Today's Starbucks Exit Line

[gothick]

"Five pounds exactly," she said, taking my proffered note. "That's a nice round figure."
"That's a very personal observation," I said, sniffily, turning away. I didn't look back, but I got the laugh.

That was on the way back from The Mall¹. I went out to buy a proper electric coffee grinder (burr, not blade) this morning. I combined some vouchers I got as a pressie from my old team at work with the John Lewis sale and therefore only contributed £20 of my own actual money. This is good, as I've been wanting a really good grinder for ages.

But what is it with the sale crowds? I mean, all the people look so completely depressed. They were out in their thousands -- I got to The Mall before eleven, and the first three car parks there were already full -- and as far as I remember, it's not actually compulsory to go to the January sales yet, so you've got to assume everyone wanted to be there, but they sure didn't look it...

Anyway. I think I've decided to stay at home this evening. I can't face hours of travelling today, and then hours of travelling back tomorrow. I've spent too long travelling in the last week, including many hours on motorways, and more than 18 hours spent simply hanging around at airports. What I really want is to chill out, maybe watch a film, and perhaps read a nice book, and wake up in my own bed without having to go anywhere tomorrow.

If that makes me seem elderly, then so be it.

¹For those of you that don't know Bristol, The Mall is the hugely imaginative name given to the big out-of-town shopping centre.

Comments

[ruthj.livejournal.com]

> But what is it with the sale crowds? I mean, all the people look so completely depressed.

Maybe they have seen lots of things they already bought a few days ago and wished they'd waited and got 50% off?

> I've decided to stay at home this evening.

I'm staying home this evening too. Sometimes it is worth doing what you feel in the mood to do, even if it not the traditional thing to do.

[jow-n-chris.livejournal.com]

I too am staying at home, will probably bring in the new year feeding the Little Miss and thinking about all my friends and family and how much I love you all...

[gothick-matt.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're a fab lot, really, aren't they? *hug*

[nmg.livejournal.com]

For those of you that don't know Bristol, The Mall is the hugely imaginative name given to the big out-of-town shopping centre.

I've only ever heard it referred to as Cribbs Causeway.

I'm so glad that we don't have to go there to get to John Lewis.

[gothick-matt.livejournal.com]

That's probably because people can't bear to call it "The Mall". Technically, though, Cribbs Causeway is the huge whole, including the retail parks and the cinema, etc., and The Mall is just the shopping centre building.

It'll probably be increasingly referred to as "Cribbs Causeway", though, as the clever, inventive owners are the same people who are currently redeveloping the Galleries shopping centre in Broadmead -- and have named the redevelopment... Yup! You've guessed! "The Mall."

So, now we have The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, and The Mall Galleries, and I've already heard of two strangers to Bristol who have turned up at the wrong one and wondered where the shop they wanted had gone.

I'd prefer to have kept John Lewis in town, certainly, especially as I've got no time for Bentalls; way too pricey and none of their clothes fit me.