Phones

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Spending a day and a half on the worlds biggest outdoor fair in Quartzsite, Arizona, is always a lot of fun. There is plenty to see, browsing the different venues.
Not having visited for a couple of years makes it easy to see the differences since the last visit. There are always a lot of rocks, gems, and minerals; just as there are all kinds of RV (Recreational Vehicle) related tools, gadgets, etc. as well as lots of RV sales lots.
This year the remainder of the fair seemed to be more reminiscent of a giant swap meet than what I remember from previous visits. The type of vendors that are really interesting to me were nowhere to be found.

It is interesting how fast a fair like the one in Quartzsite can change. The heart of the show is still the Pow Wow that started 45 years ago, yet even the Pow Wow is changing.

But the most obvious ~ and to me most certainly the most annoying ~ change, is the use of cell phones.

The first time I visited Quartzsite, use of cell phones was almost impossible as there was no way the only one tower, situated just outside of town could handle the demand of the enormous amount of people that descend on Quartzsite during the Winter months. With that problem solved, phone conversations are not only possible, but also frequent.
The good thing about that is that you can actually find one another when you want to get together for lunch or something like that.
The other side of it is that vendors seem to be talking on the phone continuously, making their customers wait when they have questions ~ or even want to pay for the treasures they have managed to find.

It is a ‘sign of the times’.
It is also incredibly rude.

It makes me wonder whether they are actually there to sell their wares, or if they are there to tell their friends and family that they are a vendor in Quartzsite.
When they then finally turn at least part of their attention to a customer, they seem disappointed they have to do so.

In the ensuing conversation it seemed that the reason for the phone call is their lack of customers.
It is a typical ‘chicken-or-egg’ kind of dilemma. Are there no customers among the thousands of people wandering over the fair’s venues? Or are the vendors pushing their customers away because their phone conversations are apparently more important than their customers?

One thing is certain; our phones most definitely have changed our ~ in person ~ interaction with others…
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