Holiday Horde

Well, there might not have been a Mayan Apocalypse, but it sure felt like the end of the world at the stores and on the roads near the shopping malls.  Particularly on Christmas Eve, when so many people rushed to buy gifts at the last minute, swarming the aisles and grabbing whatever they could before the next person was able to get it.  Good for the stores; entertaining for me.

Give us scented bath gift baskets!

 People watching--it's a fascinating pastime for me.

And today, a whole other mass invasion of shoppers flooded the stores for exchanges and returns and to spend those gift cards.

The customer service line begins here.

Bless those hardworking customer service reps, trying to keep sane amongst the madness and onslaught of pissed off, aggressive, and rude customers.

No receipt means No refunds, No exchanges!

Ordinarily, I'm not a big shopping person.  But I couldn't resist going to see the stores this year, doing my part to keep the economy going.  Capitalism--it's in my American blood.  And I enjoy the thrill of finding great merchandise at steep discount post holiday prices.  Granted, not all the stuff I find are such high ticket, valuable items.  But dammit, why wouldn't I want to buy gaudy, sparkling Xmas ornaments at 50% off?  Better yet, they'll be 90% off the day after New Year.  I can't resist a good bargain sometimes.  Besides, I'm all ready starting to stock up on next year's Xmas gifts.  And also, I really do get a kick out of grabbing the last items on sale before someone else snatches them.

Earlier this year, during the day after New Year's Day sale, I was able to locate a Charlie Brown Xmas tree at a store.  I spotted it first when some old lady in a motorized shopping cart saw where I was heading, and she cut me off and tried to run me over to race down the aisle to grab the Charlie Brown Xmas tree!  The nerve!  Unfortunately for her, there was a display table blocking her oversized motorized shopping cart, allowing me to slip past her and grab the last Charlie Brown Xmas tree!  Ha! I win!  In your face, loser!

Competitiveness; it's also in my blood. 

Here's to hoping you find some fun (and good bargains) for the rest of the holiday season.