Last weekend brought summer like temperatures and sunny skies and although I don’t like to spend such days inside, trolling through a department store, I did have to set aside a little time for shopping because I needed to purchase a baby shower gift.
            Accompanied by my mother, I went to the store where the mother-to-be had registered, expecting an easy shopping trip. Registries, while mostly a good idea, have completely taken all the work out of shopping for a wedding or baby shower. I can’t help but feel a little guilty as I search the aisles, attempting to match the item numbers for a baby onesie or a set of wine glasses with the numbers on the printout, because I’m not putting much thought into the purchase.  I want to get a gift that I know the receiver actually wants, but I also enjoy the process of coming up with an idea on my own.
            Armed with the bright yellow wish list, my mother and I began the task of trying to locate various items based on the cryptic item descriptions. A clothing item, for example, was described simply as “raspberry border” and another provided even less information-“scallop.” The infant clothing section is misleading, because although the clothes are tiny, there are lots of them. Last weekend, my mom and I discovered there were plenty of adorable outfits, but none of them seemed to be on our list.
            I was hoping to purchase a Red Sox outfit for the new arrival, but that turned out to be easier said than done. A sales associate told us turnover is high in the infant clothing section. I thought that was an odd way statement, but it was true because we couldn’t find any of the outfits on our list. After searching the rack and then going to check the computer, the sales associate told us there was a mix up with the numbers and the Red Sox outfit on our list was in the boy’s section. Since we were shopping for a baby girl, we decided to forgo the baseball apparel and find a new outfit.
            Another cryptic clothing description said the mother to be wanted a two-piece dress with “mat.” My mom and I tried to guess what that could possibly mean. Maybe it was an abbreviation for a matching hat or maybe the dress came with some kind of play mat or doormat? The sales associate, who wisely hadn’t gone far, informed us that “mat” is an abbreviation for matching so we were in search of a matching two-piece outfit. Since turnover is high, however, the dresses were nowhere in sight.
            I thought we might have better luck in the toy section so I switched my focus to a musical mobile. With the help of another sales associate, we found the infant toys. Of course, they had every toy in stock except for a musical mobile. Apparently, the toy section is not immune from the high turnover that plagues infant clothing.    
            In the end, we found some good gifts, but my mom and I were pretty cranky by the time we exited into the sunlight. Maybe we shouldn’t have gone shopping before eating lunch. I know from experience that it’s not a good idea to go grocery shopping when you’re hungry because you buy way too much, but being hungry didn’t do anything to help that shopping trip. The registry also didn’t do much to help us. My mom said she missed the old days when you could actually ask the expecting mother what she needed. These days, going by the registry, it can be next to impossible to figure out what she needs.