A shopping story

Christmas shopping: The bad, the good and the Ugly.

The Bad:
Toys R Us. Apparently I did not give birth to a Toy’s R Us kid. A visit to a North Salt Lake Toys R Us proved to be singularly unhelpful. We arrived with a list assembled by the children. True, DS-7s list was a little difficult to read, but the one compiled by DS-12 included graphics and links. (Note to self if the kid includes links, you might be best served staying home and ordering on-line)
We showed one of the pictures to several Toys R Us employees who gave us blank stares, vague and inaccurate directions and / or snotty attitudes. Everything was either pink and purple or primary colors. This Toys R Us might have served us very well if DS-12 was in fact a DD, or if DS-7 was 3. But there was very little in the place suitable for our youngsters.
Commuter, holiday, accident on the freeway traffic. It took us 10 minutes to go one mile. But after we passed the accident things eased up considerably. I am so happy I don’t live in the city or valley proper and I traffic is not a regular part of my life.
The Good:
After our unsuccessful foray into Toy’s R Us, walking into Borders book store was rather like stepping from a cold shower into a pre-warmed bath towel. I picked up something I wanted before we had walked three steps into the store. As a funny side-note, the Borders sales clerk recognized the toy I had shown to several Toys R Us employees. He didn't have it, but at least he he knew what we were talking about.
Target was equally pleasing. We happened on one section of the toy department (I can’t go into too much detail, because DS-12 reads the blog) that was perfect for our children. Not to pink, not to young, just right.
Looking for a price on another item, DH and I wandered aimlessly around for a while until he discovered the red phone and scanner attached to a wall. He picked up the phone and a computerized voice told him if he wanted help he should press the No. 1. Sure enough within seconds a red-shirted employee showed up and not only gave us a price but helped use with other aspects of the purchase. (again, I’m being deliberately vague here for the sake of little pictures.)
Café Rio. Possibly the best Tex Mex food on the planet. Usually when we go to Café Rio we can expect to stand in line for a good 45 minutes before we get the food. But last night we lucked out, there were only a handful of people in front of us. I ordered way too much food because Café Rio is such a luxury in my life. But DH took the leftovers to school with him today for his lunch.
The Ugly:
Downtown Salt Lake City Malls. The downtown area is about to be renovated, and while one of the malls was limping along with a degree of holiday cheer; another right across the street was a ghost town. Almost every store was closed and the building was a little bit spooky.
But the best thing about the entire experience was I spent time alone with my DH and I managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done.
I’m sending out a big (((hug))) for my “Pudding for Brains” friend who watched DSs while we were gone on our shopping safari. You have no idea how much I needed the break. Thank you!