very simple

I love when the New York Times thinks it’s discovered a new trend or phenomenon.

This time, it’s the overwhelming tidiness of The Container Store and the obsessions that it can provoke, coinciding with the opening of a new store at 58th and Lex.

Nevermind that these same “phenomena” have existing at least as long as the other container store has been open (you know, the one downtown?). Or, um, since the advent of Hold Everything, which was a bit more upscale (and which my mother was somewhat obsessed with), and is now being run over by its cheaper competitors (as in, the competitors have been around long enough to drive another store out of business)?

As for the author’s fascination with Go Shop, the “scan the bar codes and let someone else deal with the heavy lifting” service? I was using it a year ago when I was making daily trips to the downtown store for packing supplies.

And this made me laugh:

At 6:30 a pleasant-sounding man called to tell me that not all of my items were in stock. Would I like to wait two weeks until my entire order could be completed? Despite an extra charge for a second delivery, I told him to send my order that evening.

This woman’s entire job is to write about shopping and trends for the “most important” newspaper in the country! She’s not smart enough to get free delivery when they can’t complete her order as promised? I actually had this problem once when I used GoShop, and the store didn’t even suggest that I pay a second delivery fee. Heh. I guess she’s such a sucker that they could read it over the phone.

My absolutely favorite part, though?

The name of the column is “critical shopper“.

Tags: bitching, current events, shopping