Yesterday was no exception. Armed with my oversize Next bag (for my usual Saturday food shop)and looking pretty good even if I say so myself (LOL!), I traipsed to my local Accessorize shop to buy me a new purse.
To start from the beginning, the zip of my beautiful purse broke. So to avoid the embarassment of whipping my purse out only for all my coins to bullet spray the shop as I attempt to pay the newsagent for my weekend paper again, I thought I'd treat myself to a nice new one.
It is Spring afterall.
If you are familiar with Accessorize you'd know just how beautiful their collection of bags, jewellery, purses, wallets and all sorts of fripperies can be. Here is a few of their new range for purses for this season.
I walk into the shop. There are two plump and pretty sales women standing by the till. The purses are hanging on one of this stand alone displays all new and glittery and shiny. Drawn to their sparkliness and pinks and roses and reds, I immediately do my serious perusing.
Seconds after I am touching a velvety embossed cloth purse of the "oriental" design, I notice these same two sales women standing either side of me. I smile. They return my smile. I try to touch another sequined lovely. These women do not move.
I am hemmed in. They reek of sweet and tangy perfume. I could smell their flawless make-up.
Maybe it was the way they didn't even pretend to be stocking up or tidying that had my alarm bells ringing.
And this goes on until I find the purse of my dreams for a reasonable £7.00 (it's not on the Accessorize website - it's dripping in pink and white and red beads). I have to say "excuse me" to one of these lovely women to get past so I can pay for my purchase.
It's only after I am sipping my usual large Costa cappuccino that I realise that they must have thought I was a potential shoplifter. The big bag and the eager hungry look I had must have set their own alarm bells ringing towards a big red sign above me saying: "POTENTIAL SHOPLIFTER".
Which sort of makes me smile now. These women were just doing their jobs and must have had experience of some kind with people shoplifting. But as I look at myself I can't help but wonder what exactly it was about me that they thought I could be such a person?
Perhaps I shouldn't have worn the coat that the Cat had slept on.
