Normally I stay out of Hollister. I'm not a high school surfer chick in California so I tend to not be interested. But my brother had a merchandise credit there that he didn't want and I had seen their pretty summer scarves on their posters so I figured what the hell.
I immediately see a pretty deep blue one that I like on a mannequin at the front of the store and ask the cute little brace face folding shirts where I might find it. She directs me to the cash registers by yelling over the loud punk-pop soundtrack.
Anyway I amble along in the dark (why is it so dark in there? Isn't it sunny in California?) until I find a set of shelves by the registers containing a very meek selection and not one in the style I want.
I pick through the ugly colors until I see the one I want on a headless mannequin behind me. I start to untie it when this really tall, angry looking girl says, "Excuse me."
"Um. Yes?"
"The clothes on the mannequins are NOT for sale."
I blink. They have price tags on them. That was what I want. I'm about to spend money in their store. Why would they not be for sale?
"Oh. But...I want that scarf?"
"I'll check in the back to see if there are any left but everyone wanted that one."
She leaves. I'm shoved by a faux-Louis Vuitton toting 14 year old whose trying to get in line with her frazzled looking mother.
The music appears to be getting louder and more throbbing.
I think about ripping the one I want off the mannequin and making a run for it.
Angry girl reappears and says, "Yeah. We're all out of those styles. You'll have to pick out another one or leave."
I feel like I'm being threatened by a 19 year old who hates to smile.
"Um. Can't I just take this one? And you can put one of the other scarves onto..."
"No. These are not for sale!"
Right. Got that.
I don't want to be an annoying, pushy customer so I say thanks and walk to the sale racks. Nothing cute to be found here.
I see another set of shelves and find the same color scarf but with a different pattern folded neatly. I actually like this one better so I feel bad about being the obnoxious customer before. I see angry girl trying to re-stack boxes of foul smelling cologne near the line for the registers so I go over and smile.
"I found a better one. Thanks for trying before though."
She looks up at me. She looks around and in a terrified whisper tells me,
"We get the mannequins fully dressed. They arrive like that and we can't touch them. We just put them out for a time and then send them back."
Uh, okay. I sort of figured that out myself but I smile again anyway until she says,
"We can't touch them! JUST LIKE WE CAN'T TOUCH THE MUSIC OR THE VOLUME!!!!!!"
If anyone is at the Burlington Mall watch out for the girl from Hollister who might have a nervous breakdown at any moment.
