Placemaking in Retail: From the Perspective of a Dual-Income Family

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As I pull into daycare, I prepare myself for the challenge and start strategizing. I know my two sons will be exhausted from their stretched attention spans and, with only two hours to spare before bath and bedtime, I know our evening will be rushed. The second they see me through the glass classroom doors they snatch up their backpacks and start pleading to go home. We pile into the car and suddenly a wave of dread hits me square in the face – we’re out of milk! This means our usual 15-minute car ride will include a 30-minute stop that will result in my watch telling me to “breathe” multiple times throughout. As we pull into the store parking lot, my youngest starts complaining about being hungry while the oldest is moaning about wanting to play Mario Kart. I quickly assess the situation and, unfortunately, milk is a must-have. I make a beeline for the aisle, all while steering the kids away from anything that could prolong our time in the store. I continually put back unnecessary items the boys pick-up. After multiple bribes to leave the store I had bribed them to go to in the first place, we set out on the final stretch home. We are now 45 minutes into the precious two hours we have together on weeknights and our patience is long surpassed.