Thursday, September 25, 2008

Future Geek

At the phone store, the phones are displayed in such a way that they're plugged into the wall and you can try out their features. This cherub methodically went along the row of phones and removed each from its perch. She pressed buttons, opened tiny portals that allowed her to peek inside, closed those portals and replaced each phone in its cradle. No one interfered with her. She examined each and every phone, moving down the row from left to right.

You might think a manager would have asked her to stop, but there was no reason to. She handled the merchandise with care.

I used to rehang clothes after I'd tried them on at a store and decided not to buy them. Now I know life's too short. That's different, though. I did that because I thought it was good manners. In other words, I thought it would please other people. This little girl was pleasing herself.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice shot. Bet she knows how to set up a website.

Thursday Girl/Hollis the Cat said...

I worked in a clothing store in high school, and I preferred it when customers did not rehang the clothes because we were told to do it in a certain way and it actually created more work for us when we had to take them off the hanger and then rehang them.

So I don't rehang clothes now and feel I am doing the employees a favor... :)

Vanda said...

She is shopping for a phone, and she is a sophisticated informed customer. I think she is also the target market for Disney's phone persolnalization products. :)

I don't rehang clothes, but I take them out of the dressing room and put them on the collection rack.

Laurie Allee said...

Count me as one of your tribe, Petrea. I still put clothes back where I found them after trying them on. It's funny, too, because I've never made a big deal about it or even said anything about it but my 3 year old daughter puts everything back where she finds it when we're in a store. It was very disconcerting at toy stores when she was around 16 months old and she'd take down a toy, look at it, then put it back.

I love this image! I'm amazed at how tech savvy kids are today. My little one figured out all of our electronic equipment when she was barely walking. Is it just evolution?

ben wideman said...

Pretty hard to imagine that there are still many people in our world who can't operate a computer. How long until that is no longer the case?

Fantastic image Petrea.

Hope said...

I love this photo . . . and your writing is wonderful. I've just found your blog, and plan to return to it!

Anonymous said...

What do you mean "future" geek? I think she's already there! ;-)

Depends on the store and ease of use for re-folding/hanging for me. If the store is set up so it is easy for me to get to items I'm happy to re-fold and replace things I have looked at. If, like Costco, where they stack 7 rows by 4 rows of shirts 10-15 tall so I cannot look at sizes easily, I am more likely to leave it out of frustration. If, however I replace the item, it will look as good or better than when I took it out. Yes, things just need to be a certain way, really. ;-) My mother, were she still alive, would be shocked, considering the view of my room as a teenager.

Anonymous said...

But do you put back the shopping cart?

Anonymous said...

I think it's interesting to see how, as the world gets more complex, each generation reacts like generations always have:

- The youngest ones don't think anything of it, and take everything in stride.
- The older ones admire the young ones (and think "boy, we didn't have to worry about this when we were kids!")
- The oldest ones decide at some point "Sod it, I'm not going to bother with *that*!"

USelaine said...

I promise to stop rehanging in stores, and start rehanging at home.

I'll put my cart in its collection slot more conscientiously.

I'll buy a cell phone. Someday.

Well, maybe an iPhone, so I can try to do finger sketches like Mr Kardos.

Christie said...

What a little cutie! My hubby and I were just talking the other day that kids born within the last 6 years or so have never lived in a world without cell phones and texting. My daughter is 8 and last night she got to use my cell phone for the first time. (She felt so grown up!!)

Petrea Burchard said...

A.H., she's probably a CEO at Google.

I never thought of it that way Thursday Girl. I'm now completely off the hook, thank you.

Vanda I think you're right!

Laurie, I wonder if everyone in the future will have shorter arms, or if they'll have incredible manual dexterity but not much in the way of verbal skills...

Thanks, Ben. What's stranger is that computers haven't been around very long at the consumer level. We took to them really fast and now we MUST have them.

Thank you, Hope! Come by anytime.

Trish, you're right. I think I'm geeky but she's got me beat.

Always, PA, unless they go out of their way to make it difficult. I'm a very good girl.

Elizabeth, I know all those people.

Elaine, Stéphane will be honored.

Christie, so cute!

Cafe Observer said...

Nobody interfered with this child? She must really be an angel, or a big stockholder in this company.

Otherwise, this is a miracle almost on the scale of ben wideman reaching his 1st anniversary today!!

Ms M said...

Looks like a savvy shopper...and she probably had fun seeing the pictures, the lights, and hearing the sounds. Good photo; good observation...

Thérèse said...

I am always intimidated when there is such a choice. Usually I leave the store... that's why kids have such a knowledge of things and that I have to learn to trust them more...
Have a nice weekend!

Petrea Burchard said...

Cafe, I must respectfully disagree: Ben's one year anniversary is no miracle, but a testament to his hard work, perseverance and talent.

Would I were as savvy as she, Ms M. As Therese says, the choice is intimidating.

Cafe Observer said...

P, I respectfully agree w/u on bw!
You r so persuasive.

Jill said...

At first I thought maybe she was checking out the phones to make a decision for her parents. But on second thought, she is probably shopping for herself!