Carolyn is starting to have a bit of trouble getting around in stores these days. It's becoming more and more difficult for her to get up and down the aisles as her condition worsens unless I'm there to balance and guide her. To make things even worse, there are some stores that make it hard for two people to walk side by side and still allow enough room for someone going in the other direction to pass.
Seems like these places mistakenly figure most folks actually enjoy dodging merchandise piled in the middle of the aisles. I'm sure they do it to stop, or at least slow down, people traveling through in hopes just one more unneeded item will wind up in the cart. That would normally be OK, but it seems the guys who do this the most also have the least regard for the roundness of the wheels on the carts and the wheels ability to properly caster. A shorter way of saying this is "This stinkin' cart won't roll and it won't turn. Go get me some dynamite, I'll fix this sucker." Dodging the piles in the aisles gets to be a real chore, especially when you're trying to shove a stuck-wheel cart with one hand and keep the love of your life upright with the other.
I'm sure this is a minor gripe if you happen to call a country like, for instance, Afghanistan home, but I'm an American and the wheels on MY shopping cart should function normally. We have started to avoid stores that engage in this tactic and in fact, it's becoming apparent that I must do most of the shopping required to keep the house running on my own. Carolyn misses making trips to the store with me but we have an unlikely savior - the Avon Lady!
Several months ago, as I was writing the check to her hair stylist, Carolyn picked up one of several Avon booklets that were stacked on the counter. Over the course of the following days she browsed through it and picked out a couple of things she wanted to buy. She called the phone number that was stamped on the cover of the booklet and the next week Marlene showed up at our door with Carolyn's new treasures. Their relationship has blossomed over the last few weeks. Carolyn and Marlene will sit for a half hour or more looking at girl stuff and discussing its merits. At least I think that's what they're doing, but it doesn't really matter; they're doing whatever it is that girls do to decide what to buy. The next week the process begins anew.
There are certain things I could never pick out for Carolyn, guys just don't have a clue. But, Marlene has all the answers. The transactions that occur between them could probably be done online but the personal touch Carolyn enjoys so much would be missing.
I don't see how Marlene can possibly be making a living selling the stuff but she performs a unique and valuable service to a person like Carolyn who is no longer able to slug it out with the owners of balky shopping carts and crowded aisles. If our government can support ACORN for years and years there should be some way to make sure people like Marlene flourish.
I've never said this to anyone before, but I love the Avon Lady!
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