Mall Madness

I learned four important things from my very long mall trip on New Year's Eve. The first was "start early." I was up by 7:30 and out the door by 9:30. It wasn't a very attractive day. In fact, it was pouring when I headed to the Collingswood PATCO, and has continued to pour on and off for the entire day. I arrived at the train station dripping wet.

The second was "bring the bike unless you absolutely can't. You won't be up for walking home after spending three hours walking around a mall." Despite the rain, yes, I did ride the bike to the PATCO, and yes, I am glad I did. Got me home a lot quicker in the lousy weather.

The train and the buses were all on time, despite the weather. I heard Bob Kelly on WOGL mention this morning that the PATCO was delayed 10 minutes this morning due to track repairs, but they must have cleared that up by quarter of 10. I was going to walk down to the Haddonfield Bike Shop when I arrived there, but the rain was coming down so hard, I just sat in the train/bus terminal and read a book until the bus to Deptford appeared.

The third was "only cross the street if absolutely, totally necessary." I just stuck to the large Target and the Deptford Mall this time. Getting to Target had been my main objective, since I hadn't made it there at New Year's. I did very well, once I found my way around. They'd added a more extensive grocery section, with a small area for meat, produce, and dairy items, since last fall, and that whole side of the store had been completely rearranged. I ended up with trash bags, two bags of Target-brand dried cranberries (cheaper than Craisins), a bottle of lemon extract, and The First Easter Rabbit, the only Rankin-Bass Easter special I didn't have.

Had lunch at the Pizza Hut across from Target in the same parking lot area. I haven't eaten at a Pizza Hut since I lived in Wildwood (where it was one of the few restaurants opened year-round on the island). I love their lunch buffet. Pizza, pasta, salad, and those divine cinnamon breadsticks. What more could anyone want for in a meal?

Hiked over to the Deptford Mall after lunch. The rain had let up while I was in Target. It was spitting as I made my way down the highway...and just started pouring again as I ran the last yard or so across the parking lot to the Deptford Mall's main entrance.

It wasn't nearly as busy at the mall as it was on New Year's Eve. They still had those cute fuzzy mechanical animal rides and the train on the lower level, and I saw children greeting the Easter Bunny as I headed past his area. Still, I didn't hit anything like the lines I saw in December...which was the fourth thing I learned. "Try to hit the mall at off-hours...and not during holidays."

I arrived at the mall around 1PM...and was done shopping by quarter of 3. I picked up a cute Lil' Kinz Black and White Cheeky Dog from American Greetings for $6.99 from a sale basket. JC Penney had some great sales, too. I got a St. John Bay yellow t-shirt for $9.99, a pack of (much-needed) socks for $7.99, a work-out t-shirt for $8.99, a pair of sandals for $30, and a red turtleneck on clearance for $3.17. The girl who helped me find the sandals in JC Penney, Dawn, was really sweet and a great help. She found everything I needed, including a second pair when I decided I didn't like the backs on the first one.

Made my best find at Sears. I was browsing their Lands End section when I found the perfect spring jacket for me. It was lightweight, waterproof, and it had a hood! It would figure, though, that the only extra-large they had left was also the only one that had lost its tag. The salesgirl here was really nice, too, and handled it quite well. Lands End was having a 20% off sale, so I got the jacket for $39.60.

Good thing I did buy the jacket. The heavy rain had returned as I hopped on the bus back to Deptford. Thankfully, it slowed down after I arrived in Collingswood, but it still wasn't a day to linger around. I made a very quick stop at WaWa for milk, then hurried home.

I got incredibly lucky. It showered on the way home, but it wasn't as heavy as that morning, and I wasn't nearly as wet. However, thunder rumbled even as I pulled up at the apartment, and five minutes after I stepped in the door, the shower had stepped up to monsoon levels.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the night inside, watching The First Easter Rabbit, crocheting, and baking a Cranberry-Spice Cake. It's continued to do the on-and-off rain and thunder. I'm glad I got to the mall...but even I have my limits.