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Helpless in Target

March 29th, 2010

Target is one of my very favorite stores here in East Texas. It is one of the best stores to buy clothes and to register for wedding and baby showers. But as I walked through the store to the electronic department I was in a hurry.

I am pretty clueless when it comes to understanding electronics. And I was in need to buy my husband a HD cable. I had no idea what that was. I knew that it was a cable that you stuck into your television. I walked over to the “help” desk and waited for a employee to come to the desk. Two employees walked by the desk and when they saw me, they tried to not make eye contact. Usually I would of just searched the store until I actually found someone that was willing to do their job, but for the sake of this articles, I waited for someone to actually try to help me. Finally a young boy came up to the desk and I asked him to help me. He looked around for someone else to do his job. His lack of excitement to be at work was completely off putting, and to be blunt, annoying.

I asked him where I can find HD cables. He pointed in a general direction and told me they were “over there”. So, at this point I was extremely frustrated with the young kid. I told him that I really had no idea what I was looking for or what kind of cable I should use. He looked at me like I was retarded and told me he was going to get someone to help me. It would take more time to find someone to come over and show me, than to just show me himself. He grabbed his walkie-talkie and asked for some woman to come over to electronics. I asked him if he worked in this department. Apparently you can work in the electronics department but with manly video games and televisions. He grabbed the phone and called an outgoing line right in front of me. I was beyond annoyed by the rudeness of the employee. A woman came up to me and ask what I needed help. I told her that I just needed to be shown where the HD cables were at and which one I should use. She walked me over to the next aisle. About twenty feet. Really? He could not walk me over twenty feet? I grabbed the cable that I needed and left the store disappointed and frustrated. If you don’t know what you are looking for when it comes to the electronic selection, do not go to Target.

Avoiding Salesmen

January 10th, 2010

In most cities, the mall is a one stop store for every need and many times, even if you want to catch a movie. But this is another way Tyler differs from most cities. Tyler’s small mall is without many things, for an example a toy store. Yes, they may have stores with toys, and even have the new addition of “Build-A-Bear”, but what about the old toy stores that I got so excited about as a child?

But this is the least of annoying things about the Broadway Square Mall. I can not stand walking through the mall and getting stopped by salesmen; or getting yelled at across half of the mall. “No eye contact, No eye contact” I keep telling myself. This idea that, maybe, if I act like I don’t see them then they will leave me alone, it’s a nice idea but it never really works. I think it is so funny how they give you such a guilt trip that you don’t use their product. But my personal favorite is when they are selling hair straightener and they ask you if you ever used one and your hair is so straight.

Walking through the mall gets frustrating having to dive into stores to avoid the salesmen. They sale everything, from hair products, gifts, jewelry, clothes, hair removal products, and even massages, and much more.

The mall is starting to redesign the interior of the building. They try to make the shopping experience more comfortable by putting comfortable chairs and couches in the middle of the mall. This is great for the husbands of the serious shoppers in Tyler. Another great thing about the new improvements is the new bathrooms. You use to walk down a long dirty hallway to find an old dirty bathroom with one folding changing table nailed to the wall. Now they have cleaned it up and even added a family bathroom with small toilets for your potty-training toddler.

The mall in Tyler has most of the normal stores such as Old Navy, JC Penny’s, Sears, Dillard’s. Many of my favorite stores are in the Broadway Square Mall, such as Icings, Old Navy, Children’s Place and many more. I do like many of the stores in the mall, both times that I found out that I was pregnant my first stop was the store Motherhood. I love their designer maternity clothes and their styles that show off that baby bump. My very favorite thing to shop for is clothes for little girls! Even though I’ve said a lot of negative about the Tyler mall they still do have great stores for my shopping needs. Children’s Place is a great place to find new and stylish children’s clothes. They have clothes for all types of weather and occasions according to the season of the year. The mall has many other stores that carry children clothes, but Children’s Place is dedicated to children with cheaper prices than other stores.

When I was a child and my family did not know where to eat, we would go to the mall’s food court. We would have the exciting options of Chinese food, Italian, fast food and much more. Now the food court has been limited to a couple restaurants. They still have the Chick-fil-a restaurant tucked away in the back of the mall. For some reason I can not enjoy the large crowds in the small restaurant. As you walk through the mall your mouth will begin to water from the sweet smell of the famous Pretzel Time.

When walking through the mall be warned to walk quickly passed the small stands with loud salesmen and women. Theywill  try to sell you over-priced cell phone covers and tell you that your upper lip needs waxing, so you will try their product. These sales guys may also tell you that you need their hand cream to make sure your children do not get all the sicknesses that you carry. As you are leaving do not forget to stop by the guy’s stand that sales over-sized shirts with pictures of Obama and Michael Jackson. You may also want to pick up the strange skull jewelry for your every piercing need at the gothic fashion store Hot Topic.

A new development in the mall is not about a store or a restaurant, but the security. You can’t help but think of the famous Paul Blart, as the security guard rolls by you. Nothing says intimidation like a segway. I guess they felt like they could stop more fights that way or that they could get from the cookie store to the Dip and Dots stand quicker. Whatever the reason, I don’t know about you, but I feel safer. Especially when I have to maneuver my two child stroller out of the way before getting run over.

So as you shop avoiding is the key. Avoid the crowds, the sales men, and avoid being run over by the man on wheels enjoying his power trip.

Cafe Tazza

January 8th, 2010

Caffe Tazza

Walking into Café Tazza was like entering the conflicted mind of a middle aged east Texan woman who feels her true home is somewhere on the border of Texas and Italy. But for all the nauseating cuteness and Spanish pastel it was undeniably a comfortable place to be. 

Fresh flowers sat on every table while live Spanish guitarists serenaded the customers, literally serenaded, as awkward as that sounds for the person involved it was worth it in the entertainment the fellow café goers enjoyed while watching the slightly overweight but unmistakably suave guitarist enter the personal bubble of an individual trying desperately not to divert eye contact from his book.

In the other corner of the store there were tiny half cubicles which housed a modest gallery of local art. The artist, a fiftyish year old woman talked to the perusers as they strolled through the door and into the coffee line.

There is something to be said about the Cafés coffee, it’s expensive but high quality. Now it is personal preference whether a cup of coffee is worth seven dollars to you but this price range does seem to keep one demographic of income prevalent in the consumer base. So expect a lot of golf talk and shoulder sweaters if you know what I mean. However, if you are able to stomach the egocentric lemmings that are the Tyler elite than it’s a nice place to spend your time but if not than you could always move to the patio.

Sunday mornings at Café Taza are another bonus not usual in coffee shops because for one glorious morning they become one of the best restaurants to have ever put food in my mouth. Their breakfast items are one hundred percent delicious but unfortunately just as expensive as the coffee. I would recommend Cafe Taza in Tyler primarily for its free Wi-Fi and free entertainment but if you do come across the means for a little luxury than it’s certainly not a bad idea.
Caffe Tazza in Tyler TX
Caffe Tazza Coffee Shop