with me.
Oh and people that hate a traditional indoor mall but love strip malls, are morons and should be shot.
That is all for now, I know I must have offended someone, sorry. I just like to talk alot.
Comment by Ed � June 21, 2006 @ 9:59 am
Ok, I’m going to explain it to you. However, for your part, you have to try to understand it.
I get that for most people, the mall is convenient. You can get everything you need, have dinner and see a movie. I know people who would live in the mall if they attached apartments. I get that.
I get claustrophobic in large groups of people. Any size group of stupid people piss me off to no end. Screaming children ignored by self-absorbed parents make me tense and angry. Roving bands of teenagers have little consideration for others. These are the types of people who flock to the Mall.
There is way too much shoving. The vast majority of sales people are clueless and there are WAY more stores than I, personally, need. I get lost in the twists and turns and can hardly whatever I’m looking for - even with the maps.
People in the theaters bring inappropriately aged children to PG-13 and R movies, talk through the film and fail to turn off their cell phones.
I refuse to subject myself to the ridiculous amounts of stupidity and inconsideration thaat breeds in the Mall.
It’s not about the building or location or even principle, it’s tje reality. Frankly, I sometimes enjoy a day of shopping at Colonie Center, but we ALL know that CC is not the Mall.
Don’t assume it’s the principle when there are legitimate reasons for hating the experience of a place like X-Gates.
I also hate Times Square, for largely the same reasons but I go there from time to time.
Comment by FyreGoddess � June 21, 2006 @ 10:28 am
I, personally, find the mall very stressful. Maybe it’s the size or the number of people or the constant overwhelming and non-matching scents, I’m not sure. Since I’m not usually looking for stress with my shopping, I tend to avoid going there, unless I’m there for a movie or a very specific item that I know I can get there (like Justice League DVDs, for example).
It’s weird because I used to love the mall. I just think I grew out of it.
Comment by Princess � June 21, 2006 @ 15:03 pm
Just for future reference, an eyeglass store might be able to help also.
Comment by suki � June 21, 2006 @ 22:47 pm
I guess I just kinda don’t worry so much about the people around me. People are stupid, nothin I can do about it except go about my business and stay out of the stupid peoples way.
Although I don’t see alot of those things at crossgates that you are seeing it may just be time of day that I go or that they just don’t bother me. To me it’s just such a stress reliever to know if I need something, I can go here and I can get it. Easy, no stress no strain and hours of operation that are not just 9-5 on weekdays, when I work.
That is probably the biggest thing, I hate knowing where something is, knowing I need it, and not being able to get it or having to take vacation time off of work to run a freaking errand, now that is stressful. But if I need something from the mall, they are open after work and on weekends, which is when I need them.
I guess the convenience it affords me is actually a stress reducer, and all the morons around me, they are good for entertainment.
Who knows. I guess I am just wierd or something but I tend to get stressed when I have to make a special trip, that is inconvenient and out of my way to run a single errand. It is more time, gas money, parking, driving, basically overhead to the end goal of shopping/purchasing.
Oh well, to each his/her own.
Comment by Ed � June 22, 2006 @ 10:35 am
Thanks for the suggestion, Suki. You’re not the first one, lots of people suggested an eyeglass repair kit, but after seeing how many different screws the watch kiosk (I love that word!) lady used, I fear that the kit might not have the right size screws…
But now I wonder if an eyeglass store wouldn’t have been closer. Of course, it would have meant more trying to figure out the stupid map.
I think the best plan right now is just to *not drop the phone anymore* Heh.
Comment by FyreGoddess � June 25, 2006 @ 12:30 pm