A Modest Purchase

One of my new gloves ~ builders pencil.

Being a rather cold mortal in the bleak midwinter and not owning a pair of gloves I decided to take myself off to the shops and buy a pair. Having a nice brown coat, brown shoes, brown trousers and all, I decided it might best to go down what we artists call the 'analogous' colour route and opt for a brown pair. After visiting at least four shops (with well known household names) and not finding a single pair of gloves in brown I was about to give up hope when 'bingo' there they were, a pair in brown, and pretty nice too. So I made my purchase and was served by a very helpful and enthusiastic young man. Now, you may be forgiven for thinking where on earth is this post going, so here is the thing. As the nice young man handed me my bag and receipt he said "awesome" not "thank you sir" or even "have a nice day" but awesome. Call me old fashioned but surely the noun 'awesome' ought really to be reserved for let's say discovering the holy grail or perhaps the sudden unannounced arrival of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse but it seems these days that even the most modest of purchases can inspire 'awe' in an unsuspecting young shop assistant. It leaves me wondering what words we have left (aside from the obvious ones, usually beginning with an 'f') in store for something truly awe inspiring, any suggestions?