off by one for 2005 April 7 (entry 0)

Thu Apr 07 13:22:46 lake michigan / k-mart at lincoln and mccormick:

I won't miss the old Kmart that used to be at Lincoln and McCormick in Chicago (right by Lincolnwood). It was, bar none, the worst retail experience I have ever had -- in fact, it's probably 3 of the top 5 worst retail experiences I've ever had. I hated that store, but yet I always gave in to the potential convenience of it's location and went there when I needed something "really quick." Except nothing there ever happened really quick... nothing except me getting furious, that is.

Once when alh and I were there (shortly after they opened the BigK Grocery part of the Kmart) we were picking up some groceries because it was close, or we needed something else, I can't remember. Anyway, while we were walking up and down the warehouse-like aisles we passed the cooler and there was a kid standing in front of several opened cartons of eggs. Many had their tops smashed in and he was dipping his fingers in the eggs and licking them.

Then there was the time I was looking at picture frames and there, next to the shadowboxes, was a loaded baby diaper all taped up and left on the shelf.

I could never figure out the layout of the store, which was exacerbated by the fact that they always had the aisles full of pallets of merchandise. I think it was supposed to be tempting but it was only annoying. The merchandise on the shelves was another story -- no organization, stuff on the floors, cats and dogs living together... seriously, it was so bad.

To top it off, the lines were always super long and the help always seemed like it was their first day, which honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Basically the store was a total disaster. They should have made tons of money -- the location was perfect... but whoever managed the store didn't do a very good job. And then Kmart filed for bankruptcy.

I hated it, yet I always seemed to give in... "this time, it will be fine," I'd tell myself. "I'll just get in and out real quick." Never again. Not only will I be living 2000 miles away, but now there's a Home Depot there instead.

I will miss Lake Michigan. It's no Lake Superior, don't get me wrong. But it's pretty cool. I know that the Pacific Ocean is vastly larger and the cradle of life and blah blah, but the great lakes are pretty... great. I have lots of great memories of running and walking and hanging out down by the lake. I used to dislike (as being too oceany) but now have even really have grown to love the blue-green color of the water. I prefer the stark blue clarity of Lake Superior (of course), but the horizontality of Michigan always reminded me of home. (Except that at home the lake is always north... here it's always east.)

I like using the slang "glass of Michigan" instead of water; it makes me feel cool. (It doesn't take much.)

I also like the "third coast" idiom -- that there's the East and West Coasts, but then we're on the Third Coast... kind of like the Second^H^H^H^H Third City thing. Actually, I guess those "ranking the cities" thing is kind of like an overgrown small-town Rhubarb Capital Of The World kind of thing, but if you take it more in an endearing sense and less as a posturing thing it's nicer. Anyway.

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