As much I despise Robson Street, malls and shopping downtown in general, there comes a time when you just need a little retail therapy. That, and the fact that for some reason 3 pairs of my jeans decided to get torn all within the span of a week, lead John and I out in what little sunshine kissed the city this afternoon.

Photo credit: blindphotography on Flickr

No matter how much we think we can stomach the throngs of tourists, Sunday walkers (every day of the week) and crowded sidewalks full of dilly-dalliers, we’re never strong enough to withstand Robson’s commercial splendor for more than about 30 minutes. The first stop was eBags, since getting my Macbook I still have not purchased a decent bag in which to carry it. I did get one super cheap but it’s just an over-the-shoulder style which has been causing bad posture and soreness for weeks. Of course the shoulder soreness also causes John pain since he became my masseuse Feb 25, 2006. eBags is located right next to the “House of Clogs” and across from Hon’s. They have some great deals and I found a cute little inconspicuous laptop bag for $19.99.

The next stop was jeans for me and a shirt for John. After a quick pitstop to sample the new orange mocha frappuccino at the corner of Starbucks and Starbucks, we headed toward my never-fail ultimate jean-getting store: The Bay.

Now you wouldn’t think that a department store, in a mall, in downtown Vancouver (or any location really) would have decent, inexpensive, non-hideous denim, but they do. I had great luck a few months ago when I purchased a pair of Buffalos for $20 so I thought I would give it another go. Not that I care at all about the brand name, but seeing as how this is the one pair that hasn’t fallen prey to the rippage, they’re my pretty much the star of my wardrobe at the moment. After about 5 minutes we found a shirt for John, went upstairs and had some luck with the jeans - again. The price tag was a little higher than desirable but when I got to the cashier, they were surprisingly 40% off - and this is what I’m talking about. You have to dig to find what little gems there are at The Bay but once you find them, there’s always a lovely surprise like a discount - which of course is the best surprise when it comes to shopping.

The next purchase for both of us will have to be shoes, but we’re saving that for another day. Although, have you ever noticed that outside of Payless Shoes on Robson there is always a pair of discarded shoes? It’s obvious that people walk into the store in one pair, buy new shoes, and deposit their wear-ins outside near the garbage can. You can be guaranteed to find a pair of shoes there at any time of day, any day of the week. I wonder if Payless has ever considered accepting peoples’ old shoes and donating them? Well, the still-decent ones anyway.

One thing’s for sure, before any more shopping I have to do some serious closet-purging. The last time I did that I had a hard time locating a drop bin or finding a charity that would pick up goods downtown. So if anyone knows of a way that I can work out logistics to get my donations dropped off or picked up, please let me know.

The walk home was pretty soggy, especially since we both left the house wearing sandals, but that justified coming home and vegging on the couch the rest of the afternoon. I’m just hoping the rest of the weekend isn’t as grey, I’m unsure it will be perfect beach-going weather but perhaps we’ll venture into the Park regardless as I’m going to need a little time to detox from today’s mega retail experience.