Although an item is out of season, does that mean it shouldn’t be in stock?
I was wandering through the grocery store the other day, doing the weekly shopping with my mom. But as I meandered past the clothing section, something caught my eye. At first, I couldn’t believe it. Was it a trick of the light? A figment of my imagination? But after a second casual glance, my sight was confirmed. Although my feet carried me on past, my mind was stuck like the people in the Starbucks drive-through. Already? I thought, confusion swirling around with the threads of disbelief that unravelled following my revelation. But I quickly shook off the thought, moving on to find the remaining groceries on my mental list, of which there were few.
For a few days, I didn’t give any thought to that disturbing discovery—until, of course, I began thinking about the curious weather lately. This past winter has been, to say the least, mild. Of course, we’ve had many frigid days where the wind almost blows the skin off your face, but we’ve also had days where you could go outside without a hat and mitts (and not freeze your ears off!). As someone who grew up in Whitehorse, I found this erratic weather increasingly bizarre. I can’t say I was really complaining, though.
It is concerning, but I also appreciated not having to freeze while waiting for the bus in the mornings.
Now, back to the grocery store. I think grocery stores are sort of like school. They have so many necessities: math, social studies, chicken broth … but there are also things you don’t need. Both places are filled to the brim with so many different options for you to choose from, all constantly pining for your attention. Just like how people often get distracted from polynomials, it’s easy to get distracted by something in a grocery store. For example, bathing suits. “But bathing suits are a completely normal thing to see!” you may exclaim, thinking of the clothing aisles stocked with this season’s latest fashion picks. But that’s just the thing. Bathing suits are definitely not in season in Whitehorse right now. I understand that they may be in other places, but I hope you can understand why the thought of going for a quick dip in Long Lake in January or February may be concerning to me. I shiver at just the thought, although I’m warm inside my house. Even with the warmer temperatures, January is too soon to head down to the water for a beach day. I would argue that even March is too early. So, as I wandered through the grocery store, it was no surprise that my eye caught on the monochrome bathing suits.
Before you stop and ask me about indoor swimming, I assure you I’ve thought about that as well. It’s a very plausible excuse to say that the swimsuits were in stock for indoor swimming. But again (in my experience at least), I don’t think looking for bathing suits is a priority for many people in mid-January, and people who do competitive swimming probably aren’t all buying their swimsuits from Walmart or Superstore. Maybe some, but most likely not everyone. Even when I buy swimsuits, I don’t always get them from grocery stores. Also, I don’t swim professionally, so I don’t replace my suits on a regular basis.
But, in a way, it was somewhat reassuring to see the bathing suits as I walked by that day. That symbol of summer, just sitting there. Steadfast. Stable. The winters in the Yukon can sometimes seem endless, and they take up more than their fair share of the year. Sometimes it feels like I’ve forgotten what summer feels like. But those swimsuits were a pleasant reminder of the months that are certain to come.It may seem as though I am completely against the idea of swimsuits being in stores during the winter, but I’m not. Actually, the whole point of this story is that the bathing suits were something out of the ordinary that caught my attention. Something interesting I wanted to share my opinion on. Not that it should be outlawed for stores to carry bathing suits outside of the spring and summertime. It doesn’t hurt anyone for them to be there, displayed in all their nylon-polyester glory. In fact, I’m glad they were there, silent promises of summer, as they inspired me to write this piece in the first place!
