Times change, even if clock doesn’t

We are on the lookout for a new clock.

The only analog clocks we own have decided to go on strike. I’m not sure what they want but I gave them new batteries as a symbol that I was open to their demands.  Apparently that wasn’t enough. The decorative doodads seem to be working but the part that actually shows the minutes and hours remains frozen in time.

I didn’t realize just how often I check the clock until it read nine after four for almost a week. It still says nine after four. Even though it has retired from active service I check it multiple times a day. Habits are hard to break.

We intended to pick up a replacement clock on the way to the grocer’s yesterday. We stopped at the store we thought was the most likely to carry clocks. After chasing down an employee we found that they only carried wall clocks. I suppose other stores carried timepieces but neither of us was sure which place was more likely to have what we wanted. We decided to go online instead of hunting through multiple stores in vain.

Online we found clocks ranging from a few dollars to others costing several hundreds. Now we just have to pick one out of the thousands offered.

This is more difficult than it sounds. Checking the details to find out what size it is and what it is made from has become as essential as reading the comments from others who had purchased the item before. A beautiful one was made of plastic, not wood. Another had chimes that rang at random.

The comments ranged from praise to vilification. Plus, online sources are just that, online. There is no opportunity to actually hold the product before purchasing it.

As convenient as it is to order online, there is something lost when shopping by pushing buttons. I suppose that is because I grew up in a different time. Way back then there were products that could be ordered through the mail or through a catalog. The catalogs were mostly wish books and were thick enough to act as a booster seat for small children. Ordinary merchandise was almost always bought from a bricks and mortar store.

The local five-and-dime carried a little bit of everything but you didn’t have to wander through the entire place just to find what you wanted. The cashiers, all female, mostly middle-aged and all wearing dresses, would greet you when you arrived and walk you to wherever they had stashed the product. They would point out the pluses and minuses of the item, ensuring satisfaction with your choice. There were three or four of whatever you wanted, not hundreds. Choosing something took minutes, not days.

Sometimes I think we have too many options. Back then television offered three channels. If you didn’t like any of them you were free to find something else to do. Flipping through channels looking for something interesting was impossible. One had to actually walk over to the television, which was a major piece of furniture, and turn a knob in order to change the station.

We also had one clock in the house. It was a cuckoo clock that actually worked. It was wound on a strict schedule. It no longer runs and now resides in a safe place.

Time marches on and nothing is ever what it used to be. Would I want to go back to fewer choices? Not really, but it would be so much easier at times.

Until we find a replacement, our old clock is right twice a day. And I will keep checking to see if it has changed.