Us capataleeest peeeegs!.... Shopping.

[gratedenini]

I was frightened today. Went to The Metro Centre with me girls.One of Europes biggest shopping centres. It was chokka block which I wasn`t too comfortable with to start with..anyway..they wanted some sports stuff, so went to one of these now common-place shops --y`know a huge caper..full to the brim of all manner of stuff.

People bumpin into me,mostly all dressed up in their "sunday best" y`know..I was picking this and that up and telling the kids(26 and 24) how expensive it was.... "NO DAD--IT ISN`T...NOW LET US GET ON WITH IT"

What struck me was-- things are supposed to be tight? People were spending money like nobodys business.

TBH-- some of the stuff looked reasonably priced--but what freaked me was a couple with a bairn.. younger than my Little Wing.... there was walls of footwear (that frightened me to start with!)... I was sat there.

Anyway... the assistant "recovered" a shoe for them to view..it was about 15feet up on one of these racks--y`know how these shops are eh...

The shoe in question was aout 3 inches in length (75mm)..maybe a bit more.

A little slip on trainer type..... WAS £50 ---- NOW £25.. they bought the f**kers!!!

I looked round, slightly in a daze..and everywhere--people were buying all this stuff..spending a bomb.

Honestly--it cut me to the quick. £25 for a a bit of fabric for a 2yr old.

I font give a shit...even when i`ve had brass--I would still find that obscene.

But--people are doing it. I class myself in the majority.

I looked at those shoes as £2 at my fav shop... AG Concern and The Barn Ados.

Am I wrong?

And it continued in every shop. People are spending money--nothing in that Metro Centre (huge)..nothing is necessary--every single thing in there is just about a luxury.

I`ve gone into a different world admittedly..but-- it just seems wrong.

Me Mam just wanted a Gas Fire......

den

[rabid]

I hate that place with a passion, I could probably count on both hands - maybe one - the number of times I've been there. Eldon Square is bad enough. What gets me is people will travel to these places from miles away to look round the EXACT same shops with the EXACT same stock for A DAY OUT!

The size of that place, you could have a beautiful big park there.

[dakyras]

People, on average, still have the same amount of money that they ever had, and things still (bar the recent VAT hike) cost the same. Recession shmecession.

More to the point, people are still as stupid as they've ever been.

[rexclark]

Although I agree that commercialsm as a whole is wrong, If people have the cash and want to spend it on their kids then surely they should be allowed to, even if it is on a fashion label they'll grow out of in a month. It's their money, they've earned it and should be able to spend it whatever way they want.

It's a tough one, you want to buy the best for your children but don't want to spoil them. I suppose a good parent (if they can afford it) will get their children the best but teach them the worth of it as well. I guess I'll find out whenever I have children.

[ampersand]

we've been out of a recession for almost a year now. yet people keep saying that we're in it. retards!

[gratedenini]

Although I agree that commercialsm as a whole is wrong, If people have the cash and want to spend it on their kids then surely they should be allowed to, even if it is on a fashion label they'll grow out of in a month. It's their money, they've earned it and should be able to spend it whatever way they want.

It's a tough one, you want to buy the best for your children but don't want to spoil them. I suppose a good parent (if they can afford it) will get their children the best but teach them the worth of it as well. I guess I'll find out whenever I have children.

[lost]

Noticed the same thing over christmas, attempted to do my christmas shopping at Meadowhall, completely struggled to find parking then gave up after 30 minutes due to the sheer number of people. On the way home called in for a bog standard toby carvery, £9 a head and had to queue 30 minutes for a table.

I think with HMV looking dodgy and companies like Zavvi and Woolies that went under it wasn't completely the recesion just people like me that switched to the internet for shopping because we are sick of the out of town shopping experience.

[rabid]

I was frightened today. Went to The Metro Centre with me girls.One of Europes biggest shopping centres. It was chokka block which I wasn`t too comfortable with to start with..anyway..

