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In our modern cities, we find hundreds of shopping complexes, centers, malls,
arcades, supermarkets, mini markets -- all catering for the apparently endless
streams of people whose only pleasure in life seems to be shopping. While I do
not deny that shopping has its pleasures, I must add that shopping also has its
displeasures, perhaps even more than the pleasures.
An example of the pleasure of shopping is to find a perfectly fitting pair of
jeans for half the usual price, only after spending one hour of displeasure
going through a huge pile of garments dumped at the discount section of the
shopping center. What more, there are a dozen other people
rummaging through the garments as well. Worst still is that you
have to buy two garments in order to qualify for the half price. In effect you
end up buying something you are not particularly interested in.
The interior of shopping centers are usually attractively decorated and the
air is cool. However as modern shopping centers are so huge, it would be an
impossible task to visit even a fraction of them in one day. Furthermore,
parking costs escalates the more time you spend in a shopping center. Time is
money -- money flowing out your pocket the longer you leave your car in the car
park.
A great displeasure occurs when you want to get something but do not know
where to get it. So you consult the map that they display in the premises. It
takes time to go through the map and finally when you find the shop you want,
you discover it is four floors from where you are. So you
trudge along up the escalators until you reach the shop only to
find that what they have is not exactly what you want.
The most displeasurable part of shopping is checking out. Often there are
long queues of people all wanting to do the same thing. So you select what seems
to be the fastest line only to find some idiot ahead is having problems with the
cashier.
Finally when all the shopping is done and you have got very good deals for
the things you have purchased, you lug your heavy bags to the car and go home.
That is not the end of the story though. On reaching home, another story begins.
You will have to unpack the stuff you just bought. That is another displeasure
and another story. |
