Yes, it’s another full-moon weekend.

It’s not that I shop a lot, nor that the full moon brings out the animal shopper in me.  My job is so busy and so stressful that I can’t shop at all during the week, and on most weekends, I’m too exhausted to go out.  But there are things that I need – well, like wine, for instance.

For whatever reason, my shopping trips just manage to coincide with the full moon more often than not.

Our weather has grown fall-chilly, and I only have two weights of jackets – rainy summer and freeze-your-ass-off winter.  Time to get a fall-weight coat, so off I went.

But first, I needed a haircut.  When I was working just four days a week, I could go to the salon on my day off, but now everything has to be squeezed into those two weekend days.  The cut at least was quick – although, despite the fact I told the stylist to just wet my hair down, she shampooed it.  Hey, I’m not paying for shampooing!  Oops, she said, just habit, we won’t charge you for it.

Now it was coat-shopping time.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate clothes shopping of any kind?  Nothing ever fits, nothing is ever in my price range, and I really hate dealing with other shoppers.  I could be home playing videogames instead, and if I were retired, I could do that and probably wouldn’t need a coat in the first place.

But such is life.  Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

As I was traveling up the Boulevard heading towards Kohls, I passed Sears – and suddenly, I remembered they occasionally have stuff I like and can afford.  The Coat Department used to be on the first floor, but when I got there I was told by a store employee that the coats are all upstairs now.  It was a pretty good Coat Department, too, and I found a car coat almost immediately – a nice thigh-length weather-resistant tan, lined in fleece, and perfect for rainy fall days.  And marked down to 45% of its original ticket price!

But  now I had to find a checkout.  On the entire second floor, there was only one checkout open – and it was in the Tool Department!  I waited in line behind all those men buying thingamajigs and widgets, only to discover that the Tool Department cashier did not have the ability to take that sensor tag off the coat.  I had to go downstairs for that.  Fortunately, the checkout in the downstairs clothing area was not busy – but I did complain to the cashier about the lack of open checkouts upstairs and that they would likely lose customers because of it.  The cashier whispered that it’s been a problem for that store – the upstairs employees simply don’t man their posts like they should.  Alrighty then – it’s a management problem, not mine.  I got my coat, and was on my way.

I still wanted to go to Kohls, and the Wegmans next door to it, so headed further up the Boulevard.  But then I passed the Burlington Coat Factory.  Suddenly, I remembered having very good luck at Burlington several years ago when looking for a winter coat, and the turnoff was right there!  How could I resist?

Burlington does have a very good selection of outerwear, and it didn’t take very long to find a second fall-weight coat that was in my price range.  This one was a thigh-length black, but not weather resistant; however, it was soooo comfy.  I figured I could take both coats home, make a decision as to which one I liked better, and return one.  I could even ask hubby which one he liked best, and then decide to keep the other one (’cause he’s almost always wrong).

It was Saturday afternoon.  The weather was quite nice.  Burlington was very busy, with both American and Canadian shoppers.  The checkout lanes were packed.  And these were not the same types of shoppers you would find at, say, Nordstrom or Macy’s, or even for that matter, Target.  Even Walmart might have been a little high-brow for some of the folks in line with me.  Fortunately, except for the screaming babies, everyone seemed pretty mellow and patient this particular day.

Finally got to the register and swiped my credit card.

Well, guess what – in its infinite wisdom, my bank had opted to go to chip cards, and I had managed to find myself at the one register that didn’t have a chip card reader.  The young checkout girl told me she would have to take me to a different register, and she picked one at the far end of the counter.  Not really a problem, except that the young couple with baby at that particular register were buying something like two years’ worth of clothes for the baby, the baby was fussing, and their Canadian credit card had just been rejected.  There was the usual conversation between husband/wife (boyfriend/girlfriend?  I have no idea), about trying to use a different credit card, but wait – we just maxed that one out at [store down the street].  I actually felt kind of sorry for them – they seemed like a very nice young couple, and they were doing their best to juggle fussy baby and maxed-out credit cards without losing their cool.

While they were going through purses and pockets, my checkout girl ran my purchase through, and said, “You’re all set.  Have a nice day.”  Well, ok, but don’t you think you should give me the coat I just bought and which was left on the counter by the first register?  Oops, yeah.

I never did get to Kohls and Wegmans.  By the time I left Burlington, I was worn out.  A quick top at the Tops near my house, and I was home just after dark.

BTW, hubby had no  opinion about either coat, so I’m keeping both.

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Images by Cordelia’s Mom