Malling

One of my favourite past times is, ‘Malling’, which is my own creative word for shopping in Malls. Ok, I love it! As long as I can remember, I have loved shopping in large malls, with lots of stores and it had better have a good place for a cup of coffee. Some of the Malls that I have shopped in and I mean only some of them, include; ‘Mall Of America’ in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA, ‘Mall at Millenia’ in Orlando, Florida USA, ‘Florida Mall’ Orlando, Florida, USA, ‘Clearwater Mall’ Clearwater, Florida USA, ‘Countryside Mall’ Clearwater, Florida USA, ‘Toronto Eaton Centre’ Toronto, Ontario Canada – where I have also worked as a Security Officer many years ago prior to being a Police Officer in Toronto – ‘Vaughan Mills Mall’ Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, Malls in Nova Scotia, Malls in Miami, Malls in Mexico, Harrods Department store in London, England, Malls in Holland and Germany and many, many more. I have had some of the best coffee in these shopping Malls and enjoyed a few pints as well. Ok, since your’e asking, for me, the best that I have enjoyed, has got to be given to the Toronto Eaton Centre. Having worked there as well as a Security Officer, I know this Mall inside and out, back hallway patrols, stairwells, parking areas, exterior perimeters and for me, I give it a good first place and yes, I do have my loyalty there.

Funny thing about Malling, I think iv’e done more window watching and more sightseeing and coffee buying than actual shopping. I know what I want to buy and the actual chase is just as much fun. Many of my guy friends are not on the same page as me. They like to, ‘we came, we saw, we conquered’ and leave the Mall as quick as they can, or wait in their cars while their wife shops. Sorry, not me I don’t want to miss anything, like a nice, different cup of coffee somewhere. I don’t mind the crowds although some people do. My father-in-law does a lot of walking in the Malls for his daily exercise. One day he asked me to join him in the middle of the Mall watching people go buy. So that was an absolute ‘No’ as i’m really shopping first, looking for the challenge of a good item, on sale for a good price. I definately put more miles on my Mall walking shopping, than he does for exercise.

What I do not like about most Malls are; public bathrooms and anyone there taking surveys. Not really for me, either of them.

I’m totally amazed at some of the larger Malls, the money that they spend on decorating for the different annual events like Christmas, the four seasons and different holidays. Some of the larger Malls, like ‘Mall of America’ have a huge playground for families with children in the centre of the Mall and in the winter time, this can be just what ‘the Doctor ordered’.

So very rarely does my wife get to leave the house and go Malling without me. Yes, sometimes I get her bags to take to the car while she continues shopping but that usually cost her a-cup-coffee. Her and I are two different shoppers, we get to the Mall, making sure that I try to park by a ‘Bass Pro Shops’ a ‘Timmy’s’, ‘Starbucks’ or a ‘Watch’ store’, hug and a kiss and she goes one way and I go the other. After a while, we phone each other, meet for lunch and then off we go again. Face it people, we don’t usually shop for the same things and you know when she asks if you like her red shoe or the blue one and you say red, she’s picking the blue anyway so better to go back to ‘Bass Pro’.

So a good day Malling is always cool with me.