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June 05, 2005

The Sales

Perhaps the word that best describes the habits of the typical commuter at this time of year is “sales.” Now that the bedlam of Christmas is over the chaos of January begins. Of course sensible people will have waited for the sales but I am anything but sensible so I bought all my Christmas junk at Christmas and will proceed to buy my January junk throughout this hectic month. In fact it wasn’t even 2005 when I started doing my sales shopping. Like a great deal of the commuter populace I jumped on the first Arrow to Dublin on December 28th. Mere days after the festive season made me buy a whole heap of stuff I had to have. You know the kind of stuff – more books than I’ll be able to read and more albums to add to the physical space collection. Down at Newbridge Station the platform was buzzing with non-regulars. Families out for the day. Eagle eyed women with Brown Thomas on their minds. The way I figured it, I had aqquired some money over Christmas from various generous Christmas card givers and it was supposed to be spent. Not saved. Spent. The sales were just an excuse to go to Dublin to do this. Why only the previous day a man who had camped out outside Arnotts walked away with the bargain of a century – a fridge for €10! I don’t even need a fridge but at €10 I’m sure I could have made some use for it. I could always buy a penguin.

On the train, the ticket master reminded me that I’ll have to renew my student ticket fairly soon. Which I told him I would but will no doubt forget to do. In Heuston everyone leaped off the train and frantically ran down platform number one or at least I did but to my credit I got to the LUAS before anyone else. And no they don’t hand out medals for that sort of thing. I asked. The LUAS arrived straight away once again proving itself to be a thousand times better than the bus. For example, the only reason you should now get the bus is (a) if you work in Dublin Castle (b) if you’re going shopping in Grafton St. and (c) if you’ve missed the LUAS. And (b) isn’t even a good excuse as everyone knows that Henry St. is the new Grafton St. The other great thing about the LUAS is its comfort. I mean when it arrives and its packed like a postman’s sack on Valentines Day, you’re thinking “aw crap!” You step onboard push your way through the squashed tram and find a spot to stand in but remarkably you’ll find that your journey is extremely comfortable. Unlike being squashed on the number 90 bus. That, as any hardcore commuter will tell you, is a living nightmare.

I hop off the LUAS right outside the Jervis St. Shopping Centre. I push the rival shoppers out of my way. The sales await me and I’ve crap to buy!


Trains, Buses & Automobiles by Liam Geraghty appears every week in the Kildare Nationalist (page 6)

Posted by LiamG at June 5, 2005 10:12 PM