Outstanding Opportunities Offered Online Off Of Outlet Malls

I am a shopper, as you all know. But it might surprise you that there is one place that I do not like to shop- the outlet malls. Now my Momma disagrees. She thinks that the outlet malls are the greatest things since Lawrence Welk. For some reason, every time that Momma plans a trip to the outlet malls, she has to call me and make the announcement. "Son, I'm going to the outlet mall tomorrow." Or she'll call and say "Your Pop and I are going to the outlet mall on the third Tuesday of next month." Then once she states her claims, there is silence. After a second or two, she'll say, "Well, good-bye" and hang-up. It is always one of the strangest conversations I have with Momma. She is not making these statements to invite me. She is not saying this to bring me to repentance of my dislike for the outlets. She is not even trying to bring up a point of argument. She just likes to announce it.

This is not to say that we have argued about the value of the outlet mall. We have had some deep discussions (some families discuss politics, some the future of the stock market, and some the impact of cold fusion, but Momma and I- shopping). I see two problems with outlet malls. First, their price is not any lower than when an item is on sale at the local retail shop. Second, the items at the outlet malls are often flawed or seconds. Momma doesn't see any problem with this. She will buy a shirt with three sleeves at an outlet mall and say that this is a bonus. She takes the extra sleeve and tosses it around the neck like it's a scarf. There is one item that she buys for Pop at the outlet mall that I wish she wouldn't. You see there is a local store that once a year advertises a sale on their flawed underwear. Momma can't wait to get there. She has this sale marked on her calendar each year. Even while she is there, she is asking the manager the date of next year's sale so she can mark it down. My pop is normally a good sport about taking Momma to the sales, but this is the one where you can read the pain on his face. The Sunday after Momma comes back from her big underwear-buying spree, you can hear the men in my Pop's Sunday school class say, "Must have been an underwear sale this week." Before my Pop can ask them how they know, they continue, "I can tell it by the painful look on your face." Then someone else will add, "And by the way you're walking." Pop just smiles and doesn't say a word.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic