I thought I'd wait to post the shopping drama until I decided that I was either actually going to attempt it, or snuggle down into the flannel sheets and sleep instead...
While driving around on Thanksgiving, I enticed Rich to stop at a local grocery to let me run in and get a paper:
"Wait...why do you need a paper? Are you actually going shopping in the morning? Are you seriously after anything in particular?"
"No...I just, um...well, I don't want to miss anything...you know, just in case..."
He opted to wait in the car, while I ran in...which was a smart move on his part seeing as I became stranded in line behind a man who felt the need to raise his voice about the high price of vodka, and rant about the other high prices in the store...and all for naught. Can you believe they were completely sold out of papers?
Seriously...
So was everyone else. Rich suggested I check online, as most stores publish their sales on the net...I couldn't explain to him that it's not the same as having the advertisements right in my hands...for one thing, reading ads on a computer make them a lot smaller...and then I forget what I'm looking at and I have to write it down...oh, it's like taking a class. Plus...I wanted the Michaels coupons and I couldn't get them...and there wasn't a darned thing I needed anyway (everything seems so expensive, even when it's on sale)
Which doesn't explain why I woke up and went out...but, that I did. Actually, I'm happy that I went out...not only did I get some unexpected gift shopping done (mostly for me) but I got to reconnect with a friend I hadn't seen in a while as we waited in the line in Target to check out...both of us there for the silliest of things. When I walked out to the parking lot, I thought someone had stolen my car because it was parked so far away from the entrance...which if I remember correctly, was one of the only empty spots left anywhere near the store (someone said that the line to get into Target was down to the Home Depot (and it was in the 30's this morning) which is a darned good jaunt to the left of Target. Everyone seemed to be really civil...which was kind of disappointing because I heard that someone got punched at Kohl's for cutting in line...
Now THAT would have been worth the trip out to Prescott Valley...
People are whipped up into a frenzy at this time of year...store employees are warned and trained...Someone might get hurt...Which is understandable on some level, as I waited in line at WalMart at 3 am when I bought my first lap top...You would not believe the behavior of people who just shove their way in front of you when the doors are about to open, people who just walk right up and think it's OK for them to get in front of you...I think though, that most of the large stores get super excited about Black Friday and encourage people to freak out by not having any order to the lines that go into the stores, and just a few of the most popular things in stock.
I like to watch people this time of year, see how they navigate...what they buy...it was always my favorite time to work in huge retail stores because you can actually be very helpful to people (it's fun to find and sell things that you know people are going to wrap up and give to someone else to help them have a happy holiday) and it's fun to be around all the chaos...I also think being lucky enough to get a laptop that year at WalMart (as there were only 10 in the entire store...actually, I got one for both my mother and I...we happened to be standing in line next to the manager of the electronic department that day...so, I think we all bonded. That's kind of a weird mentality isn't it? Line Bonding? You stand next to a small group of people for a few hours...and you kind of bond to them in your own way, and then you usually never see them again) I figure I was super lucky to get what I wanted on The Day After...nevermind that it was a few years ago (and I replaced the HP with a Mac) I still feel lucky to this day.
And when I got to work? There was a line in front of Snap Snap...OK, it was more of a milling about of 3 people excited for me to open so they could come in and shop, but I felt super important anyway...sometimes people forget about us smaller stores in downtown...
Cause' they're at the mall...
getting all beat up.
6 comments:
I wish I could have been among the throngs in front of Snip Snap...
Yep, I would have been at your place, too
Oh, thank you for that concept of line bonding. It is so true! There's also airplane grounded bonding -- one time somewhere in Mass. I had a grand time with a young man as we imagined ourselves in one of those dramatic airplane movies. Thank you again!
Sorry. I couldn't. I just couldn't. No matter how good the bargains.
So glad you got *something* out of all that--especially the part about catching up with an old friend :)
Really cute post. I would have loved to have seen a visual of some of those stories! Glad you got in some shopping. I particularly love shopping for myself too. :) It has hit my hubby that we still have some XMas shopping to do, that we didn't get it all done before the birth, because it's so much harder now...Yup! :)
Post a Comment