Temptations

New York City seems recession-proof. Macy's NYC has hardly anything on sale, unlike the other Macy's in Chicago and in Washington DC. And the NYC staff are so high and mighty about us tourists. Elsewhere, I've got sales associates coming up to ask me if I needed help with my shopping, over in NYC, they simply pretend you do not exist. I guess this is the beauty of it all - big city, big crowds, no attention.

I picked up about 3 items in Macy's yesterday and as I walked, I junked one, put back another and left a Timberland shirt on the CK counter. I then made my way down to the household department for some shopping.

Martha Stewart has a grand collection in turquoise (whoever knows and can describe the colour better than me, please correct me; I'm only good at colours of chemical ions). The prices turn me turqoise. I also found the kitchen rasp that many a cook on Asian Food Channel (e.g. Anna Orson, Robert Rainford) use but the rasps are the wrong size and the wrong price. Should have picked up the rasps when I first went grocery shopping with my "brother" in New Jersey.

And if you think about the lack of discounts - DC Macy's extended their additional 25% discount to me in the men's department, allowing me to buy $28 shirts at 50% plus 50% plus additional 25% off. I only paid $5.25 for each shirt. Furthermore, if you visit the US and shop, here's some info: State tax for Chicago is 10.25%, Washington DC is 5.25% and New York is 8.375%. That means, after your spoils are tallied up, the tax is slapped on the total. Before you know it...

I was saying, I would have cleaned out Macy's DC if I had bought a larger luggage bag by then. Trust me, I would have filled it up with lots of shopping items. Alas, I didn't have a bag yet and lugging another full bag isn't something that my shoulders might be able to take, I suppose.

I digress but my main point was that I left Macy's NYC empty handed. It is a first in US shopping history that I left a clothing store without a single item!

Earlier in the day, I was at Century 21 - New York's best kept secret - at WTC. It was like going to shopping mecca for another pilgrimage. I was early; I arrived at 9.15 am and the temperature was showing a nice 77 F. This is the earliest I have set off for the entire trip, actually.

There was a very thin crowd in C21 initially and so I thought I'll find a luggage bag before I did my clothing shopping. When I got my bag about an hour later - man, choosing a luggage bag is such a bitch - I went up to men's and was rudely welcomed by a thronging crowd of men in varying levels of dressedness, women pushing men around to get their hands on men's clothes and children running around. OMG.

It was a mad mad world out there and I began picking up what I wanted. I tried to get a cashier to hold my luggage while I shopped but he refused, saying that he had no space. This was not what happened the last time I visited. Oh well. What the *beep*.

I started browsing and if one looks hard enough, like in Chicago, one can find pretty good items at incredible prices. I typically don't like shopping unless it is for grocery but if I don't put in the effort to shop here, then I absolutely can't find anything in Singapore that does not cost an arm and a-leg-and-a-half. So I patiently trudged through the store, combing it many times...

Hey! I found a USD11.99 Tommy Hilfiger chinois slacks in Navy. It costs nearly USD70 more if not on sale. How can one not grab it, even if there is no fitting room? I pulled the waist around my neck and there is some slack. I think it'll fit. USD11.99 won't be enough to pay for the cloth even!

I piled on more men's underwear and then made the fundamental mistake of a male shopper. I did not buy a few items I liked because I thought Macy's had them on sale. And Macy's didn't. At least not when I was there.

So, I sit here wondering if I should make another trip down to C21 to pick them up, since it's only 9 am now and my check out is not till 3 hours later. A trip to C21 will at most take an hour and a half, assuming I instil military discipline on myself. Oh, forget it. I should just sit here and chill. I don't even know if I would wear them pyjamas pants if I bought them.

Another item that was really exciting to have is the single shot expresso machine. It's going at US90 at Macy's but then a new problem cropped up. You see, the US has a 2 pieces of luggage rule. Each piece can weigh up to 50 lb (or 23 kg)and I have two pieces. The expresso machine does not weigh much but it certainly is bulky. It is not likely to make it into my bag, and I do not want to risk paying USD125 for excess baggage. People will suggest that I unpack the entire machine... yeah right. It's a one piece thingy that is spring loaded and all. The last thing I want is to bring back something damaged.

Shopping here is fun and there are temptations galore. Many Americans probably do not know how good their lives have been. Yet, there are times when regardless of the temptations, a rational shopper will never be tempted. And I for once managed to be that rational shopper.