It takes more than 1.5kg of chicken and various other perishable goods in a carrier bag, an audibly overtired baby in a three-wheeler, and two, shall we say, spirited girls begging to go on a merry-go-round in the shopping centre, to stop me loitering near a 30% off sign. Especially when the sign is in a boutique that sells some great Danish brands like Sand and Bruuns Bazaar. I succumbed – of course I did – to a fabulous black dress which will now join the rail of other fabulous dresses I’m accumulating for the life I aspire to and not the life I lead. This wasn’t though the highlight of the trip.
No, the best bit was when a woman mistook me for a salesperson and asked me if she could try on an outfit. Fifteen years ago I might have been insulted but today I was chuffed. (No offence to anyone who does work in a shop by the way, but back when I was 21, I had aspirations about changing the world and working in retail didn’t quite match up to this personal ideal.)
Today I was mistaken for a well-groomed adult who earns their living interacting with other adults with decent taste in clothes. For someone who currently goes nowhere without three children as well as a stroller, a nappy bag and plastic carrier bags (not always containing chicken, I must point out) in tow, this truly was a compliment.