Thoughts from Westfield

I went to the local mall today by myself. It was a strange experience. I've driven to the mall solo but always with the intent of meeting someone there. I guess malls really are oases in society: all the animals gather there for sustenance and community. Today, intentionally isolated, it was strange to be around so many people, so many groups of friends, so many couples, and yet still be alone.

I'm a terrible tandem shopper. When I frequent malls with other people, especially with women, I get so tired and irritated. I guess I don't quite understand. I wear a size Medium from Gap, I buy the Medium: no need to try it on. Why do women try on the tops, even at stores they frequent?

My annoyance and tiredness are directly proportional to the size of the clothing pile when a woman says, "Okay, I'm just going to go try these on." I'm not trying to be sexist; I admit that I'm ignorant. But can you blame me? 30 waist, buy the 30 pants. Boom. Done. No dressing room. I've known no other way but my own. Everything else seems confusing and foreign.

When I go to the mall with other people, a granola bar is as essential as my credit card. I need the sugar rush. Otherwise, I freak out.

But today, I didn't need a pick-me-up granola bar. I was in and out of the mall in just under two hours—that's including a 45-minute stop in a coffee shop to read. I specifically remember thinking, "Hey, I'm not exhausted." I took a few pictures of other men, obviously blackmailed into shopping by their partners. I empathized with their plight.
















Maybe it was because I had the coffee break, or maybe it was that I only went into the stores that interested me, but whatever the reason, today's trip the mall was much less annoying than usual. It was a functional outing rather than a half-day ordeal.

In the crowds of high school chums celebrating summer and adolescent couples celebrating romance, I did feel lonely. But I'm not sure that negative feeling of loneliness outweighs the jubilation I felt because I didn't need to take a nap after returning from the mall.

Thoughts? Is your mall for social shopping? or for functional shopping?