RETAIL THERAPY
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 4:34 pm
RETAIL THERAPY
© Jeff Thorpe October 2020
Two pounds twelve and ninepence, a princely sum for me,
introduction to the world of retail therapy,
a vinyl LP purchase, Billy Vaughn’s “Melodies in Gold”,
looking back, a strange choice for a then fifteen year old,
however, for the first time there was money in my purse
and I was sole arbiter on whether or not to disburse,
having a job made a difference to handling finances
otherwise, any thought of gold was sheer stuff of romances.
School leavers’ fate’s changed markedly in the last sixty years,
little scope now available on which to build careers,
finding employment likened to “a needle in a haystack”,
a world of uncertainty, jobs going the way of Kodak,
no room for indulgent purchases the like of Billy Vaughn,
shops everywhere closing, retail industry forlorn,
no sense of permanency wherever one does look
a job for life these days as rare as a bank passbook.
Yet, some organisations thrive thanks largely to technology,
on line sales are booming, Amazon makes no apology,
e commerce is certainly the way of the future,
old fashioned retail’s wounds can’t be healed with a suture,
no requirement for a shopfront or employees on the floor,
service industries need just the cloud for décor,
working from home is the new kid on the block,
whatever happened to the boss overlooking, taking stock.
Where does this leave me, starved of “accustomed” retail therapy,
increasingly finding solace in the place known as the Library,
admittedly, I sometimes cheat and read a digital book
but overall, there’s comfort turning pages in a private nook,
pleased not to be job hunting to finance my upkeep
for if I were, I’m certain I’d be placed on the scrap heap,
thus, at this stage of life I seek therapy to become
a first-class honours graduate as a geriatric beach bum.
© Jeff Thorpe October 2020
Two pounds twelve and ninepence, a princely sum for me,
introduction to the world of retail therapy,
a vinyl LP purchase, Billy Vaughn’s “Melodies in Gold”,
looking back, a strange choice for a then fifteen year old,
however, for the first time there was money in my purse
and I was sole arbiter on whether or not to disburse,
having a job made a difference to handling finances
otherwise, any thought of gold was sheer stuff of romances.
School leavers’ fate’s changed markedly in the last sixty years,
little scope now available on which to build careers,
finding employment likened to “a needle in a haystack”,
a world of uncertainty, jobs going the way of Kodak,
no room for indulgent purchases the like of Billy Vaughn,
shops everywhere closing, retail industry forlorn,
no sense of permanency wherever one does look
a job for life these days as rare as a bank passbook.
Yet, some organisations thrive thanks largely to technology,
on line sales are booming, Amazon makes no apology,
e commerce is certainly the way of the future,
old fashioned retail’s wounds can’t be healed with a suture,
no requirement for a shopfront or employees on the floor,
service industries need just the cloud for décor,
working from home is the new kid on the block,
whatever happened to the boss overlooking, taking stock.
Where does this leave me, starved of “accustomed” retail therapy,
increasingly finding solace in the place known as the Library,
admittedly, I sometimes cheat and read a digital book
but overall, there’s comfort turning pages in a private nook,
pleased not to be job hunting to finance my upkeep
for if I were, I’m certain I’d be placed on the scrap heap,
thus, at this stage of life I seek therapy to become
a first-class honours graduate as a geriatric beach bum.