I’m back visiting my hometown and we entered the mall through the #creepy “bins store”, which was like falling into the back rooms where all of the unwanted things are. I didn’t know these existed, but found this good Defector article about them: defector.com/seven-day…

A vast, fluorescent-lit store filled with long rows of blue bins stretching into the distance, each overflowing with random discarded items: boxes, belts, fabric, plastic, and unidentifiable objects. A few shoppers stand quietly, heads down, sifting through the piles. The space feels cavernous and impersonal, orderly in layout but chaotic in content, evoking an eerie, liminal atmosphere, like a forgotten back room where excess consumer goods accumulate after losing their original purpose.A shopping center features a store called Mystery Bins, highlighted by a neon sign and Christmas decorations nearby.

*****
Written on