The Mall is a Trap

It's true. There is some type of force that prevents you being able to leave the mall with the same amount of money that you entered with. I don't care if it is a rainy day and you are just looking to get out for a bit with zero intention to spend. As hard as you try, you won't get out of the door you entered through without draining your wallet a bit.

So why did I, the guy that just finished shopping for "Christmas in July", go to the mall on Tuesday? Good question.

At this point, I have to admit that we actually went to the mall on my suggestion. There is a game that I recently learned about and wanted to pick it up. The mall in Greenville has an outstanding little store called Boardwalk and Parkplace. If you are ever looking for a card game, board game, or even a dice game, this is the place to go. The place is packed full of any game you can imagine and more. When I walked in on Tuesday I said, "I'm looking for PIT". The manager smiled and walked me directly to the game.

PIT is a card game that was created in 1904. How I went so many years without knowing about it, I don't know. The game is simple. Everyone holds nine dealt cards. Each card has a different commodity pictured on it. There are an equal number of commodity's as there are players and there are nine cards of each. You job is to be the first to trade cards until you have all of one commodity.

The play is fast. There is no taking turns, everyone trades at one time. If I have two "gold" cards and I want to dump them, then I would shout that I am trading "TWO!". Holding the cards face down, I trade to any player willing to give me two of something. You continue trading as quickly as possible until your hand is all of one item. As you do this, everyone else around the table is shouting and thrusting cards at each other along with you.

We played a bit tonight and it was quite fun. The game supports up to eight players and I imagine it could get a bit crazy with that many people. Sometimes pressuring someone to trade with you seems to work. You have to be loud to get attention and get the trade. If three people are all shouting "ONE!", then you have to get aggressive and get your card in their face.

After picking up my game at the mall, I felt that I may be able to head home. Some money had been spent and it looked as if I would escape the trap. My hungry family had other ideas as they smelled the food court. More money would have to be spent before escaping the trap known as "the mall" on Tuesday.