Brockiland Fahrweid, again - Why I Revisit Hell-on-Earth

I hate Brockiland.

And yet I love Brockiland.

I can't stay away from it, despite my obvious ambivalence.

They have their own baskets, now! Wow!

Today, some old lady forcibly bashed my shins with her shopping basket, only muttered an "Entschuldigung" when I yelled at her, and then she immediately shoved me away from the tea towel shelves using her squishy body. I gave her heck, but she didn't care - she was a mess-making monster, unfolding things and throwing them back, methodically destroying someone's hard-work-in-folding along the entire upstairs shelving section.

Sigh. Every time I go, I'm shocked and horrified and angered by the behaviour of its denizens. 

And yet, I return. Not so often - every couple of months, really (can't handle much more), ever optimistic that maybe this time won't be as awful as last time. 

Maybe I had PMS last time? Or the weather was bad. Or I was already irritable or hungry when I arrived. Or it was just that one person that ruined my day, and what are the odds the same person will be there, hounding me again? No. This time, I'm happy, I'm healthy, and I'm not going to let it upset me! 

Don't go on a Friday, if you can help it. It's extra-crazy on Fridays, and it's already plenty crazy to begin with.

I talk myself into it. I don't need much convincing. I'm going to go in, with a plan (my awesome thrifting plan!), grab my goods, hope my friend is at the till, and leave with a smile on my face.

Every time, there's an incident. Or, more accurately, there are several minor mishaps (sometimes major!) that end up wiping the smile from my face, even if I've come up trumps and my friend gave me a great deal. 

Today's trip wasn't even bad - I won't even get a bruise from that basket-bash. And there was no restocking going on (mixed-blessing), so I didn't have to hear shouting or see shoving amongst the elderly (which I find upsetting - they could crack a hip and die in a fall!).

Downtown, it's worse. That's one of the reasons why the Fahrweid location gets a lot of my custom. I also live slightly closer to it, and I know the girl at the cashier's desk (score!).

But downtown has a lot of treasures, just waiting for me to adopt them. Sometimes, the lure is just too much...

I forget the mustiness (of both the tiefgarage and the old people shopping there). I forget about that time the lady in line behind me reached into my basket, removed a faux-pearl necklace, PUT IT IN HER MOUTH, then threw it back at me in disgust, "Das isch nicht echte!!!". I forget about the vultures that follow you, reaching across your face to beat you to whatever it is you might have been looking at. I forget that they keep following you, even if you walk (run) to the opposite side of the store to avoid them.

Maybe next time, it'll be different. I'll borrow a black leather biker's jacket, gelatine-wax my hair into a faux-hawk, put on a fake lip ring, use a Sharpie to give myself a neck tattoo, go heavy with the black eye-liner and GROWL at the old farts. Give 'em something to really bitch about!

A moment of relative calm. (Is it just me, or has Brockiland gotten tidier and less disgusting?! It has, hasn't it!)

But it won't happen. It'll be the same as always. I'll be running errands downtown, dressed like a normal human being, realise that I'm not far from Brockiland, find an excuse to go (still looking for the perfect teapot!), and before I know it, I'm lost in the bowels of Steinstrasse again, fighting off the crazies just to see what's there.

Why do I go back? I'm not sure. Here are my motivating factors, as far as my conscious-mind will divulge (who knows what's going on in the background?!):

• It's a thrifter's paradise. So much selection, so many things...whatever I'm looking for, it's bound to be there. Plus a bunch of other crap I'll suddenly realise I 'need'!
• I love thrifting.
• I'm cheap.
• I've always enjoyed treasure hunts and beach-combing - it's second nature, now.
• I love vintage crap.
• I am very eco-conscious - I feel guilty buying new things, much of the time. Used - that's just recycling!
• I'm nosy - I like seeing what the Swiss throw/give away, and what's likely to be hiding in their attics!
• When I find something I simultaneously want, need, have space and a use for, which is nice, cheap and in great condition, I leave the store feeling a surge of endorphins in the 'reward' part of my brain. It can be addictive, in a way!
• I'm fairly antisocial. I like to putter around browsing, not talking to anyone. I feel very able to 'browse' here - there's no sales person glaring at you the whole time. You can feel quite free to peruse. And there's no pressure to buy anything, either.
• I find some items humorous. I get a laugh (alright, a smirk!) most of the time.
• I'm nostalgic. I get excited when I see something from my own past that sparks memories.
• I'm crafty. I like to make stuff, so I find it both inspiring and a very, very cheap source of raw materials!
• I'm sick of everyone wearing the same clothes and buying into every fashion trend. I want to be just that little bit different (not a lot, just a little). I like being able to tell people that my skirt is thrifted, for example. Their surprise is rewarding. :)
• I'm sick of modern marketing and packaging.
• They don't make things like they used to. Unfortunately, there was cheap crap 50 years ago, too. But for some things that have really long lifetimes, I can barely afford to buy that kind of quality new, if I could even find it (which is increasingly the bigger, and more alarming, challenge!).
• My dust allergy hasn't gotten so bad as to prevent me from snooping around.
• I like supporting charities... though that doesn't apply to Brockiland.
• My friend works there and gives me good deals!
• I can afford to shop there!
• You can have a very nice bike-ride that is mostly along the river (the Limmat) before you divert onto Ueberlandstrasse to get to the Fahrweid Brockiland. Counts as exercise and fresh air intake (even if you then fill your lungs with dust inside!).
• I can go there on a bad-hair/face/whatever day and still not feel overly self-conscious about how I look!
• I like to thrift on behalf of others... it makes me feel good to find something for someone (i.e. my leather-working friend; I pick up scrap leather for him when I see it!)
• I think it partially satisfies an evolutionarily-ingrained hunter-gatherer behaviour. After all, if "Vegetarian" is an aboriginal word for "bad hunter", then a gatherer is where my skills lie!
• I like bitching about rude old people (I think!). 
• I haven't posted on the blog in months...

That's the exhaustive list. I think.

Need clothespins? Don't buy 'em new! The savings would be astounding compared to Migros!

So - why do you thrift at Brockiland?