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The department store saga means that I’m going to miss shopping with this moose!
When the news of the Bay’s potential closure was finally announced, I wasn’t surprised at all. It reminded me of when I used to receive a failing grade on a test I didn’t study for. I totally deserved the defeat. And so did the Bay.
Liquidating after 350 years! Yes, the Bay is older than Canada; it started as a fur trading company in 1670 and was managed by King Charles II. I weep from the nostalgia and great disappointment for my country. The Bay was our place to shop, and I have the iconic striped blanket to prove it, and so do many Olympians.
My Google search about this sad situation is filled with everything that would answer a consumer’s first thought – why? Where did they go wrong? The Bay didn’t study for their test either. Can I blame the ease of online shopping? I can vouch for their poor customer service. The suits have other commercial reasons.
I’m the woman who spends every birthday, and any excuse I can muster, to walk, or shall I say skip joyfully around a department store, entranced by the glamour and glitz. The beauty of the garments on display. The allure of a new cream or mascara.
For years, being around a department store is my form of self-care and dare I say it, meditation time. Once I step onto those glossy marble floors, I am in heaven. I take a deep breath and hear the gentle perfect click of a compact. I inhale the perfume samples that have been sprayed and exhale with, “everything is going to be okay.” This is my Department Store Bathing.” The exact opposite of “Forest Bathing.” If you are not familiar with the latter, allow me to explain.
People immerse themselves in a forest and breathe in the fresh air, admire the trees and bushes and things. Then they may lie on the ground and cuddle in the grass, branches and lovely (if you would like to call them that) little furry creatures that crawl on our earth’s ground. And maybe they will make their way up to your face and say hello.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a walk in the fresh air, and nature can be breathtaking, but if I really want to relax, it’s retail therapy for me.
When the stress monster rears its ugly head, I escape to the click clack of heels on a crisp, department store floor. The fluorescent lights that shine like the sun on the gleaming counter displays and don’t forget about the wealth of information that comes from your trusted sales lady, that becomes your greatest mentor.
Department store life has intrigued me so much, I wrote a historical fiction novel titled The Most Amazing Department Store. Based on my paternal grandmother’s experience working at Simpsons in downtown Montreal – yes, another department store that closed. The story is set in the 1940s, where two women fight against sexism, their own ambitions and antisemitism. Yes, you can find a great pair of shoes at a department store, but there are so many other rich stories to be explored.
When I was in my late teens, I was having a particularly bad week. My head felt as heavy as a bowling ball. After word got around my family that I wasn’t doing too well, my aunt reached out to me and asked me to lunch. Graciously I accepted and off we went to Eaton’s in my neighbourhood shopping mall, where there was a fancy cafeteria on the second floor that was a few steps up from the traditional food court. I loved being with my aunt and afterward we went to the department store on the lower level where I bought something. I don’t remember what I ate, nor what I bought, but I do remember the joy I felt being with my aunt. While the afternoon escape didn’t cure my problem, I did feel just a little bit better.
Like me, I am sure you have had your share of fond memories of your time spent in a department store. Isn’t it devastating to know that one by one they are closing down?
A department store saga, indeed!