Good God. This season makes people more dumb than usual(Shopping rant)...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

We just went shopping. People just randomly stop in the middle of an aisle, people behind them be damned. Then nearly at EVERY INTERSECTION someone pulled out in front of me. Oh, and it doesn't stop there. People speeding all over the place in rain and snow. People pushing past you and your cart to get to something they want in the frozen food aisle. People are rude, stupid and need to learn how to drive. :grr:
Duckie

[gizmo1979]

1. I'm doomed

I hate shopping.Haven't started yet.I hate shoppers.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

7. Why did you wait so late?!

[gizmo1979]

22. I do this every year

usually I wait until 2 weekends before Xmas to shop.Then I finish on Xmas eve day.I work best under pressure.

[Wcross]

9. I am NOT shopping this year.

I refuse to participate. I stated my disgust with the whole thing last year but caved in under much pressure. Not this year. People have sent me gifts, I am sure they expect me to do the same. Nope.
I don't care. Whats the worst that can happen? They don't send gifts next year? Mission accomplished.
I will make donations to charity but no gifts to friends or family.

[havocmom]

13. The year I flat out refused to do what was expected OF me

and only did what was meaningful TO me was the year I started enjoying Christmas again.

Hold your ground. It's worth it. My heart has room for Christmas all year now that I swept my resentment at meeting cultural norms out of my life at this busy time of year.

[DS1]

2. My porcupine suit with active tasers on the tips of the spines

will be on sale next October.

[jane_pippin]

3. HA! I just got home from my retail job shift. Tell me about it.

You know how people say St. Patrick's day is amateur night for drinkers? December is amateur month for shopping. I've found that accepting that makes life a little easier. (Doesn't mean I think it should be an excuse for people to act like dicks though.)

There was a lot of that mesmerized stopping in the aisle business going on. However, we really didn't have any difficult customers. Lots of stupid questions, (think of that scene in Clerks with the confused woman standing under a display of what she's looking for--stuff like that), but just about everybody was in a good mood so even when that happened, or if I made a little mistake, the customer and I had a laugh over it. How that happened is beyond me and whether or not it will last all week--well who knows. I really hope it does.

[flamingyouth]

4. I'm taking a break from mine now.

People come in in packs - like a swarm of bees, then it quiets for 20 minutes or so. It's very weird, almost like a message is being sent to everyone, "hey, go in that store NOW, all of you." :eyes:

Oh, the questions, some of them are really great, aren't they? :eyes:

[jane_pippin]

5. I have a theory about that swarming

We were actually very consistent all day--but that's because we were one person short. (Somehow they magically can sense that too). :D
But my theory is, people go out to eat (or for coffee, or to another store), see someone else's bag of stuff, or overhear a "what did you get for so and so" conversation-whatever. They (and about every one else in the place) think, "hey, that's a good idea" or "I've been meaning to go there," and then out of nowhere we get hit with about a billion people. It was funny, but so many customers had the same shopping plans for the day, as evidenced by their coffee cups and other bags.

Another hunch I have is that with rare exception, all stores have their own version of this question:

Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for a DVD, but I can't remember who's in it or what it was called. My friend was telling me about it--I think it had a guy who met this girl, and they like, danced to make sure something bad didn't happen? Or maybe it was something good. I don't know. Ring any bells?

:rofl:

Ah people. Gotta love 'em. Hang in there this week.

[flamingyouth]

14. Thanks - just got home from work.

I think someone pissed in all my customers' Wheaties this morning. Wow, people were in a lousy mood. I didn't even get one bit of sympathy wearing my neck brace, just complaints that I wasn't gift wrapping quickly enough for people. :eyes:

Ugh, just glad to be home. I have two days off and plan to rest. If I felt better I think this wouldn't get to me as much... grumble, grumble.

You hang in there too! :hi:

[jane_pippin]

16. That's just wrong. I'm sorry you had to deal with that all day.

Rude customers can really screw up a day.

I hope spending some time on couch island during your time off helps.

Thanks, I will.

[Left Is Write]

20. That made me laugh.

It's just like requests for songs: "Can you play that one song by that guy with the broken heart?"

