The Popup Store

(Published: 2018/07/10)

The other day I was walking through a shopping centre and my friend pointed out and laughed at what was unfolding on the other side of the escalator. A huge line was forming out the front of a shop that was usually one of those out of date fashion shops that nobody ever seems to go into. When a line of this magnitude is seen outside a shop that generates such little interest to most people, it is enough to spark interest in me as to what that shop could possibly be doing to boost their sales. Well, the answer is that the shop that once filled that space no longer filled that space and was instead replaced by, wait for it, an ice skating rink! So, there’s this tiny ice skating rink in this shopping centre and for some unknown reason, people are standing in a completely stationary line for who knows how long to get their kids into a crowded skating rink which is barely the size of an average living room. Is it just me who doesn’t quite understand the logic in this desire? Sweaty fingers, little people pushing each other this way and that. Can you picture the chaos? Ugh. I, for one, wouldn’t go anywhere near it and it does beg the question of why there are so many families lining up! Surely kids aren’t so pushy and bossy that they convince their parents to take them to such a place. But of course, a possible reason for parental interest could be the grand illusion of the popup store! The moment any person sees the word ‘popup’ they seem to feel excited. “Ooh!” they say. “Look! There’s an ice-skating popup store with lots of little kids!” It could have been a dentist popup store and the reaction, though probably a slightly lesser reaction, would still have resulted in a line. “Ooh!” people say. “Look! There’s a cute dentist popup store! Max, you wanted to be a dentist when you were older, right?” Yep. Have you ever been attracted to the dentist? I think for most people the answer to that would be no and if you were asked the same question about a popup dentist store, then the answer would still be no. But what you don’t realise, is that in the moment, when you’re walking through that dull shopping centre and there’s a big flashing popup sign, you will be attracted to it, like a mosquito to those fluorescent killing machines. And once you are hooked, you will not turn back and you will stand in a line for however long it takes to reach the cramped space swarming with other mosquitos all heading for the same fate. Turn back. It’s not worth it. If you wouldn’t go into the shop the popup you’re staring at or waiting in line for is representing, then it’s not worth going to the popup. It will most likely be a waste of time and more of a ripoff than anything. This may sound like a pessimistic way to look at the world, but when you are saved from standing in that ice skating line for hours on end among countless kids and adults alike, you will thank me. Now it’s your turn to point and laugh.