Destination: Cash Register
When I was a kid growing up in southern California, every summer my parents would load up the Chevy, grab my brother and me, and head up the highway to places like Lake Arrowhead, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon and Crater Lake. We’d camp, hike and fish; get bruised, sunburned and mosquito-bitten. And we’d absolutely love it.
Sometimes, as a reward for not whining too much and as a souvenir of our vacation, my parents would let us splurge on a memento from the camp store. My brother and I would meticulously work our way through the aisle of trinkets selecting just the right item that would capture for posterity the fun we had had. Then we’d plead with my dad to buy a decal to stick on the rear window of the ol’ Bel Air as testament to our adventure.
Over those summers, I collected a neat pair of authentic Indian moccasins, a desert stone paperweight with an engraved picture of a coyote, and a very cool explorer knife with “Genuine Leather” stamped on the sheath. In those days before jet travel, credit cards and outlet malls, shopping was an important part of the travel experience, but it was only a small part.
Not any more. The hottest travel destinations in the United States now are retail stores. As if we can’t get enough shopping done in our own hometowns or over the Internet, retailers are now marketing their stores as travel destinations — their stores!
What’s even more surprising is that people are biting-and biting hard. Tour operators are filling airplanes, boats and buses with travelers who can’t wait to load up on merchandise. Among the most popular “retail destinations” in the United States are:
Bass Pro, Springfield, Mo.
Cabela’s, Buda, Texas
Hilo Hattie, Honolulu
L.L. Bean, Freeport, Maine
Mall of America, Bloomington, Minn.
Nike Town, Chicago
Pike Place Market, Seattle
Ron Jon’s, Cocoa Beach, Fla.
Unclaimed Baggage Center, Scottsboro, Ala.
There is no question that visiting these locations can be entertaining and interesting; it can swallow up a good portion of a day. Don’t get me wrong: I approve of travelers venturing out to shop in air-conditioned, fluorescently lighted superstructures.
In fact, I more than approve of it: I advocate it. For starters, shoppers keep the economy churning and the travel business humming, which, farther down the line, keeps travel columnists employed. But what’s even more important to me is that while retail tourists are shopping for just the right muu muus and matching aloha shirts (which, mind you, they will never wear), they aren’t jamming hiking trails or exploring out-of-the-way historical sites or packing beaches.
Indeed I encourage all vacationers to skip the National Parks scene altogether, and get right to the malls. And if you should happen upon a pair of authentic Indian moccasins, would you mind picking them up for me? (Size 10 1/2 please.) Mine are way too tight and are getting very worn.