A Holiday Visit To The Mall

Last night, my friend PJM and I made our annual holiday trip to the mall.  Actually, this was only our second yearly trip there - last year's trip marked the first time that we hung out together.  So this was a special trip - the first anniversary of our official friendship.  I had met PJM a few times prior to our first mall trip when she visited our church with her parents (who are members), but that visit to the mall got the ball rolling on a fun-filled relationship.

We expected to have a fun-filled night of eating and shopping, but last night's trip was not all fun and frivolity; it was marred by two ugly incidents: we were accosted by foreign mall employees.  Our purses weren't stolen, and thank heavens our virtue is still intact (as intact as it could be for a couple of 41 year olds, lol) but we were accosted nonetheless.

The incidents took place out in the open walkways of the mall; not in a dark, secluded area.  The first (and most heinous) incident took place at a kiosk selling skin products.  A foreign woman grabbed my hand as we walked by and attempted to convince me that I needed to spend $12.99 for a nail buffing block.  I quickly told her that #1, I bought an identical one this past weekend at Walgreens for $1.29, and #2, if she didn't let go of my hand, I would call 911.  Realizing she wouldn't be able to sell me the nail buffer, she then tried to sell me some faicial cleanser made with ingredients from the Dead Sea.  Riiiight.  The Dead Sea is called the Dead Sea because nothing can live in there because it's too salty.  Like I'm going want stuff from that on my face.  I then told her that I didn't need any of her products, because I had just ordered the Susan Lucci "Youthful Essence" microdermabrasion system. 

We hadn't walked 50 yards when the next incident happened.  This time, it was a forgeign man who did the accosting.  He didn't grab us, thank goodness, but he stepped out in front of us and blocked us from walking and attempted to sell us a wire kitchen whisk.  My friend PJM put her hand up and politely told him "We don't cook" and then we stepped around him and walked off. 

The more I thought about last night's accosting, the madder I got.  I'm guessing that this sales behavoir is common in the marketplace back in their Old Country, but they really need to know it's not acceptable here at Mall St. Matthews.  On break this morning, I called the mall and asked to speak to someone in the security department, and I gave him the sordid tale.  He took my name and number, and assured me that this type of behavoir would not be tolerated by mall employees.  I hung up from talking to him, and 10 minutes later, I got a call from the mall manager who apologized and assured me that this would not happen again.  He offered to send me a mall gift certificate, too.  Maybe I'll use it to get some Godiva chocolates.