Capitalism 1 - Weather 0

As I was sitting at home this morning and the snow kept piling up outside, I figured I'd have to get out of the house at some point today and see if anything was stirring out in Northern Virginia. After watching a couple of fantastic Premier League games, I set off for a stroll to Tyson's Corner. Walking there is not the most enjoyable form of transportation under normal circumstances, but it seemed like the most prudent choice, as there was (and is) zero chance of my car even getting down the street.

As I was walking, I noticed an impressive amount of trucks plowing parking lots and access roads and the walk itself wasn't too bad. As I approached the mall, I wasn't sure which outcome would be more surprising - the mall being open or closed. But sure enough, you can't stop Christmas/capitalism and even with the parking lot mostly empty, the mall was absolutely open and the majority of the stores within were staffed as well. I'm not sure exactly what kind of person says, "Well there's a freak snow storm, better go out and buy the rest of those stocking stuffers," but there were certainly shoppers there and without looking outside it could easily have been an average weekday crowd. Never underestimate the shopping power of the American people.