retail details

And I first extend my welcome to Sparx (or Sparxafire or whatever she'd prefer to be called - she's my mother, Susan Parker, at any rate). Given her participation in this blog, it seems we'll have to change the name. If anyone has any suggestions, do comment and drop them off here...otherwise, I'm liable to choose a moniker even worse than "thegrantlander." Shudder.

As for the health of our retail institutions this holiday season, I'm afraid I have to muddy the waters further and say that the bookseller I work for is raking it in hand over fist. Today, we actually ran out of singles because we were doing so many cash transactions. Couple that with the fact that they're hiring shiftless drifters like me well into the December doldrums and it adds up to evidence (albeit anecdotal) that the economy is not quite in the shambles of which we are constantly convinced. On the other hand, maybe it just means that despite our evaporating wealth, we're continuing to spend like Michael Jackson at FAO Schwartz.

And the cherry on top is that the store I work at that's doing so well is located at the area's scrabblous mall. That seems to be the coded question in America that thin-slices your class: what mall do you shop at? Here, the upscale shopping center is Short Hills mall: Jimmy Choo, Burberry, professional singers caroling in Dickensian regalia, etc. But if you spend much time at the mall where both of my jobs are located, chances are you rode the bus there (and, hence, carry the fragrance of body odor aloft with you) and that you're strapped or at least have your blade on if you're prowling around the food court after sundown. So, a robust retail season just means roving gangs have more cars to break into this time o'year. Tis the season!