Who would buy clothes online? Not me.

Last week I lost another pair of trousers because the black pair I have had for years and that are durable finally lost it in the crotch area, with a rip the size of Texas appearing as I was putting on my socks. A few weeks earlier I had thrown out another pair of trousers which had had a major issue in the zipper region (the zipper kept falling down when you wore them around). And then a pair I got most recently up on the Coast had showed a small tear in the nether regions, and I thought, "It's time to buy some more trousers." So I walked into town to Myer yesterday morning.

Because I'm quite large-sized some clothiers do not make my size of trousers so I went straight for the "Reserve" labelled Myer's-own brand which usually have the bigger sizes, and I found a pair of a size I currently use which I took to the change rooms. Unfortunately they were not big enough (I actually knew this and was being a bit clever even trying this pair on this time) and so I got dressed again and went back out into the store and got a size-larger pair to try. I took them back to the change rooms and tried them on and found that they were perfect. Back in the store I got two pairs of the same brand in the same size and then asked the sales clerk if she could hold them behind the counter for me while I went and got some shirts.

I had walked past the concession for a favourite shirt brand while on the way earlier to the fitting rooms so I went over and saw a shirt with a pattern that appealed to me. I took it off the rack and went to the fitting rooms but the shirt was a bit tight around the stomach. I got dressed again and went back outside and picked up a size-larger shirt from the rack and took that one back to the fitting room. This one fit perfectly, so I got dressed again, went back out into the store and picked up three shirts of the same brand in the same size that had fit me.

I took these shirts to the check-out counter and asked the clerk if she could get the pants out for me that I had reserved earlier, and she called over another sales clerk to do the transaction because she was busy with other things. We did the transaction and the guy made sure - at my prompting - to neutralise the security devices in the clothing so that the alarm would not go off when I left the store later. Then I headed to floor 5 to the manchester department because while I had been trying on a pair of pants they had announced over the PA system a sale until midday (it was by this time about 10.45am) for Sheridan sheets.

In the manchester department I asked the sales clerk which sheets were on sale and then went over and picked up the most expensive ones I could find: 600 thread count 100% cotton sateen fabric. These sheets usually sell for $429 so I paid half that and walked out with a top-quality pair of sheets. I had needed bedsheets since throwing away a ripped set on the Coast last year.

Now I'm pretty happy with most things digital, and have been using Facebook since 2006 and Twitter since 2009. I spend a lot of my day online doing various things including blogging and social media. I buy books online through my Kindle. But shopping for clothes seems to me to be something that you really want to do in the real world. And I would never have heard about that sale for sheets if I hadn't been in the actual store at just the right time.