Now, one of the perqs of being retired is being able to do things like going to the mall at off-peak times -- and a midweek morning is usually that -- but the parking lot seemed a lot fuller than usual -- and, we soon realized, there were a lot more people wandering around too -- many (most?) of them with kids in tow. We usually split up and then meet in the food court around 11:30-45 for lunch (before the noon-hour rush begins), but by 11:20, dh was texting me, "Waiting in food court. Already PACKED."
It eventually dawned on us that it was late August -- and these people (a) had ALSO suddenly realized it was late August -- and were trying to cram in all the activities with their kids that they hadn't done in all the previous weeks of summer, &/or (b) were engaged in some frantic back-to-school shopping.
Not having any kids, of course (and having attended my last day of school almost 35 years ago now), things like back-to-school shopping are only a hazy memory, and something we're only reminded of when we stumble upon it, as we did last week, or when friends with kids mention it on Facebook. (I don't know why we're always so taken by surprise by stuff like this, but we are.) I used to be somewhat more aware -- I used to note the first day of school and what grade Katie would be entering in my datebook every year, but stopped doing so once she would have graduated from high school and started attending university or college. (For the record, she'd now be entering her THIRD year of university/college -- assuming (and both of us do, lol) that she went.)
Needless to say, it was a shorter visit than usual. ;) Looking forward to a little more than a week from now (school starts the day after the Labour Day long weekend hereabouts) when the malls will (hopefully??) be a lot emptier and quieter, and the avalanche of back to school photos & posts in my social media feeds will slow to a trickle...!
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
We haven't had to really contend with back-to-school shopping yet, but I try to stay away from malls and the such when they are filled with tons of people.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are able to enjoy your next trip to the mall when it is less cram packed!
I usually manage to keep abreast of school holidays, and avoid malls accordingly, but still sometimes I get caught out. Hope your next visit is more peaceful.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you got caught out in the back-to-school frenzy! Although in a way it's kind of nice to have momentarily blipped on that calendar event. I can't escape it because my entire life is built around a school calendar, but I am a big fan of skipping the mall entirely. I probably miss some great sales, but online shopping or the Stitch Fix box saves me the crush of families at the mall... :) I hope that the social media trickle and quieted daytime mall jaunts come fast!
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