Saturday, April 04, 2009

Corrupting the young, bankrupting the old

I stopped by the local soccer store to pick a few items for the start of the outdoor season. While I was in the process of trying on half the available pairs of studs in the store, a family consisting of a mother, grandmother and daughter sat down thing next to me and started doing the same thing for the daughter.

The young daughter focused on to what I assume was the most expensive pair of female cleats. The grandmother, being fiscally responsible, pointed out that she could get by with a pair that was much, much less. Then she made a mistake by bringing yours truly into the conversation:

Grandmother: Honey, you don’t need those, they are too flashy, see…look at him (points to my feet) they are simple, black and effective.
Me: You probably don’t want to use me as a reference point.
Mother: Oh?
Me: I'm not going to get these. I’ve already decided that I am buying that pair of shoes (points to the pair sitting next to me) just because they are flashy and they grab attention. The flashier they are, the better, when it comes to soccer shoes.
Daughter: See Mom!!!
Me: I probably shouldn’t say that I am buying them even though I don’t need them.
Grandmother: I think you’ve said quite enough.