Closing Down Sale

So I popped into Borders to try and get some last minute Christmas presents, genuinely forgetting about the fact they were closing and having insane sales to get rid of their stock.

It felt so vulturelike...everyone was picking huge amounts of stuff off the shelves (which were virtually empty) and then dumping stuff at the cash registers that they didn't want. Seeing the shelves so bare (especially the sci fi section....*sniff*) actually made me quite emotional. I think a lot of it was to do with how much of a contrast the atmosphere felt compared to normal. Any other day it would be quiet and people would be carefully strolling around the store, picking things up, reading the back and maybe getting it or maybe putting it back. All very relaxed and peaceful. But this felt very much like one of the sales you get on Black Friday in the states where people push folk out of the way to get what they want.

The other (slightly more materialistic) part of me is also sad to see the Starbucks go. The main Starbucks in the shopping centre closed about a month ago and now the one in the Borders is going too. Although as I got chatting to the barristas it turns out they're planning on buying a whole unit for themselves and there's even talk of them opening the first drive through Starbucks in the UK.

You have no idea how happy this makes me.

Christmas Nice Thing Day 14: Tipped the girls behind the counter in Starbucks really well. They were doing a great job, particularly since they're probably not going to be there much longer. :(