It’s all coming back to me now
So you should know that I am not a “shopper”. I live in shopping mall heaven — I’m ten minutes from the Broadway Mall, 15 from Roosevelt Field and 25 from Whitman Shoppes — but I seldom go to the mall. I prefer to shop on line. And when I do venture into a store, I usually know what I want and buy it as quickly as possible. I’m not one to browse through stores just to see what’s for sale.
There’s a local chain, Baked By Melissa, that specializes in mini cupcakes. They’re primarily in Manhattan. A few years ago Becca introduced me to their product - delicate little cakes, exquisitely decorated, very tasty. I walk past their shop on 7th Avenue whenever we go to the theater.
Well, last week I remembered that they used to have a second shop on 7th, right next to the original shop, but selling gluten-free versions of all their cupcakes. The gluten-free shop closed, but the company continues to make a gluten-free version of their product.
So I thought that gluten-free cupcakes would be a nice addition to our dinner party. I went to the website to place an order … and saw that the company wanted to charge $15 for shipping. But if I agreed to pick up my order at one of their stores I could save the shipping costs.
They have a kiosk in Roosevelt Field. It’s right in front of Macy’s.
As I said, I’m not a “shopper”. I can’t remember the last time I was in Roosevelt Field, let alone Roosevelt Field on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I exaggerate — we went to a restaurant inside the mall back in February. But I haven't been there at Christmastime in years.
But I didn’t want to pay $15 for shipping when I live 15 minutes from the mall.
So I had the joy of circling through the parking lot looking for a spot (try to follow someone with shopping bags who looks like they are going back to their car), the fun of maneuvering through the crowds (why must shoppers walk at a glacial pace?), the excitement of avoiding the ladies who want to douse you with perfume, and then the horrendous traffic jam that happened as I was trying to leave the parking lot.
I’d forgotten what a pleasure it is to shop at the mall during Christmas…but it’s all coming back to me now.
At least we enjoyed the cupcakes.
The trick is to bring someone with you, who can buy the cupcakes while you drive around the lot.
ReplyDeleteI’ll remember that for next time
DeleteYour post had me chuckling and nodding in recognition. What you describe is pretty much my experience of shopping in person in Houston at any time of year. Which is exactly why I, too, do almost all my shopping online and am happy to pay the premium for it!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to my mall in years (unless you count returning a Amazon order in Kohls) and it's 1 mile from me! I don't like shopping, unless it's in thrift stores!
ReplyDeleteGood that you were able to save the $15 shipping. Ouch! Our one indoor mall almost died. It's coming back to life now but I can remember when there were police directing traffic every day between Black Friday and Christmas Eve. I was able to take a short exercise walk (1 1/2 miles) in the mall on Black Friday because the outside weather wasn't that great and there was actual space to walk in.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I'm familiar with mall parking at Christmas time. Eeek. But $15 for shipping? Yeah, I'd brave the mall, too.
ReplyDelete