[sifi]

HMV are in trouble because their core business has seen a drop year on year of sales for a decade. I'd say Woolies went under because their business model was totally usurped by supermarkets.

And I don't think shopping is limited to capitalism, Den.

But £50 is a lot of money for children's shoes. If I had children, I wouldn't pay £50 for their shoes. I don't tend to pay £50 for my own shoes. Apart from my boots of real Corinthian leather.

[gratedenini]

Forgot to mention when we came round after Christmas, the queue for the Metro slip road was all the way back past Teams.

[rabid]

But yer still came!

[worm]

FFS go play footie in the park, ride a bike or take a walk on the beach. The memories are free and they last longer.

[rabid]

Hippy!

If it wasn't for the global metropolis you wouldn't have your cars, your music systems, your computers, your medicines or your mobile phones.

[feral chile]

HMV are in trouble because their core business has seen a drop year on year of sales for a decade. I'd say Woolies went under because their business model was totally usurped by supermarkets.

And I don't think shopping is limited to capitalism, Den.

But £50 is a lot of money for children's shoes. If I had children, I wouldn't pay £50 for their shoes. I don't tend to pay £50 for my own shoes. Apart from my boots of real Corinthian leather.

[sifi]

How much are kids shoes in Clarks these days then?

[feral chile]

How much are kids shoes in Clarks these days then?

[Purple Monkey]

Kids' shoes are more expensive because they have to take a huge amount of wear and tear, and because they need to fit properly so as not to ctush the soft bones as they grow.

[rabid]

Kids' shoes are more expensive because they have to take a huge amount of wear and tear, and because they need to fit properly so as not to ctush the soft bones as they grow.

[feral chile]

They only have to last a few months though.

My 13 year old is a size 12 and we don't have much trouble getting him decent shoes without spending a fortune.

[feral chile]

They only have to last a few months though.

[rabid]

Come on then, don't keep me in suspense! Where from??? And can you get them online?

[feral chile]

He's just been up to Asda today to get some new school shoes.

[rabid]

How does he not break them????

my son's quite good - he doesn't play football or do anything boisterous in them, but his shoes still fall apart.

[gratedenini]

King Larmer started prpoper school last september..ther he was..1st day..smart as a carrot in his uniform. Tears in yer eyes when yer taking pics etc. Our lass told me how much her legs were lashed for jumpers and coats and bags and polo shirts and PE kit--all having to have the logo on of course.

I dont know exactly how long it took...but it wasn`t long... the top of his new shoes had the bike brake scrape..he came home with someone elses old bobbly jumper on..his PE shoes didnt fit....

Anybody with bairns will know what I`m taking about.

The "cost" of kids is immense.

Even at his last nursery..there was a uniform to buy--and of course,,yer cant have yer bairn looking different to all the rest--so you buy the jumpers etc.

In Krautistan.. they dont do uniforms..which I was shocked at. My aforementioned Adidas Three Stripe syndrome hadn`t kicked in there yet I thought. Was quite strange seeing schoolkids going in wearing civvies.

I do agree with uniform though personally.

I rememeber when ATS kicked in.. my eldest (26 now) would come home and want ATS.. "cos everybody else has got em".

I took her to the shop and showed her the ATS (which was £39.99 at the time) and reasoned with her.. "Laura--if you really want those..then fair enough,get em..but,look..for the same money--you can get this pair of fancy trainers, and a new swimsuit and goggles..and have enough for a Maccy Dees on the way home!"

We left her alone for a bit--and to this day--i recall the pride i had in her when she chose the latter option.

And she is like that now. As are all my other kids. They go for value and what they want over running with the crowd--as I have always done.

I deliberately didnt like Queen--cos most of the f**king class were talking about them!

The ATS of my day would be The Chopper Bike... everybody wanted a chopper. They were £36--this will have been about `69 /`70.

There was a school trip to Belgium coming up--furthest I`d been was on The No7 bus into town!

Mam was saving up like blazes so I could go--but even then I knew she couldn`t afford it and she told me. I said its ok Mam--doesn`t matter (I was f**king gutted actually,but kept face for me Mams sake).

