Hit and Run Retail

I guess I'm a rarity these days. I prefer shopping in a store to ordering online. Yesterday, I ventured out to JC Penny at Ridgedale Mall to shop for a couple of birthday gifts. In-store shopping has been open about a week. I was masked as were all of the employees and most of the customers; they had carts (something new) which were wiped down prior to use and I was able to be more than 6 feet from other customers.

The two employees I dealt with had been with Penny's for decades. I inquired about the company's bankruptcy. The Ridgedale store is not on the list to be closed (for now). I hope Penny's survives. As a child and younger adult, I shopped with my folks at either Penny's, Sears or Montgomery Wards; the latter two are gone. Sears was one of the anchors of Ridgedale Mall, there's an immense empty space now where they were located lending to a general feeling of decline.

I simply don't want to purchase items like clothing or shoes online! I want to see the merchandise in person, feel the material, know the item's the right size for me before I buy. I don't want to mess with the back and forth of returning an item. As I've lost 40 lbs since 11-2019, I m really uncertain as to fit. 

Plus, recently I ordered two face masks online only to discover the site was a big, fat scam. After waiting more than six weeks, I went back online only to discover there were more than 400 people who fell for the scam. There's a Facebook page for folks who had been scammed,  but the company no longer exists. There's no digital imprint. It was hit and run retail!