Idealogian

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Yesterday I had the rare experience of going clothing shopping. I went to Eddie Bauer, Gap and Timberland. Got lots of good stuff (shoes, pants, shirts, belts, socks and more), and noticed some interesting differences between the stores - which ones try to be hip, which ones try to be rugged. But Timberland offered two nice little surprises for which I'd like to commend them:

1. When I was ready to pay for the shoes I was purchasing, the salesman asked me if I wanted the boxes. At first I didn't understand what he meant - I've always gotten the shoeboxes along with the shoes. But I've never actually had a need for any of them since my elementary school diorama projects. So I passed on the boxes, and thereby did my small part to fight against the trend of overpackaging. (It could be this is a common practice - I don't buy shoes often enough to know for sure - but I was impressed regardless.)
2. After I bought the shoes, the salesman said, "Oh, and help yourself to an apple." I hadn't noticed a little basket of Red Delicious apples off to the side, which were apparently available (for free) to customers. I took one and snacked on it as I walked back through Central Park to the train. I'm sure the apples were cheap - they're only 50 cents if you buy them from a fruit cart on the sidewalk - but it still came across as very generous and considerate gesture. It was a very inexepensive and effective way for them to make sure that I left their store with a good taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively). And it was a really good apple.

P.S. Eddie Bauer was playing some mix of mostly alternative rock-type music, and one of the songs was some catchy tune by a female-led band that had the lyrics, "[something about two lovers on a] hill / For him, she would die / For her, he would kill." Google fails me on this one. Anyone know the name of the song?