Of Outlet Shopping

I'm not one of "those girls."

You know the type. The word "shopping" can drive them to paroxyms of glee, frightening any Y chromosome unlucky enough to be in the vicinity. Even though this is a stereotypical "girl" trait, there are actually plenty of girls who don't particularly care about shopping. Take me, for example. Sure, I enjoy a nice walk and window shopping as much as the next conflicted Type A who's had too much of life in the fast lane and needs a load off for a bit. But when I shop, I think I'm usually pretty utilitarian about it. If I don't want anything in particular, I can amble, but if I'm looking for something I look for it, find it and buy it (or don't find it), and leave. Shiny displays and such never really catch my eye.

But I hosted a friend this week who's a real shopper. That's fine; I'm a 3L (third-year law student) so doing work doesn't really matter to me. So I had a weekend to kill. Day One involved walking over to Michigan Avenue to browse the fun expensive stores (in fairness, there are a few reasonable ones). I didn't buy anything but I had a lot of fun. Day Two was the big shopping day. We hopped into my car and made the trek down to the Lighthouse Outlet Mall in Michigan City, IN. They have over 100 outlet stores. Again, keep in mind, I'm not a big shopper. I don't tend to buy things when I'm not planning to. On the way up, my friend asked if I was looking for anything in particular. Not really, I told her. She smiled. "That means you're probably going to find something. That's always how it happens."

Turns out, my friend was right.

She picked almost all of the stores we went into, but I'm the one who ended up buying something at nearly every single one. I couldn't help it. The deals were incredible! And the clothes were so cute. The highlight of the day came, I think, at the end. I was purchasing an armful of shirts and dresses. The sales clerk held up one of the dresses I was buying. "This is sooo cute," she breathed, "and the best part is, they have this exact same dress, same brand and everything, at Carson's for fifty dollars." I had just paid $12 for it.

I've never been a shopper. But as I sit in class wearing my new Rue 21 t-shirt/cami combo (six dollars) and my new Guess miniskirt (twenty-one dollars), I wonder if maybe I should change that.

Um. After I pay off my credit card.