03 – Shopping

A hammer of sensory overload, sailing through the after Christmas sales in a mall. Excited families, affectionate couples, clusters of children, a sea of humanity. I feel disoriented at times, garish tinsel and a wash of sound threatening to capsize my calm. I consider my options carefully, and we eventually make our way to the exits.

Later at home, I look at Zappos.com (yes, I am buying shoes). No forces try to upset this juggernaut: in fact, here I am in my element, where I don’t have to traverse the length of a mall to compare shoe styles and weigh their relative qualities in a frustratingly unknown utility function. I wonder how much longer the big box retailers will go before being touched by these sites.