So instead--she said I could have a Chopper!!!

WOW--I remember in celebration getting Our Jims B&W porno mag out of his tin and sanding me wood!

We went into town and the bike shop. I can smell that smell now.. the bike /scaletrix/airfix model/subbuteo shop smell!

The bloke got one out of the window..an orange one. I was beaming. They were in such demand that you had to order them..and me Mam did.

But all the while---I knew she couldn`t really afford it. We walked to the bus stop and she bought me a toffee apple from the market.

It was then I told her... "Mam, I dont want that Chopper..its ok Mam.Its too much money"

She looked at me knowingly and cuddled me (which of course I was mortified at!!).

I ended up with a Dawes racing bike--cost £5 second hand...and I loved that bike. Had it for years and years.

Choppers were great--but they weren`t fast..and you would never win any races on them..and they had their day and went out of fashion.

Maybe thats where I goy my aversion to ATS from perhaps?

Coffee time....

den

[feral chile]

King Larmer started prpoper school last september..ther he was..1st day..smart as a carrot in his uniform. Tears in yer eyes when yer taking pics etc. Our lass told me how much her legs were lashed for jumpers and coats and bags and polo shirts and PE kit--all having to have the logo on of course.

I dont know exactly how long it took...but it wasn`t long... the top of his new shoes had the bike brake scrape..he came home with someone elses old bobbly jumper on..his PE shoes didnt fit....

Anybody with bairns will know what I`m taking about.

The "cost" of kids is immense.

Even at his last nursery..there was a uniform to buy--and of course,,yer cant have yer bairn looking different to all the rest--so you buy the jumpers etc.

In Krautistan.. they dont do uniforms..which I was shocked at. My aforementioned Adidas Three Stripe syndrome hadn`t kicked in there yet I thought. Was quite strange seeing schoolkids going in wearing civvies.

I do agree with uniform though personally.

I rememeber when ATS kicked in.. my eldest (26 now) would come home and want ATS.. "cos everybody else has got em".

I took her to the shop and showed her the ATS (which was £39.99 at the time) and reasoned with her.. "Laura--if you really want those..then fair enough,get em..but,look..for the same money--you can get this pair of fancy trainers, and a new swimsuit and goggles..and have enough for a Maccy Dees on the way home!"

We left her alone for a bit--and to this day--i recall the pride i had in her when she chose the latter option.

And she is like that now. As are all my other kids. They go for value and what they want over running with the crowd--as I have always done.

I deliberately didnt like Queen--cos most of the f**king class were talking about them!

The ATS of my day would be The Chopper Bike... everybody wanted a chopper. They were £36--this will have been about `69 /`70.

There was a school trip to Belgium coming up--furthest I`d been was on The No7 bus into town!

Mam was saving up like blazes so I could go--but even then I knew she couldn`t afford it and she told me. I said its ok Mam--doesn`t matter (I was f**king gutted actually,but kept face for me Mams sake).

So instead--she said I could have a Chopper!!!

WOW--I remember in celebration getting Our Jims B&W porno mag out of his tin and sanding me wood!

We went into town and the bike shop. I can smell that smell now.. the bike /scaletrix/airfix model/subbuteo shop smell!

The bloke got one out of the window..an orange one. I was beaming. They were in such demand that you had to order them..and me Mam did.

But all the while---I knew she couldn`t really afford it. We walked to the bus stop and she bought me a toffee apple from the market.

It was then I told her... "Mam, I dont want that Chopper..its ok Mam.Its too much money"

She looked at me knowingly and cuddled me (which of course I was mortified at!!).

I ended up with a Dawes racing bike--cost £5 second hand...and I loved that bike. Had it for years and years.

Choppers were great--but they weren`t fast..and you would never win any races on them..and they had their day and went out of fashion.

Maybe thats where I goy my aversion to ATS from perhaps?

Coffee time....

den

Edited January 16, 2011 by feral chile