The shopping experience from the days of old is barely recognizable in today's culture. From department stores to gas stations, customer service has either completely disappeared or has a drastically new face. Some may remember leisurely evenings out to simply do some window shopping. The window display told a story as it enticed you into the store. The quality of the mannequins, the colors, lights and sounds would put the passerby into a state of awe and they would find themselves coveting the toy, shoes or clothes that were being portrayed as a must have.

Do you remember when shopping for shoes, the salesperson would sit you down, measure out your foot and actually slip the shoes onto your foot? This counter display from collectors weekly says it all. It is carved and painted wood depicting the quality of mannequins from the 1920's and 30's. How about driving up to a filling station and the attendant would run up to your car window to take your order for fuel? He would swiftly get the gas to pumping into your vehicle and then run around to make sure your windows were cleaned, correct air was in your tires and if you wanted, he would check your oil and water levels. Whew, those are days long gone right along with those prices.

Some items are a little more challenging to buy online than others. Clothing, for example, is something that seems to be sized quite differently from one brand to the other. It is important to get the right size the first time so we seek to find correct sizing charts for each of the items we love. Some of us know the brand well enough that we are confident about our proper size and just continue to be a repeat customer. It helps to be loyal to the brand when the service is professional and courteous. Customer service is as important as ever and because many of us shop online now, we expect to get answers to our inquiry within a reasonable amount of time. We like to think we can get our returns and/or exchanges handled with professionalism and according to the stated terms/conditions.

Although I enjoy window shopping, I find that I do it less now than I did in the old days. With the rush of life, cell phones, packed schedules, crowded streets, gas prices . . . I could go on . . . it just seems more convenient to shop online. Do you still head out to the mall or outlet stores to spend a day shopping? Let us know, we would love to hear from you. HWC