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eggwardsSo I decided this afternoon to take the Texas tax-free weekend challenge. The challenge is having to deal with larger than normal crowds at malls and stores with crazed back-to-school shoppers. Your reward is that Texas decides not to add the 8.25% sales tax to your purchases (unless it's an item over $100, or some other arbitrary reason that legislators have come up with.
I decided to go over to Willow Bend, which is less than 5 miles from the homestead, and is filled with high-end stores, but very little practical places. Sure, the Apple store is there, but so is Swarovsky Crystal, Mont Blanc Pensand Lucky Brand Jeans and such. There's Macy's and Dillards, plus Sak's 5th Ave. and Neiman-Marcus. Not a JC Penny in sight. Needless to say, it's a style-consious (read Plano-Pretentious) mall.
The Thomas Kincade gallery has left. Not enough trash shopping there, I guess.
That also made it much less crowded than say Stonebriar Center, or the Galleria, or the ghetto-fabulous Valley View.
My main purpose was to go and get some shirts for work, and if possible, more khakis. There's only one place I can shop in the mall, and that's Dillard's Big and Tall shop. so i waled around the mall and then went to shop in the little nook where all the big guys have to go. At least they had a good selection of polo shirts on clearance. This so appeals to my cheap side.
So I placed my purchases in the car, and decided to do some more mall walking, and to possibly negate any good I could have possible done by getting a pretzel. As I walk through the mall I notice that the kids play area was more full than usual. what's funny is that the playground features a giant-sized breakfast of steak and eggs, coffee, toast, a grapefruit and a large bottle of tabasco sauce. I think there's a good sense of humor from the designers to have the kids look like ants crawling all over the food.
Still, there was a reason for all of the kids. There was a television crew there to audition families for Supernanny! At least the producers tried to keep the auditioners corralled up.
So I go over to Aunt Annie's Pretzeltorium and there's a friggin' line there for mid-mall snacking. I thought about giving up, and saving the calories, but then I saw the hot bear manager. He looked like he was having quite a day, and his cashier was pretty damn dumb. He gave me a look while I was in line, and once I finally got up there, he took my order, and gave my my carbo-loaded pretzel with a wink.
I went off to the mall's dead zone, you know, the one with the film developer and the Select comfort store, and ate my bread-tastic find, then I walked back and saw that he was not behind the counter. Then as I was walking back to the car, there he was, taking a break. Apparently things had be very crazy, and he had to stay late. Aaaaw! Still, he lives close, and I said that we should hang out some time. He said he's seen me around somewhere - probably at TBRU. Still cool. Good to make a friend. Oh, and he's single. (Now he'll get stalkers)
I hope this means I can get all the pretzels I want now!
I decided to go over to Willow Bend, which is less than 5 miles from the homestead, and is filled with high-end stores, but very little practical places. Sure, the Apple store is there, but so is Swarovsky Crystal, Mont Blanc Pensand Lucky Brand Jeans and such. There's Macy's and Dillards, plus Sak's 5th Ave. and Neiman-Marcus. Not a JC Penny in sight. Needless to say, it's a style-consious (read Plano-Pretentious) mall.
The Thomas Kincade gallery has left. Not enough trash shopping there, I guess.
That also made it much less crowded than say Stonebriar Center, or the Galleria, or the ghetto-fabulous Valley View.
My main purpose was to go and get some shirts for work, and if possible, more khakis. There's only one place I can shop in the mall, and that's Dillard's Big and Tall shop. so i waled around the mall and then went to shop in the little nook where all the big guys have to go. At least they had a good selection of polo shirts on clearance. This so appeals to my cheap side.
So I placed my purchases in the car, and decided to do some more mall walking, and to possibly negate any good I could have possible done by getting a pretzel. As I walk through the mall I notice that the kids play area was more full than usual. what's funny is that the playground features a giant-sized breakfast of steak and eggs, coffee, toast, a grapefruit and a large bottle of tabasco sauce. I think there's a good sense of humor from the designers to have the kids look like ants crawling all over the food.
Still, there was a reason for all of the kids. There was a television crew there to audition families for Supernanny! At least the producers tried to keep the auditioners corralled up.
So I go over to Aunt Annie's Pretzeltorium and there's a friggin' line there for mid-mall snacking. I thought about giving up, and saving the calories, but then I saw the hot bear manager. He looked like he was having quite a day, and his cashier was pretty damn dumb. He gave me a look while I was in line, and once I finally got up there, he took my order, and gave my my carbo-loaded pretzel with a wink.
I went off to the mall's dead zone, you know, the one with the film developer and the Select comfort store, and ate my bread-tastic find, then I walked back and saw that he was not behind the counter. Then as I was walking back to the car, there he was, taking a break. Apparently things had be very crazy, and he had to stay late. Aaaaw! Still, he lives close, and I said that we should hang out some time. He said he's seen me around somewhere - probably at TBRU. Still cool. Good to make a friend. Oh, and he's single. (Now he'll get stalkers)
I hope this means I can get all the pretzels I want now!
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-05 11:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-08 12:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-06 12:21 am (UTC)I totally missed your birthday a few days back. I hope you had a good one
no subject
Date: 2006-08-08 12:10 pm (UTC)Mall Pretzels are best when their composed of mostly butter (or margarine as it probably is). Mmmm.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-06 01:35 am (UTC)Dillard's and Macy*s are not too expensive, really. Glad you found some bargains! Now I see how Texas gets away without an income tax, which is too bad - because sales taxes tend to be so regressive. :-(
no subject
Date: 2006-08-08 12:13 pm (UTC)No, Dillards and Macy's aren't bad, it's just that those are the lower end stores in this "haute couture" mall. It's banking on the fact that Plano has money, but really, the more balanced malls - those with JC Penny's or Sears, are drawing more customers - probably because there's an Old Navy in them.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-06 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-06 04:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-06 12:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-07 12:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-08 12:15 pm (UTC)