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Opening Arguments

Think I'll sit this one out

Here's an innovation we can hope becomes a trend:

He sits somberly on that lone chair outside the dressing room, staring at the floor, a pile of shopping bags piled at his feet.

Poor guy was dragged to the mall.

Poor guy no more.

Plopped in the middle of Greenwood Park Mall is his 750-square-foot dream -- complete with seven big-screen TVs, wireless access and big cushy chairs.

Welcome to the mall man lounge, which gives men -- or anyone else who's not in the mood to shop or is waiting on someone who is -- something to do.

Thought to be the first such lounge in the nation, it's being tested by Greenwood Park's owner, Simon Property Group. If successful, it could be rolled out at hundreds of Simon malls across the country.

The accompanying photo shows a comfortable little island of serenity in the middle of the shopping hordes. Sure could have used one of these in my young married days (known as The Shopping Years) when my wife had a lot more enthusiasm for malling than I did. These days, unless it's something I really, really like -- books, electronic toys -- I don't really "shop." I know what I want, go in and grab it, then quickly depart. Maybe one of these lounges will encourage me to . . . nah.

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