The Mall

I hate the mall. You know, the kind of big, crowded mall every town has with all the same stores.
I just returned from North Star Mall, in search of two simple things: some pants that aren't baggy or pleated in front and a plain, long sleeved white shirt.
What ever happened to plain, cotton, navy blue pants?
Eddie Bauer, no. Lands End, no. The Gap, no. L.L. Bean, No. Dillard's, no. Foley's, no.
The closest I came was at Dillard's and they fit up around my thorax and had jodpher thighs. No sale.
White shirts, I found. Dig the prices:
Ralph Lauren $85. Liz Claiborne $78. Talbot's $120. No sale.
I am not paying that for a plain white cotton shirt.
Shoes used to be fun to buy. Now they all look like shoes, but they have no back parts where your heel fits. Are we that lazy now?
And why does a pair of nice socks cost $16? Are they crazy? They're socks!
I left empty handed. To hell with the mall.