I was at the mall earlier this week and after about five free samples from Orange Julius (you guys, their strawberry smoothie is dynamite…and this is coming from someone who typically doesn’t have the time for desserts if they’re not made out of chocolate), I decided to work off my sugar high by strolling around parts of the mall I normally don’t go to.  And as of late, that translates to anywhere but the sale rack at Gap.  

The little kiosks in the middle of the mall hallways have changed a ton since I was a mall regular.  They used to be limited to stuff like wind chimes, birthstones, and personalized jewelry.  But now there’s stuff like the Piercing Pagoda where I saw a six year old getting her ears pierced.  I kind of thought that was an intimate thing to be doing in the middle of the mall and sharing with strangers.  I also passed this teeth whitening station where two people were getting their teeth whitened right in front of Lane Bryant.  That seriously struck me as something that needed full walls and probably a waiting room.  This isn’t buying a Swatch Watch, people.  It’s a dental procedure.  I turned around after that and headed home because I was afraid that the next kiosk I would see was going to be even more private and inappropriate for public mall consumption…like the Pap Smear Pagoda or something.