Jay wanted a new coat. He found one at the beginning of the season that he really liked and was a perfect color. The only thing wrong was they didn't have his size. He left the store after checking all the other options and decided to wait on the purchase. I happened to be with him that time.
He went back to the store several times to see if they received more inventory of that particular coat but they never did. He says he looked around for something else but never found anything. Now, you need to consider the method Jay uses to shop. He goes into the department, glances at the racks, moves toward one that might catch his interest. He moves a few hangers forward, and then he leaves. He doesn't spend a lot of time and he doesn't always look at everything that might be there. He is usually anxious to get on his way if he doesn't see anything at first glance.
In other words, he doesn't know how to shop. Yesterday, we went out together to try to find him a new coat. We stopped at one store, looked at one area and then another. He tried one on but it was a miss. He didn't really like any others so we left and went to another store. Again, we checked what they had and didn't find anything. Before we left, I veered us off to another section of the store and checked a few more. No go. No coat.
After stopping for lunch, he considered going to Burlington Coat Factory. He was undecided since it was farther away. "Yes, let's go," I said. "It's a holiday and we have all day." I could tell by the way he was scrutinizing me that he was considering it and he finally said, "Okay."
We arrived and they had an entire men's section on one side of the store. We made our way through racks of shirts, and jeans, and suits and didn't really see the outer wear we were looking for. Maybe it was too late in the season. It's hard to believe a Coat store wouldn't have any coats, but Jay was giving up. I could tell when I suggested a sports coat. He was shaking his head even as he turned toward the exit. He was almost completely out of the store when I was able to scurry fast enough to catch him. "I was going to ask the clerks if there were any other coats." I was pointing at the two clerks five steps away. He turned and headed toward them and asked. They pointed to the stairs leading to a second floor. They were hiding all the outer wear up there.
Again, we go through Jay's ritual. He gravitated toward one rack, pushed a couple of hangers forward and actually pulled one to try on. I pointed to a mirror. He looked himself over and took off the jacket. He moved to another rack and repeated. I could tell it wasn't going well and he was ready to leave. I, instead, moved toward another rack and another. He surprisingly did the same and pulled one out he seemed to like. But, drat again, it wasn't in his size and his interest was waning fast. I scooted a few hangers and found the coat in the right size. "Here, try this one."
Jay put it on and walked over to the mirror. He liked it! Jay liked it! He stretched out one arm and said, "But the sleeves are too long." I reached over and flipped the sleeve cuff over. "I can fix that," I said. Jay nodded, "Okay, then. This is nice," and we made our way to the check out counter.
I've already clipped the sleeve lining at the cuff and measured the new length. I'll have it stitched up tonight and ready to wear by tomorrow. He wouldn't have found the coat if I hadn't been there. He tried to escape several times but I persisted. And what exactly did he end up with? Calvin Klein regularly priced $495.95 wool coat with fiberfill lining for $69.95.
I know how to shop.
TT
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