Once upon a time the space between stores in a mall was just that, space. You could wander in it, amble in it, enjoy it.

Then some bean counter figured out they could make more money if they put little mini stores in carts or counters in that space. Okay, it’s not a terrible idea but not the best one ever.

We’ve lived with it, we’re used to it. But now it’s changing again and I’m not at all certain it’s a good change.

Apparently the owners of these little kiosk like stores weren’t happy being largely ignored by consumers who just walked buy. So they employed a distinctly un-American method of sales: Annoying, in your face sales people who attempt to peddle their wares by interrupting you and trying to to drag you into their little sales world. It’s as if somebody visited Mexico and rather than finding the “hey lady, I have cheap watch, you come buy now” approach annoying, they found it fun and figured why not bring it to the states?

Not one of these annoying “sales people” are native to this country, they couldn’t be, as what they do violates the cultural norms as regards shopping in this country. I don’t mind foreigners working here by a long shot, in fact I think we need them. But we don’t need the “hard sales” technique while walking through the local shopping mall. If I want Mexico, I’ll go to Mexico. When I go shopping I want people to leave me the hell alone. Don’t talk to me unless I talk to you. LEAVE ME ALONE!