Sydney Shop Girl

Wall Calendars and Eerily Quiet Shopping Centres.

Do you remember a time when wall calendars at all price points from free to feeling spendy roamed the world  in large herds?  The weekend editions of newspapers could usually be counted on to have a perfectly serviceable calendar tucked away somewhere between the lift out supplements.  Then you had to start paying a few dollars for them at the counter where you purchase your paper (no free ride for home delivery customers, you still had to go in store to get yours) and I don’t think I’ve seen newspaper calendars even advertised this year.
The discount retailers and Aldi often usually would have their $10 versions out by now too.  Often featuring safe  themes like cupcakes, wonders of the world, beaches or puppies – they were perfect for hanging on the wall at work.  When times get particularly tough at the coal face, who hasn’t been at least briefly uplifted by a glance at a beach they’d rather be lazing on right then or a cupcake they’d rather be eating. 
Up until yesterday, my calendar search was proving to be frustrating.  The average calendar seems to cost around $30 these days.  $20 gets you one with very wordy ‘picture’ pages to look at above each month.  Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Then I went for a swim at my favourite  local council pool yesterday and look what was at the front desk?  For free?  My first wall calendar for 2017.  It is about road safety and it does have very word picture pages but it’s full of practical advice and the month pages are very clearly organized.  Preschooler SSG claimed it for himself last night and we’ve started putting stickers and notes onto the January page for him to note events like friends’ birthdays and the start of swimming and so on.

The Australia Post shop ended up being the surprise provider of my calendars for work and the study at home.  These were $10 each and were also printed and produced in Australia.  The paper is thick, the photos glossy and ‘full page’ sized on the picture pages while the month pages have both heaps of space for writing things in and the dates printed boldly.  All in all, they are my kind of wall calendar.They were also selling fast and there were only about five left on the rack when I was there yesterday.

Because the shopping centre was so eerily quiet and calm this close to Christmas and it being school holidays, I took advantage of the favourable conditions and ticked a few more things off my list.

I succumbed to the swoosh and bought this Nike skipping rope.  Actually, it’s a Nike Speed Rope…  Whatever.  Anyway, I love the colour and I have promised myself to not shorten the rope length until I’ve at least skipped with it as is a couple of times…  I just see the words ‘adjustable’, remember how my jeans are almost always too long for me and just feel compelled to shorten anything that can be shortened.  That’s how I lost my last new skipping rope.  I cut it too short and  kept tripping during each set.

The stores were probably all so quiet because there wasn’t much Christmas merchandise left to be bought.  Big W and KMart both had their festive merchandise down to one short aisle yesterday with only food and gift wrap left on the shelves.  I was too late for a Christmas table cloth so made do with plain read.  Santa hats and reindeer ears for those who which to accessorize for Christmas lunch?  Had to go to the $2 shop next door for my selection.  I wonder which one Preschooler SSG will want to wear?

What’s the level of chaos and pandemonium at your local shops like right now?

Have you got your wall calendars for 2017 yet?  Or are you waiting for the $30 one to go half price on Boxing Day?

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