Saturday errands can be a fascinating rollercoaster ride if you keep your sense of humor close at hand. First stop was the drycleaning establishment that promises one-day service. They advertise that service in very large letters on their windows. What they don't advertise is the service is only available Monday through Friday.
So, in a fog, it is off to the next errand. The mind is wandering over the choices in my closet that might work as alternatives for the party tonight. Also I miss a couple of turns while thinking about helping them to paint M-F on their windows.
Next stop is across town to pick up some refurbished shoes and new straps for my favorite handbag. As I entered the shop, the customer who was being helped had a long litany of questions, and seemed oblivious to the crowd that was forming in the place. The owners also were answering the phone, taking quick questions from other customers and trying to get answers for the "customer-with-never-ending questions."
Eventually, when my turn came, the shoes were nowhere to be found and the new straps were hideous. I asked for my old straps that I had left as a sample, but they were gone. As for the shoes, they did surface, just seconds before I pulled away from the curb.
Nerves jangling, and the mind in a fog again - this time about where I might get better straps - there were just a few food items I needed to pick up.
Now, I could just go to the one-stop, get-it-all supermarket, or take the time to stop at A&J Meats, which now also contains Wild Salmon Seafood Market, and then get the rest at Ken's Market. Which to do, which to do, and then the mind wandered back to my days in Rome.
Provisioning the apartment could take up to three hours every two or three days, but what a pleasure. Being on foot, inevitably I would meet a friend or two, and share the day's gossip. Slip into a bar (that is, a coffeehouse here) and have a dolce and cappuccino (in Italy and France a latte is milk, whether it is double tall, short or whatever), or, if not seeing friends, having the pleasure of true customer service. Merchants look you in the eye and serve only you during the transaction. The cashier in the corner is handling all the phone calls.
Lost in my memories, I nearly drove home, but with a few U-turns I found my way to A&J Meats and Wild Salmon Seafood. Greeted with hearty salutations from both the owners, I felt at home.
Stories were shared about Croatia, Italy, family, friends and recipes. And the same level of great service happened at Ken's Market. What would I have done with the time saved by one-stop shopping? Well, I'm not sure it would have been as interesting or amusing.
Madeleine Wilde is a freelance writer living in Seattle. Write her at rtjameson@nwlink.com.[[In-content Ad]]
