We currently have a 21 year old niece staying with us. Claire. A millennial if you ever saw one.
She needed to sort out her mobile phone and get a new SIM card.
As she is a bit stuck without mobile data when she is out-and-about. Just having wifi is not quite enough.
So off she went into town to her network provider’s shop. A 20 minute walk into the town centre. Simples.
And 45 minutes later she is back. “the shop is closed”, she says.
“oh. That’s strange, as it is only 2 o’clock?” was my remark.
Without another word she then darted off up stairs to watch more Netflix or do more Snapchattin’.
The next day she said she was going back into town to the shop to get her SIM card.
Hopefully this time it would be open. She left in the middle of the afternoon to avoid any lunch time closure. Canny.
Again, 45 minutes later she is back.
I asked, hopefully, “any luck?”
“no, the shop was closed”
I tried to give some advice, “did you try a newsagent? Or a competitor? Or anywhere else?
“errr, no.” came the reply.
“did you try the other shop they have in town?” I though was an obvious question. “they must have at least one other shop in the town centre”.
It is a gigantic company and while I have never looked for one of their shops, there are usually several in each town (I’m with a competitor).
“oh, I didn’t have the internet on my phone so I couldn’t look”. Was the confident reply.
My inquisitiveness was now piqued. “but it’s strange the shop is closed at this time. It’s way past lunch time.”
“Even though I don’t ever recall a shop on the high street ever closing at lunch” – I said that to myself.
But back at home we do have wifi.
And in a stroke of inspired genius Claire sprang to life and searched the other shop’s address on her phone.
Bingo!
“there is another shop in the new shopping centre in town!” Claire stated triumphantly.
“it is quite close to the other one” Claire said knowingly
“thank goodness for wifi” – I said to myself. again.
A couple of days later I was in town and happened to go past the phone shop that was “closed”. It really was closed. Closed down.
So now I am wondering. Claire not only went a first time. But also a second time.
Perhaps just to confirm things?
or maybe she likes walking into town? And coming straight back?
Millennials. They’re our future.