well, my vacation has finally come to an end. it’s sort of sad, but saying goodbye to the steady diet of bread and cheese (not a lot of vegetarian options in piscataquis county) and lifetime network was an absolute necessity. so i finally dock my bloated ass back in portland, and i’m unpacking all of my various jazz… and this pig rolls out. well, this plastic replica of an antique hog shaped pin cushion, and its accompanying receipt for $8.99.
um… what? was i on pills or something?
nope. no pills, no demon possessions, no being held at gunpoint… no, something far more sinister was at work here: RETAIL AWKWARDNESS.
on the long ride home from greenville, we made multiple stops at antique malls, thrift stores, and junk shops, all of which turned out to be a bust. we must have done the 2 minute tour of disappointment at least 7 or 8 times, slipping out the side doors while other customers distracted the shopkeepers from our lack of buying. in and out like some sort of dirty double entendre that i’m too tired to make right now. but somewhere near abbot (maine’s #1 town- at least alphabetically), we stopped into a tiny little antique shop and everything changed.
despite what it declared on the exterior signage, it was really more or a junk shop than anything. a combination of crappy reproductions, aging craft projects, and other dusty sub-garage sale knickknacks. about 30 seconds indicated that it was time to leave, but one unfortunate feature of this store was a large rascal-bound elderly proprietor sitting right next to the front door. oh, and no other customers. at one point i heard a door slam and thought that i might be saved by the distraction of other incoming suckers, but it was only the equally elderly husband of the proprietor, coming in to hover in another part of the shop. there was no escape!
maybe it’s just me, but sometimes when i’m in a kind of depressing store that i can tell isn’t weathering the economy very well, i am overcome with horrible guilt for not buying anything. even when the merchandise is utter (often utterly overpriced) garbage, i still somehow find myself looking harder, digging deeper into bins, trying to find anything that might be worthy bringing home. when the sad eyed shopkeeper is there to stare me down (on a rascal, by the front door no less!), i am powerless. it’s almost like i’m paying a price of the trinket to escape the awkward sadness.
when i saw the pig pincushion sitting on the shelf, i saw my ticket to get out of that store sans bad feelings. am i the only crazy person who does this? furthermore, is anyone out there in the market for a pig pincushion?
broke 207 
I fall victim to this often. Old people really make it worse. Keep the pig!
old people TOTALLY make it worse. glad to know i’m not alone. although we do need to be careful when we’re shopping together.
OMG you poor thing. Alas I suffer not from this ailment. Wish I could give you advice. What the heck are you going to do with a pig pin cushion???
there are so so many failing businesses up here. ghost town flea markets, junk shops where elderly folks beg you with their eyes to buy something… i think sometimes i have too much empathy! i really need to be more careful about where i shop. *shame*
Am I the only one who thinks the pig pincushion is totally sweet?
i just have no use for it. and it was $9! when did i turn into such a sucker?
Im a total sucker too. Maybe next time pretend you have a phone call, throw your cell phone up to your ear and run for the door!
This is why I don’t go to yard sales- people stare while I look at their junk and I feel like I need to buy something so I don’t leave doing the walk of shame.
i does seem like a walk of shame- which in and of itself is shameful. maybe we need a support group. like the next time i’m the only person at a really bad garage sale and i’m about to spend $3 on used potholders or something, i can call my sponsor and they’ll talk me off the ledge?
You have no idea how much crap I have bought for that very reason. I want to be strong and walk out the door but it never happens. On the bright side you only spent $9.
we need some sort of infographic to show why people buy things. i wonder what percentage would be guilt purchases? maybe i only spent $9, but i wonder how much we wast collectively as a universe on retail awkwardness?