Holiday Shopping Insanity and Idiocy[Rant]

So, me being the procrastinator that I am, put off all of my holiday shopping until today. After curing my hangover with caffeine and grease I headed to the mall. Biggest Mistake Ever!! It was anarchy.

Here are a few bits of advice.

1. When directly at the bottom of an escalator don't stop and talk to your friends, especially if you're nearly 300lbs because you block the whole friggin' exit.

2. If you do decide to stop and block the escalator and people are starting to pile up behind you, don't be shocked and start giving dirty looks when a few people tell you to move.

3. Still on the escalator theme, if you're a teenager and are trying to act cool for your friends, don't try walking up the down escalator when there's a bunch of people on it. Especially if one of those people is me, cuz I'm not letting you get by.

4. When there's more than one of the same item on a shelf, there's no need to grab and horde as though it was the last beer in the fridge.

5. To the store owners, for the sake of your employees' sanity, buy more than one Christmas carol CD, one poor register jockey told me he was going to cry if he had to here Jingle Bell Rock one more time

6. And lastly, don't for the love of God bring children into a toy store 3 days before Christmas. It's temper tantrum time bomb waiting to go off. And I witnessed a number of these explosions today.

So, what are your shopping nightmares and complaints?

End rant/

I wouldn't know I go to the mall in the middle of the week when it opens So I dont have to deal with it, Im not a people person especially when there acting like a bunch of rabid water buffalo's trying to push and shove to get stuff they should of bought a month ago.

amazon.com

X gift wrap.

I may be old, but some change is goooood!

Rick

rickylr said:

amazon.com

X gift wrap.

I may be old, but some change is goooood!

Rick

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Yeah, I'm a fan of online shopping but I put it off for too long so I had to brave the mall

Haven't been in a mall in five years, we don't have them around here. I don't shop at all in December, except groceries and then only places that do not play carols.

[Made one exception to the G-rule this year. Stopped in at the hardware store for a new toilet brush. They're ok, still heat the place with a potbelly stove and no PA system.]

I was at the mall last Monday early and it was packed! The traffic was horrendous and the mall was filled with people! If course everything I was looking for was gone! On a MONDAY!
I don't like shopping anyway but to deal with the traffic and crowds did nothing to put me into the holiday spirit!

So my wife is a manager for a retail establishment and her favorite thing about the last 2 days before Christmas is the people who get mad at her for not having the item they want to buy in stock even though they are the a**holes who waited until the last minute to do their shopping. Who are these people???

Why do we all participate in this compulsory, mass-consumption ritual anyway? Going into debt, scrambling to buy everyone we know something that they're just going to return after the holiday. It's not only insane, but completely devoid of any connection to the death and resurrection of christ. We have turned an ancient cultural tradition into major religious holiday, into a herd-mentality consumer frenzy. And no, there's not anything thoughtful or selfless about trying to decide which chinese piece of crap will take your little nephew the longest to break.

I write this sitting next to my christmas tree, trying to figure out what the hell my wife wants........

Sea said:

...scrambling to buy everyone we know something that they're just going to return after the holiday...

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I got 90% of the people gift cards. I like to shop for myself, and they probably do too.

I have a wife and an internet connection. Neither her nor I can stand to be in a mall, especially at Christmas so she knows when to start ordering online to get us ready in time.

RichBrewer said:

I don't like shopping anyway but to deal with the traffic and crowds did nothing to put me into the holiday spirit!

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Talking about traffic, it took me over 45 minutes to get out of the mall parking lot yesterday

Sea said:

Why do we all participate in this compulsory, mass-consumption ritual anyway? Going into debt, scrambling to buy everyone we know something that they're just going to return after the holiday. It's not only insane, but completely devoid of any connection to the death and resurrection of christ. We have turned an ancient cultural tradition into major religious holiday, into a herd-mentality consumer frenzy. And no, there's not anything thoughtful or selfless about trying to decide which chinese piece of crap will take your little nephew the longest to break.

I write this sitting next to my christmas tree, trying to figure out what the hell my wife wants........

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I don't think we fall into this willingly. There is a lot of pressure on everybody to buy the right gifts for everyone. The retail business flood us with messages about "giving". You don't love your SWMBO unless you buy her a diamond or a Lexus for Christmas. The whole thing has gotten out of hand. How many people buy a gift for someone they originally had no intention of buying for just because they found out that person got them something? And don't forget to be sure and spend at least as much as they did on you. Or at least worry that you didn't spend enough!
I get a lot of enjoyment from giving gifts to special people. Lately though Christmas has lost it's luster for me because of all the pressure.

I know I did some of my shopping online. and some at some stores however we were done all of our shopping by Dec 1

c.n.budz said:

......................

So, what are your shopping nightmares and complaints?

End rant/

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None. A number of years ago my wife and I decided to not allow the holiday rush intrude upon the season.

Gifts are exchanged and traditions held dear but without the cost of over consumption.

We own the season, not the retailers. And, we will not allow them to destroy it for us.