Busy

I have been shopping. Or rather, I have been trying to, because I haven't found what I've been looking for. Which is The Black Eyes. Not exactly the eyes themselves, as I know well where to go to buy a pair of black eyes. No, I have been looking, once again, for a skin that has lots and lots of black black black eye makeup, i.e. the fabled black hole eyes skin that doesn't seem to be sold anywhere in SL. Oh, there are some skins with such eyes. But for some reason, those skins are either made for vampires and gothies, which means they are so pale or even all white (except for the black eyes). Or they are labeled "Emo" and have runny makeup tearmarks smeared across like half the face. So it looks like only vamps, goths and those really really unhappy are allowed to wear much black eye makeup. I'm none of those. I'm just an avatar with fair but healthy complexion, I'm generally happy, and happen to want those eyes. I have been to a million and eighty shops looking for them, without finding what I want.

Here's where I'll begin complaining for real. What I said above is just the warming up.

Skins are expensive. They take away many of the symbols in the linden dollar counter. So there are demos, so that you can try the skin on and see what it looks like before buying. Any avatar, maybe except for the absolute newbie noobs, knows that a skin that looks great on a sales poster probably looks quite the contrary when worn by you. It takes a lot of looking around (or a lack of good taste) from shop to shop trying demos on, trying not to be seen by others when trying on, to find a skin that looks fine on you. Everybody knows this, and that's why there are demos.

Buying a skin means you're a good client, doing good cunsumerizing to the benefit of the shopkeeper. And still many shops, or stores, expect you to pay for the demos. They expect you to pay for a chance to try a skin on too see if you want it. That's absurd. That's like having to pay to enter a shop.

I think there may be a kind of conspiracy, a lot of store owners ganging up, selling ugly skins that no one would ever dream of beeing seen wearing in public, so that they can earn a lot of lindens selling demos, because no one dares bying a skin without first trying on the demo.

To follow: My Next Complaint. Last night I went to a shop selling extra expensive skins, and they didn't even have demos. They expect you to go in there, look at the posters, like the pictures and pay up lindens worth a million hours of camping, and then discover that this skin is yet another one that doesn't suit you. Ok, I don't camp, but it's still a strange way to make business. I certainly didn't buy anything, and certainly didn't landmark the store. Becuase of the latter, I'm afraid I can't tell you which store I'm speaking off. Otherwise I would have liked to warn you about it.

Another thing that does disturb me is that more and more shops seem to have some kind of attendants. They never did before. Now they appear everywhere, it seems. And they don't leave you alone to look at the goods in your own time, in a state of peace of mind, but start harassing you the moment you port in or enter, and continue until you leave, TP out, or even log out (yes, because it's a one-click fast lane to end the pain).

Shop girl: "welcum serval can i help u we have so many nice thingies and also many news i can c u have a very good taste hun here is 1 ud love it's a very good price try it on!"

Serval:

Shop girl: "this 1 is our best, it's very popular!!!!"

Serval:

Shop girl: "this 1 is also our best!"

Serval: "it's not what i want"

Shop girl: "it's going 2 look gr8 on u!"

Serval: "i'm looking for something completely different"

Shop girl: "why don't u try it on hun!"



No matter what you tell them to make them go away, they keep vulturing around, embarassing you by their mere presence when you try on skins that of course turn out to be true nightmares, and they just can't refrain from – can't bloody keep themfuckingselves – from making comments, even after you've told them oh so many times that you don't want any help whatsoever, please, I plead.

Shop avatar: "oh it's like a dream cum true!"

Shop avatar: "u look like a princess!"

Shop avatar: "it's out best, u know!"

To make it clear I did not want to be bothered, I set my Busy sign. And changed my group tag to "I'm BUSY, please!" And continued shopping for my black hole skin.

Shop guy: "serval ur busy"

Serval: "yes i'm busy"

Shop guy: "ur busy sign is on"

Serval: "yes, that's the point, i'm busy"

Shop guy: "ur busy sign is on, so i can't give u a 300 linden store card"

Serval: "please, i'm busy"

Shop guy: "i can't give u the card as long as ur busy"

Serval:

Now a second attendant came soaring and landed talons first.

Shop girl: "welcum serval can i help u!"

Shop guy: "u got to change status from busy"

Serval: "read my sign, please"

Shop guy: "don't u understand, it says busy so u gotta switch to not busy"

Shop girl: "do u need any help hun!"

Shop guy: "ur busy sign is on"

Shop girl: "ur welcum to a store card hun!"

Shop guy: "gotta switch busy off for that though"

Shop girl: "ur welcum to join our upd8 group!"

I forgot to take a landmark for that store too, I'm afraid. And for many that followed.

I still have to find my new skin. And I'm a little bit afraid of going back to the shops to keep looking. I'm not sure I'm strong enough. And as I'm not that happy any more, either, after running the skin store gauntlet, I should maybe settle for one of those emo ones.