Shop til you... Stop.

I've already admitted I'm not a girly girl. Shopping doesn't do a lot for me. Today was different.

I had absolutely nothing I needed to buy, so there was no pressure to look anywhere in particular... Meaning I could just randomly look around.

Hubby was going to the movies (star trek.. um..Like.. No) and I had a couple of hours alone.

He had fifteen minutes before his movie started, so we decided to get coffees. I wandered to a shop window as he waited for the coffees, then he sat down.

What?

He gestured to the seat next to him and said 'come sit with me while we wait'
I said 'you don't have time to wait. Do you?'
Disappointment possibly dripping off every syllable.

Not, mind you that I don't like sitting with him, but.. Come on. I like to be early for everything, including the movies. I assumed he felt the same.

'Id rather spend five more minutes with you though'

Come on, dude. Guilt trip much ?
I smiled.. But accidentally groaned at the same time.

After a minute of my restless smiling, looking at my phone, smiling, sipping my coffee, smiling, looking at my phone, he said 'okay. You're in the zone. I'll just go then, will I?'
I smiled for real and said 'yep. Good plan. Don't want to be late. See ya'

Nothing I needed to buy. Meant I could look at anything .. And I did. An eclectic collection of looking and touching and thinking about, but no buying. I didn't need anything, did I?

I messaged my younger daughter 'don't you need a new purse?'

'No ma. The one I have is fine.'

'Oh... do you need makeup, knickers, anything?'

'No ma. In fact, it's Mother's Day tomorrow buy yourself something. New Docs (doc martin shoes) or a scarf or something'

I though about that for a minute and messaged back 'I did!! I found some really good hair ties and bought them'

Back came a frowny face emoticon.

Sheesh.

Then I went into a department store and remembered one of my favourite parental stories.. My parents a few months back being concerned about the future of this particular store.
Mum said 'we don't know what's going on, but they have Chinese writing everywhere, like a new Chinese slogan. It's really weird.'


This was it.

At the time, my husband said 'ah is this what you mean? Cha Ching?'
Yes, weird isn't it?

'Not really. Um not when you think about the noise an old fashioned cash register made ringing up your sale... Cha Ching!'

Dead silence followed, then mum said 'you're going to put this on Facebook aren't you?'


Yeah. I did.

So a couple of hours later, here I am in the car waiting for his movie to finish. My spoils for the day:
A new pack of hair ties (rubber band things)
A pack of coat hangers
A bottle of water
A plastic bucket with a lid to hold the compost at the kitchen sink.

I feel very satisfied. I came for nothing and I got pretty much nothing.


Cha Ching indeed.