Primark....

I think no matter where you are in the world, there will always be that one store that you absolutely can't stand...but can't afford NOT to shop there. In the States, it was Walmart. It's crowded, dirty, and all of last year I was afraid my car would fall into a sink hole trying to navigate through the parking lot that somehow turned into a land mine of potholes.

Here in Portugal, it's Primark. It's crowded, crowded, crowded, and unorganized. But the main frustration I have is that it's crowded. I tried really hard to look for some things I needed there today. I took a deep breath, dove into the crowds of people, and thought, "Alright, you can do this. You don't need space. You don't really need to be able to get out of the aisle. You like being stuck. Am I seriously stuck already? Is there a fire code limit for how many people can be in this place? I think we maxed the limit. And now there is a mound of clothing higher than MY head that is falling all around me taking up what little space I had left. What is that smell? Tee-shirts? People? I quit."

For the record, I made it all the way to the back of the store and in the process, I saw a girl trying on a bra OVER her clothes...and then I decided that no matter how good the deal was, there was no way on earth I was going to wait in line to purchase it.

And I've decided I will never step foot in there again on a Sunday. Not unless I get the insatiable urge to feel like I'm part of a herd of cattle being crammed into the back of a semi.