This is something which I had a facebook rant about on my status but I figured I'd tell the full story, because this, for me, was a bit of an eye opener.
I needed some suit trousers as I had actually managed to get a job so the parent wanted to go to Hemel Hempstead. So, we get the trousers, no trouble at all. Then she asks:
"Do you need anything else while were here?"
Any other day, I'd give her a look and we'd be off home in seconds so I could get some much needed football manager hours in, but for some reason, after avoiding clothes shopping for so long, I went for a different answer.
"Actually, I could do with a zipped top because I've only really got one regular zipped top without a hood at the moment".
I needed a top for when you go out, maybe clubbing or just pub, just to keep you warm during the winter times. Firstly, as you may have gathered, I'm not a particularly fashionable person, don't have much of an interest in clothes, but I knew what I was after. I needed just a standard zipped top, nothing outrageous no particularly massive logo, just a plain zipped top.
The first stop, which at this point I thought would be the only stop, was TK Max, hasn't let me down in the past tends to have good stuff. So, we get to the right section, mum does the standard pick out like 50 to try on and I dismiss the options. I'm scouting through, thinking I'll have options galore, but I'm going through and there is nothing matching the description I'm looking for, except this one top but it has a belt buckle. Who designed that? A belt buckle on the top? You have the zip to go up to the top, why would you need a belt buckle over the top also, surely it will just strangle you? So I looked through more and was having no luck at all, why does everything have buttons? If I'm cold, how are buttons half way up going to keep me warm? That and I just think it looks ridiculous.
Mum picks out a top and says it matches the description I gave her, of course she has picked out the one with the belt buckle. So, I've been through all of them and nothing has matched. I'm confused, things have changed and I'm not a massive fan. I'm convinced to go for the belt buckle top, but I'm thinking I'm going to need another one, because you know, this top has a belt buckle on it.
So, stop number 2, River Island I do believe. At this point, I'm in unknown territory, I have no idea what's going on. Finally we find the jackets, but, again, I find myself in the same situation, buttons everywhere, but I'm not going to cave in to this ridiculous look. I leave frustrated and still, very confused.
Stop number 3, Primark, which to be honest we just went in because it was near, but again, this was a shock. This time it isn't just the tops which I'm outraged by, everything looks ridiculous. There are t-shirts which are all creased and folded at the arms, is ironing just a thing of the past? Tie's which are sold with regular shirts, I would associate tie's with work not fashion. I quickly exit the shop.
Stop number 4 I actually can't remember the name of, it was a quite expensive shop but at this point, I'm willing to try anything. Not many options and nothing which suited my description. This is taking too long, I'm on the verge of giving up, but I was just so amazed I had to keep going.
Stop number 5 was similar to the last and again I can't remember the shop name, I think at this point I had a shopping blackout, any clothes shop I was wondering in, hoping that someone matched what I was after.
Stop number 6 was Marks and Spencers and at this point I said to mum to just literally tell me to try on would she thought would work. She made me try on a button top, I analysed it in the mirror and still didn't understand the obsession. But, finally, I found what I had been looking for, but even that had a button on it, but it was the style I was after, zip all the way up. I felt like I'd beaten the system, it felt as if it was a game and I had won, but really, I'd just wasted a lot of time. The problem then was, I was so lost I didn't even go through the right exit to the car park.
So, what did I learn from my day out shopping. I should never go shopping. But I will have to do it again and by that point things will have changed even more. Either I start to regularly shop for clothes and learn more, or I stick to my once a year online shop. I think it is likely I'll stick with the latter.
