Drink and Shop

It was reported on the news that stores like Nordstrom’s Saks and Urban Outfitters are offering an ‘in-store bar’ for customers to drink while shopping. Is this a good idea? I know and you know bad purchases will be made when drunk. You’ll get the lady who buys a string bikini because she has ten drinks in her and thinks she’s lost fifty pounds. The next morning, looking in the mirror she realizes she made a bad purchase. Returns will be made. The reason on her return slip will read ‘under the influence.’

This may be one shopping trip a husband won’t mind his wife dragging him on. When you arrive at the store, you park your husband at the bar, kiss goodbye and go your merry way. Once he starts drinking he won’t know or care how many hours have past. The longer you shop, the happier he gets. He won’t remember you reaching in his pocket for his credit card because you maxed out yours. Shopping has become his favorite activity.

Men and women both may find shopping at the Whole Foods in North Texas a pleasant activity. This store is the first “commuter store,” which offers perks for business corridor-ers such as a taco bar, an upstairs lounge and a girl whose sole job is to buy your groceries while you drink and wait for traffic to thin.

How it works: you call or email them your shopping list before arriving and the girl does your shopping – free the first time and around $7 after that --- while you sit at the bar. You can even give specific guidelines such as, “I want green bananas.”

When she’s done, she’ll keep your groceries refrigerated. When you’re done with your beer check in at the concierge desk and collect your groceries. I want to know if she’s paid extra to carry your groceries to the car.

Hopefully, the girl is not like my husband who’ll look at the list and demand, “Bread? What do you mean by bread?” After I explain, “Bread, you know, the stuff you put meat between and make a sandwich with,” and all the other items on the list I thought self-explanatory, I need as stiff drink. This drinking and shopping may be the next best thing since sliced bread.