If the Onion hadn't gone miserly on us and relegated all issues and articles more than 4 weeks old to the Onion Premium, I'd link to an article titled Hipster Overexplains Why He Was at the Mall or something to that effect. Yes, so I spent two out of the last three days in a mall, and, like most normal and properly socialized human beings, I hated it. Tromping from store to store to store where everything is perpetually on sale--on concrete floors no less--is not a fun way to spend an afternoon. But I noticed a couple things that I thought deserved notation on the document of culture and stupid stuff that is Help! Bats! Everywhere!

Couples
Everywhere. Older couples, younger couples, new parents, thirteen-year-olds who told their parents they were with friends at the mall and not each other at the mall, all holding hands and walking too slowly in front of me. What left me feeling a little oily (and it wasn't the fluorescent lights or the "relaxing mist" some vendor sprayed on me by accident) was more than a few sets of people I saw modeling for each other, then buying the garment if it was met with approval. In a fitting room next to mine a woman was saying, "it's a size too small . . ." and her beau was saying, "no, it's perfect. I like it. It's good." And she bought it.

Part of the reason we like someone and choose a person is that they have a personal style we're attracted to. We're also supposed to like someone because they're a bit different, because they're choosing their clothes themselves. This is what turns us on. Remember?

Youth employment:
Two young women working at a fitting room where I was the only customer were having a conversation. From inside my room I overheard the manager snap, "if you gossiped when you were doing your homework maybe your teacher could give you shit to go home on a report card." It's just one layer of the problem when a massive retailer can take advantage of its employees as a matter of policy, still knowing they're not going to be around for long.

Cheap goods:
I'm not paying $200 for a sweater made in China. I'm not paying $65 for a blouse made in China. For what it actually costs and for what the worker earned (whether by a pittance hourly rate or by piece), it's just not worth it. Among all the mall-bound women's clothing stores I didn't find one piece made in Canada or the U.S.**

Because megaretailers like the Gap turn over every six weeks or so it's putting increased pressure on other retailers to stock more and more cheap, quick-made, mass-produced merchandise just to keep up. And I don't think the workers are getting a raise. More overseas factories are operating that employ more people who aren't in the position to demand fair wages.***

Purchase Power:
Back when I first learned about sweatshop labour it was pointed out to me that it's not good enough just to say, "I won't support Nike." Your conscience feels better, sure, but you've made very little difference. A letter to the offending company here. A protest there. Support retailers whose stock is made using fair employment practice and let them know why. The mall is a world where the dollar is the only proof; use your purchase power wisely.


Notes on the above:
*young people just doing their job: They're still annoying; but that's just because they're young and their voices haven't totally mellowed out yet.

**made in Canada or the U.S.Le Château doesn't count. It's for twits in high school and it all falls apart after two weeks.

***fair wages: I've also learned the extreme controversy of the children's book market. Many of these kids' picture books are also made in Southeast Asia, where richer dyes are used, causing greater environmental damage in countries where regulations on these are lax at best. They're also made by children. Next time you buy a new reader a copy of The Cat in the Hat make sure it wasn't hand-stitched by a kid the same age.