[herbie]

Best Buy was FUCKED.
Like how stupid are you to buy Future Shop and then open a Best Buy in the next mall and compete with yourself?
Stupid American capitalist blockheads. I've spent thousands every year at Future Shops since they opened in the 80s. Maybe $100 in Best Buy. Even told the sales guy something was on for $5 less at BestBuy and Future Shop beat the price.
As for Sears, hell I'm so old I remember when everyone called them Pimps & Queers...

[Thanos]

Strutz Strutz:

Thanos Thanos:

It was usually instant migraine headache for me if I got too near that particular section of the store. I've used lacquer thinner through an airbrush more times than I can count, without even using a respirator mask, and it doesn't come anywhere near as bad at making me sick as venturing too close to the perfume area can.

I used to work in a manufacturing shop where paint and lacquer thinner were always in use and only seemingly noticable to the occasional visitor. Didn't bother me at all.

But the "perfume, lotions and potions dept"? Bleh. Gag.

Exposure to airborn poisons and atomized solvents is a strange thing. Some are fun, others not so much.

[Zipperfish]

Thanos Thanos:

Strutz Strutz:

Thanos Thanos:

It was usually instant migraine headache for me if I got too near that particular section of the store. I've used lacquer thinner through an airbrush more times than I can count, without even using a respirator mask, and it doesn't come anywhere near as bad at making me sick as venturing too close to the perfume area can.

I used to work in a manufacturing shop where paint and lacquer thinner were always in use and only seemingly noticable to the occasional visitor. Didn't bother me at all.

But the "perfume, lotions and potions dept"? Bleh. Gag.

Exposure to airborn poisons and atomized solvents is a strange thing. Some are fun, others not so much.

All those years dealing wiht toxic chemicals appears to have done my sense of smell in. I can't honestly say I miss it that much. Certainly when others fart, I appreciate being blissfully unaware. ON the other hand when I let one rip, I have no idea what impact it's going to have until the tsunami hits those around me.

[sandorski]

XMas shopping at the Mall I go to was a nightmare this past year. Zellers closed up shop in November, for a start. So come XMas shopping time I grab my list and head to the Mall.

First stop, buy a CD from an artist that is not very well known. I stop in at BMG music. They have like 1 aisle of CD's in a store with 10-12 aisles. Ok, head to Futureshop, they have 1 aisle for CD's and half of that is completely empty. Last chance, London Drugs. They have their usual decent selection with lots of stock, but not the CD I wanted, so instead of a particular CD I end up buying 3 CD's of other artists I think the person might like.

Next thing on list, Barbie stuff. No problem, I'll go to Sears. Check out first floor, nothing. Head upstairs, umm, where are the toys? So I decide to look for some other things on my list while there. I grab some stuff, head to the Cashier and me and the guy start chatting about stuff(lady in front of me was taking forever with coupons and stuff, so he was all apologetic and what not). So I mention to him about not finding Toys and he gets this look on his face like I just mentioned something that's been bothering him. He tells me that the previous Spring Head Office decides that there were no longer going to be Toy sections for XMas. Later on in the year when Zellers announces its' shutting down, the local Sears Store Manager begins pleading with HO that they should take advantage of that and give his Store some Toys to sell. HO decides to comply, but, and I shit you not, they send a stock of exactly 7 different Toys. These toys were displayed on 3 different aisle tables and all well stocked, but were so completely random and obscure that it was the most pathetic selection I had ever seen. They did have 1 Barbie item, but it was for some diary or something, not even a Doll.

Once again, London Drugs had the best selection in the whole Mall. I buy a lot of stuff at London Drugs and anyone who has one nearby knows that it's a decent store, but in a large Mall I would never expect it to be where to go for CD's and Toys. So that's where I ended up spending most of my $XMas.

/weak, yet long Rant

[Yogi]

Strutz Strutz:

saturn_656 saturn_656:

But there will always be three or four women out front selling perfume right next to each other.

Yeah, no kidding! Same thing at The Bay. The only place you can always find employees if you can stand the cloud of scents overhanging the area. Problem is they can't help you with anything outside of their department.

The Sears here has one entrance from the mall... with the perfume dept right at that entrance. I'm sensitive to that shit and can't stand having to walk by it so I will usually exit the mall and enter via an outside door.

I thought that I was the only one who was that badly affected by cheap fragrances of any kind. Always placed by the only entry point into the store. If I really have to go in there I stop. Plan my route thru, take a deep breath & go like hell!
All it takes is one short whiff of any of that garbage and within minutes my throat starts to get raw and close up, my eyes water and my head begins pounding.Depending on the fragrance, it can last from several hours to all day long!