I love department stores

And I am so sad that they're dying out

A department store in 1967.
(Image credit: Archive PL/Alamy Stock Photo)

Wrought-iron staircases. An ornate clock that drops from the ceiling. Shiny floors. Counter after counter of sparkling rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, beckoning passersby to slip something on. This was the scene inside the Harris' in San Bernardino, California — a department store built in a bygone era, since shuttered, and now just etched in my memory.

Department stores are dwindling, thanks to online retailers like Amazon and big-box stores offering cheaper prices. It bums me out. I have always been a shopper. Regardless of what I'm looking for — a pair of sandals for the summer, a gift for a baby shower, a new necklace because hey, it's a Monday, I might as well get the week off to a good start — I deeply enjoy the experience. I like perusing racks, feeling materials, figuring out the sale price. Looking at pretty things is a stress reliever and mood booster, and even if your bank account prohibits you from buying that sweater you've had your eye on, window shopping is always free.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.