[jmm]

23. Last Christmas I saw a woman trying to buy a CD

for her granddaughter. She didn't like her taste in music so she was gonna buy her something wholesome that "the kids today" would still like. Grandma heard a song on the radio and wanted to buy the guy's CD but she couldn't remember much about it other than the guy said Baby and it might be a song you can dance to. I was nearly on the floor laughing as three sales people were trying to help her.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

10. My friend Lana went to mail a package last night...

And she said people were just being bitchy. There was a woman there who wanted to mail her presents to get there before Christmas but didn't want to pay for it. She griped because it was going to cost her $20 to mail her stuff. That's not bad in my opinion, especially since she had like 6 packages. Anyway, she was rude to the lady behind the counter. When Lana got to the front the clerk looked at her, wondering if she were going to be difficult too and was on pointe. Lana smiled and told her, "I need these to get there before Christmas, I don't care what it costs." The clerk smiled back and said bless you. I think she really was glad for at least one moment of someone who wasn't a complete waste of oxygen. I don't understand why people get so bent out of shape while they're shopping. If you wait until the last minute, why the fuck are you in a hurry? You have to know that the other idiots who waited until the last minute are going to be there too. You might as well just go with it and have fun. That's what we did today. We just went to Target this afternoon. We had a couple more people to buy presents for, so we went and had fun. We made fun of the people who were freaking out and we wanted to beat the hell out of those who just kept walking in front of people without looking. It was annoying, but we enjoyed ourselves. Sorry I rambled...
Duckie
Duckie

[jane_pippin]

15. You have a great attitude about it. I don't know why people put so much

pressure on themsleves. I can see wanting to give your kids a nice christmas, get them what they want and all. But I don't understand getting so bent out of shape if the store is out of the "hot gift." Get something else for the kid, get the hot gift a day or two later or whenever it's in stock. It's not the end of the world.

Or the post office lady you mentioned--what the fuck did she think was going to happen? This time of the year would be so much more fun if people would just chill out and enjoy themselves instead of getting so worked up over things. They're just things.

[Tom_Foolery]

6. It's the "I'm the center of the universe" syndrome...

They think they're important, and you're not.

[AmyDeLune]

18. Tell me about it! *eyeroll*

So far I've lucked out and customers have been in a good mood-- all except one.
She comes in while I'm ringing out another customer, I say hello and she stands there like a statue, unsmiling. I finish with the first customer and greet her again at which point she plops a comic book on the counter and says she purchased it here last year(!), she has no receipt and wants to exchange it for another item. The price tag/inventory # doesn't look like my store's either(though I don't say that out loud).

I explain that since it has been such a long time since the item was purchased and since she has no receipt she'll have to talk to my boss (the store's owner). She frowns and comments that it's such a small amount in comparison to what she's purchasing it really shouldn't matter. I tell her she's right and that my boss will probably okay an exchange but I am only an employee, not an owner; it's not my decision to make (the return/exchange policy is clearly posted in several places around the register and has been for the past 15 years) and I'm the one who will get in trouble if I make the wrong call-- she'll have to talk to the owner.

I give her mailing list form to fill out and she remains stiff and silent while I cash her out, speaking up only to make sure that I've given her the standard price volume discount (which I did) and then she scoops up her items, leaving her "returned" comic with the mailing list form.

The irony is that when my co-worker came in later and I related the tale to him, he looked at the tag and said he was 99% certain it was from another store about ten blocks over from us. She'll have to come back, get her comic and take it to that store and see if they will take a year old return with no receipt there.

Mmmm...petty revenge...:evilgrin:

[bertha katzenengel]

8. And another thing. In a tiny wine shop, where the aisles are wide enough

for ONE HUMAN ONLY, where you can't pass someone without touching, do NOT be an asshole and say "AHEM! I'm trying to get by." A kind "may I pass" would suffice.

:hi: Deep breath and a little hot chocolate, Duckie.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

11. Bertha, it's always nice to see you!

Hope your holiday season has been a good one!
Duckie

[bertha katzenengel]

12. Thank you, sweet little Duckie.

It's been fine, but it'll get a lot better after I talk to my lawyer on Monday. See rant "bertha slaps someone silly." :grr:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. I love your sig pic.

I'm going to copy it and send it around. :D

[YellowRubberDuckie]

19. Thank ya!

[aquaman]

21. Shop online.....

We have not stepped in one store this holiday season. Every purchase has come via online retailers. It's been great.