THE OVERLAP FACTOR

It was snowing hard, as John and his two children- Mary and Peter, hurried towards Newminster town''s main departmental store for some last minute Christmas shopping. It''s a pity Mummy can''t be with us, sighed Mary. I agree, replied her father, but as you know, she has to deal with some last minute Christmas orders. There''s ''Hardacres'' cried Peter, pointing towards the town''s largest departmental store. Soon they were inside, enjoying the warmth and atmosphere of the store- it was certainly crowded. No more than I would  have expected, for a Saturday afternoon before Christmas- thought John. Can we go straight to the Toys- Daddy- pleaded Mary, joined quickly by Peter, please Daddy. The Toys are on the fifth floor and we must get your Mother a present first- on this floor- the ground floor, insisted John. To Johns surprise, they agreed- after all, Mary was only six, and Peter eight- they really are good kids, he thought to himself.

They were beginning to despair of finding anything suitable, the store was being ravaged by last minute Christmas shoppers. Then Johns eyes fell on a lady shopper, who was trying on a pair of kid gloves, what a good idea thought John, they would look smart on Kate, who rarely had a chance to dress up these days. Daddy, they look nice, are you going to get them for mummy, questioned Mary?

Yes, he replied, although a pair of gloves is hardly enough, we must get her something else, the children agreed. Peter said, he saw some ladies Cloaks, close by, with lots ladies search- ing through them. What a good idea, agreed John- clever Peter. They quickly moved in that direction. It was certainly true, lots of women were sorting through them and I''m sure your mother would love one. They soon agreed which one would best suit their Mother. It had black and white check on one side and plain black on the other. Now we must pay, said John Fortunately, there was only a few people at the nearest Cash point. John was soon handing his credit card to the cashier- That''s seventy-five pounds and fifty pence. That''s fine, said John, thinking that''ll takes care of Kate''s present- after all, she was worth whatever it cost. Now kids, it''s your turn- come on Mary and Peter- let''s find a lift. There''s one over there, indicated Peter. It''s not one of the main lifts, but I suppose it will do, mumbled John. As they hurried towards the lift, the door opened. A rather elderly, uniformed gentleman, was the lift atten- dant, looking as though he belonged to the 1930''s than the 1990''s. He''s maroon, gold braided outfit, was more in keeping with a West End cinema, than a provincial store. What floor would you like- Sir, he inquired- with a beaming smile?  Daddy, why does that man keep twisting his long moustache.

Don''t be so personal- replied John- it helps him fit the part more elegantly. He must be dressed up like that, to add to the Christmas atmosphere, thought John.

They didn''t stop at any of the other floors and were soon at the fifth. "Toys", "electrical''s" and "light furnishings", announced their beaming lift attendant. They stepped out, the lift door closing smartly behind them.

Strange, said John, this floor is not as brightly lit as the floor they had just left, especially as this was the floor children would want to spend most of their time on. There was none of the usual fluorescent lighting, you''d expect to see, just big, round, old fashioned looking lights.

Although there was a lot of hustle and bustle, with children and parents milling about and a large banner, wishing everyone a Happy Christmas 1997. It still looked rather drab, con- cluded John. In fact, the whole scene was not as bright as you would expect it to be. What were the designers thinking of, creating such a down beat atmosphere, especially for a large store like "Hardacres".

Over here Dad- called Peter, breaking  into Johns thoughts- I''ve seen what I want, he added. It''s over here-  it''s a "Meccano Set". It''s certainly a very fine set, thought John, I haven''t seen anything like that for ages, I bet it''ll cost a bomb, he thought out-loud.

I really could make some ''smashing'' things with that- Daddy- please, pleaded Peter. Go on Daddy, urged Mary, it looks like a very nice present, she pleaded- in her girlish way.

All-right, agreed John, as he looked for the price, surprisingly, it was only seven pounds- almost unbelievable for such a large set, thought John, we''ll certainly get that, he added- an absolute bargain. Daddy, can we see Father Christmas now-  he''s over there, said Mary.

We certainly can, replied John, as they quickly made their way in that direction.

I cant get over this drab atmosphere, it''s almost unreal, just what were the store management thinking of, setting a floor up like this, thought John. Even Father Christmas lacked the normal sparkle you''d expect of a large store like "Hardacres".

Soon, Mary was sitting on Father Christmas''s lap. At first glance, you would think Father Christmas, was the same man attending the lift- and what does this pretty little girl want Father Christmas to bring her for Christmas. A talking Dolly, replied Mary, having made up her mind long before they came. Well, replied Father Christmas, we must see what we can do about that? With a beaming smile, he thrust he''s hand into a large sack pulling out a small package, perhaps this will do- until Christmas day.

Giving Mary a neat kiss on the forehead, he placed her back on the floor. Bye bye, he added- waving. Mary quickly back with her father. Look what Father Christmas gave me- Daddy. Waving the package, so John would notice- not that he could have missed it anyway. Very nice, said her father. We must hurry home now, otherwise your Mother will wonder what''s happened to us. Firstly, we m