19
October 2002
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Danger Will Robinson. Danger. The Target close to my apartment finally reopened and it's like love - exciting and new. I went in looking for your typical Target-y type things - shampoo, soap, cotton squares. Maybe some lotion and a few birthday cards if I was feeling spunky. I left with all of that, plus the new Dixie Chicks cd and a $15 coffee maker. But in my defense I haven't bought any music for awhile (and the fact that I managed to put back the Friends season two DVD box set is a testament to my new frugality), and I did need a coffee maker. And come on, 15 bucks for an appliance? That's cheap living, my friends. Cheap living. Plus, I had the cashier take off the cute Mossimo yoga pants that were on sale. I am an impulse buyer no more. (If you forget about the CD anyway.) I did have to turn tail and run from the shoe department though. Run. Also, from the cute little boy clothes because I could spend a hundred bucks on the Little Peep alone. I have spent a hundred bucks on The Little Peep in one shot. I am nothing if not an extravagant aunt. Since it's located at the closest major intersection to my apartment, I have to drive by the New! Target! Greatland! (that's how you have to say it) on my way to work. . . my way to the gym. . . my way to Chick-fil-A, which is to say that I drive by it quite often. I might never have to leave the two mile radius surrounding my apartment ever again. I actually have the entire day off work, and it feels odd, having a weekend free like normal working people. I've taken to running my errands on weekday afternoons (speaking of, have any of y'all ever gone Krogering on a random Wednesday? It's like Shady Groves Retirement Village just dropped off a bus), so it felt a little weird to wait in a long line or wait for other people to pick their favorite smelling shampoo. I even took a little browse though the clothing and while I didn't buy anything it wasn't because I didn't look. I realized the other day that I've started wearing a lot of Old Navy lately, mostly because it's what I can afford, and also because there's nothing stopping me now. What would've been the point of shopping at the Navy or Target while I was working at the Brand? My work clothes were Brand clothes and it made perfect sense to me at the time. (Thanks mostly to a 40% discount and a misplaced loyalty.) I pulled out all my sweaters and Fall clothes the other day and I was almost embarrassed for myself. Who was this girl who had all this money (or didn't actually have but borrowed from her friend Visa and therein lies the issue) to buy all these gorgeous sweaters? The majority of them are from the Brand and as I refolded them all and put them in the hanging-sweater-thing I got flashes of my old life. Of waking up and pulling on say, this chunky blue turtleneck, and walking Montego as fast as possible before hopping into my car and driving the five minutes to the office where I'd grab Liv and we'd get coffee or eggs or a just a bagel and juice. Of sitting outside under the leaves, drinking coffee and eating peppermint patties with Sara as we bitched about this or that. Each sweater represents a different season, a different time. A very different life. But now they're just sweaters of a girl who got them all because she worked there and who now wears Old Navy jeans almost every day and wears her heavily-discounted-bought-at-Loehmann's Donna Karan sweater with bargain shopper pride. She's starting to learn how to keep Visa tucked away in the leather pocket of her found-at-TJMaxx Ralph Lauren wallet and to only buy what she needs, not everything that she wants. Well, except for that Dixie Chicks CD.
The notify wants to live in Tarjay.
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