Sarah Louise visits Burlington Coat Factory and experiences the circle of life

It was the most bizarre shopping trip I'd taken in awhile. (a while?) It was a Wednesday evening, which is MY evening. I get to choose. I wanted to go to Tuesday Morning, this amazing store I'd discovered on Monday.

I'd been to a Tuesday Morning in Virginia--I went with my friend PJ before the movie "Brokedown Palace." It's kind of a cross between Pier One, Marshall's and TJ Maxx, but not so much on the clothes. Read: cheap fun stuff, that you never see in regular stores. I had spied a set of 4 glass square canisters for 14 bucks on Monday and when I realized today that I had a little more in the bank than I'd anticipated, I decided to splurge. (It's rare that a librarian gets overtime pay--so rare that when she saw the extra $40 she had to ask the accounts payable clerk, who said, you worked overtime?) So I went in, today, only to discover that they close at 7pm! I mean, the library is open until 9--who closes at 7pm? Clearly, they do. So...I went to Kuhn's (which months ago was Shop and Save) to let them know they didn't give me the sale price for the bottle of Dove Shampoo I purchased Monday. Score, I got back 2 bucks and change! Sweet.

But I was not ready to go home. So, I thought, I could window shop at Burlington Coat Factory, a store where I can always find something to purchase. When I worked dahntahn (Downtown Pittsburgh), there was a BCF right next door. I still have some items I purchased there, over eight years ago. Well, at least one skirt.

As I cross over to the door, a couple is sitting outside, waiting for a ride, I think, since there's not a bus stop sign nearby. The man has a tiny Petco box that has airholes (it sort of looks like the boxes they used to use for Dunkin Donuts Munchkins) so I'm assuming they just purchased a small pet. I take a few more paces through the automatic doors and I am in Mother's Day Central. Spa sets, bath salts, hat boxes, hats, stationery, socks, books about mothers, books about daughters, books about friends...if it's pink and it says Mother's Day in black and white or by its mere existence, it is there. I try on some straw hats, as my sister's college graduation (woo hoo!!) will be outside, weather permitting. None really suits except for the black one, which seems an odd color for someone who's not wearing the robe and mortarboard hat.

I then wander into the household art section. Sculptures, candle holders, lamps...nothing really catches my eye. I spend a few minutes in the ladies department, but find nothing that really catches my eye there either. I am now into "Luxury Linens," one of BCF stores within the store. Towels, sheets, pillows. I find a green pillow with pink flowers, and add it to the socks I found earlier (3 for $6). I continue past all the shower curtains, toothbrush holders, soap dispensers.

I have crossed the threshold. I am now in "Baby Depot," and all around me are pacifiers (binkies), bottles, baby hats, diaper bags, baby furniture, toys...I wander through, not merely to torture myself, but with the thought in mind that I received two emails this week announcing births to two acquaintances. I didn't see anything that I could really imagine giving as a gift to either child or set of parents. Maybe it's the acquaintance thing.

Soon, I am in the men's department, which is flanked by the shoe department for men, women and children. Nothing there fit that caught my eye. (Read: many caught my eye, none fit.) (Alas...) Somewhere after the shoe department, I round the register area, with last minute Mother's Day impulse buys. I have come full circle from being a daughter, a friend, a tooth brush owner, a friend to babies, a shoe lover, and again, a daughter. (I guess in the men's department I was again a daughter and also a sister.) I made my purchases, including an impulse gag gift for the graduate (I'll reveal later...) and when I left the store, about 45 minutes after I'd entered, the same couple was still sitting outside the store, and I wondered who it was they were waiting for. I wondered, too, what was inside that munchkins box.

I drove home, listening to Thomas Friedman tell me about the flattening of the world, and up to my hot hot third floor walk up. Gag. I need more ice in my rum and Coke...

Reading: Julie and Romeo get lucky by Jeanne Ray (who also wrote Eat Cake, who is also mom to Ann Patchett, author of Bell Canto, which no, I still have not yet read. But I read Taft, and that *was* good.)

Must. read. book. (oh, and check laundry. That would make sense...)

Ta!