I start with his funny story. He went to the sports store in Carlingwood Mall looking for running shoes. Now, you have to know that mostly this store sells shoes, although it is a sports store.
Two clerks were chatting. He was the only customer. They had a whole wall of running shoes. JB was looking at a high top shoe. Perhaps it might give him some support. They don't carry his size in our small town.
One young guy comes over to him, asking if he needs help."Yes, do these come in extra wide?" Young clerk looked puzzled.
"What size do you need?"
"I'm wearing a size 9, but 4E."
"Is that a European size? Can you tell me what that is in American sizing. The bigger the shoe the wider it is."
"No, I need extra wide. I need 9EEEE."
JB gave up. Someone hasn't had product knowledge (PK) seminars. Both JB and I while of average stature, we both have wide feet. How could this kid not know what wide sizes are? I guess it is like the time we were hunting for a special phone for my dad, we wanted the one capable of producing a decibels. The clerk didn't know what a 'decibel' was.
Back to his trip, and Carlingwood Mall. They are tearing down the parking garage. This is in the rear of the closed Sears store, the parking garage. It's the end of an era. We used to go there all the time as a family. Sears employees are fighting for their pensions, as Sears has closed stores in Canada.
This Sears store has fond memories for both of us. Taking our respective family members, we spent a fair amount of time and money here. Having lost their anchor store, Sears, it's changed the mall.
JB and Bob had lunch at the Golden Palace, again. Bob doesn't have a car, so they meet where he can get a bus. They've been friends a long time, having been roommates after university, in Ottawa.
Their server remembered them, and mentioned that they'd sat in the same spot last time. The food was better! A good time had by all.
8 comments:
Whenever a major store closes, it's sad both for customers and employees. Things change everywhere, and it's not for the better.
Powell River had an eye-sore building for many years. When we came in 2000 the Inn at Westview was a thriving hotel in the middle of town next to the shopping center. Out front was a White Spot where we ate a few times. Out back was a liquor store and pub that had great steak BBQs on weekends. Just a few years later the restaurant and hotel closed, followed shortly by the pub and liquor store. And there it sat to melt away. After many years of wrangling with the owner it was finally torn down this year. The foundation is still fenced off, but it looks much better and the rats living within have been dealt with and asbestos contained (or so they say). Don't know what might follow. It is prime space in our community. - Margy
My friend and I were talking about that very shoe issue the other day. We have come to the conclusion that we all need wider shoes when we reach our considerable age. All those decades of walking around on those fragile bones, along with the weight gain that often comes with the pension...
My friend wears a size 5 1/2 shoe, but often finds herself buying as much as a 7 1/2 just so she can get her foot into them!!!
I don't wear "athletic" shoes anymore because I find them all too tight. Birkenstocks work just fine for me. Sandals in the warm months and closed clogs when it gets cold. My Columbia hiking boots seem to be a good fit and are light and comfortable.
Hari OM
yes, the major stores are really feeling the pinch of the internet now and many malls around the globe are having to reconfigure. As for the sales kid - the concept of product knowledge is 'can I google that?'!!! Glad the lunch brightened the day. YAM xx (back in the Hutch but with a chest infection - the first in years. B****r...)
After all that did J B get any shoes? I have small feet, my Mum had even smaller feet and way back in the 1940's and 1950's, when we lived on the farm, the small town had ONE shoe shop. When a pair came in in Mum's size, the owner would phone up "Mrs XXXXXXX, we have a pair of Selby shoes in your size? I guess they were very expensive, but in we would go, and Mum would get her shoes.I know they would last for years and YEARS. Her size was the old 2 or 2.5 which is about 35 Euro .These young people, some do not know how to give change when the power is off and the till cannot work.
I think it's been a couple of years since I've been out at Carlingwood, if not longer.
Like William, it has been awhile for me too.
I do miss Sears. So many of my appliances were bought at that very store.
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