Procrastination

       I typically never say such a blasphemous thing, but I have officially vowed shopping off. The bank is closed, the chick shopper in me is sapped of all buying desire. I have not an ounce of shopper left in me. What's purchased will have to do.

       I finished my shopping yesterday, along with thousands of other harried, last minute shoppers. A showcase of zombie like people with a slightly dazed look to our eyes. All of us looking for the elusive gifts that meant something other then a consolation gift of convenience.  

       I'm not sure if I conquered or had my arse whipped by the mission I embarked upon, but I am indeed alive today. I have a pile of gifts to wrap and I am satisfied with the gifts I was able to find. That is going to be good enough.

       I started observing people yesterday, as I was standing in torturous long lines and battling my way down store isles. It was a glorious day for people watching. With the clock ticking just hours away from the big day, and each of us with our wads of cash or tenacity of plastic cards in hand, we weren't there enjoying the Christmas music or the displays of various stores. We were on a quest.

        Last minute shoppers are purpose driven people on a mission, who have no desire to stop and get a free facial or spritzered by a fragrance salesperson. The majority of us were rather nice about it all. We all plastered smiles of mutual understanding on our faces and even embarked on simple conversation of boosting each others spirits while standing in lines.

       Since I'm a question asker, I asked many people the same question, "Why are you doing your shopping so late in the season?" The answers were varied. Some people were just tying up loose ends, some people had to wait on a paycheck, some people swore that they got MUCH better deals closer to Christmas and some people just shrugged and said the month got away from them and they realized they only had 2 days before the big day. I myself fall into that last category.

       Procrastination has it's pitfalls and again, it has it's shiny side. For instance, I didn't over buy like I might tend to do if I had shopped throughout the month. And the one shopper was right, there are some great deals out there right now from the stores who don't want to hang onto Christmas inventory.

       Now Gladiator style shopping is a fine art, you must be brave to muscle your car into tiny little parking spaces without dinging someone. You have to stand your ground with your cart like it's a battle ram from medieval times. Some department stores must think it's a sick and twisted joke to make the isles small enough that two carts can't make it past each other. Therefore causing a traffic jam of gigantic proportions.

       The way I see it, they think if they can lock up potential shoppers, we'll get bored while waiting for the mess to clear and buy up everything, no matter what it is, in the interim. I'm certain this is mastermind planning from the corporate world. At least in those type of stores, they patronize me by placing all the new magazines in the long check out lines so we can all read the new People without having to purchase it. Thats kind of them.

       By the end of the day, I was really seeing the comical side to last minute shopping. Zombie stares, gladiator style tactics, magazine reading, babies screaming, counting pennies, smiling at other zombies, and laughing at each others dire straights.

       It turned out to be a rather interesting day. And I hereby swear, I will not shop again for the rest of the year. I am cured, my shopping bug has deserted me, I am on financial lock down, the ATM is closed.

       So until next year.............

And for all you early shoppers. You know who you are, the ones that start shopping back in October or even earlier.

I bow to your wisdom~