Can I just say - I HATE SHOPPING!

Perks, that's commercialism, not Christmas. Now sit down, have a stiff drink of your choice and enjoy the peace and serenity of your home. Or bake some cookies...should be an interesting endeavor with a bit of alcohol in you system

You could be me.

I was in Asda this evening and had my usual whinge about "I hate this. I hate this. I hate this," to the cashier.

And not even around Christmas (which I don't celebrate anyway), although the happy happy joy joy bell-ringing tinsel gnomes-and-elves, tin-rattling nuns, oversized trees, tacky decorations, false jollity, ding-dong merrily on bollocks SHITE doesn't help.

Man, that felt good.

A thought for you- online shopping- I never go to the mall.

Amazon. Srsly.

It's saved my Christmas spirit. I got my shopping done in one afternoon, without any angst whatsoever, and I found everything I wanted to get, in yoga pants and a hoodie.

I hate HATE HATE the mall and department stores and big box stores. The only time I venture into one is if I have to buy clothes. The kids grow so fast I need to try stuff on them, and in my own size, things fluctuate so much I have to try stuff on, too.

Have a gallon of spiked eggnog, turn on some Christmas carols and kick back. Don't let the buybuybuy BS that passes for Christmas in the mall get ya down.

I hate just having to leave the house this time of year to buy anything. Food. Necessities. Whatever. EVERY friggen store is filled with these bozos. None of them know how to drive during this season. Nobody knows how to get out of my way. Get out of my way!

Two words. Online Shopping.

I only go to the mall on Christmas Eve, about an hour before closing.

I like to stand in that large center common area, surrounded by the madness and shout "I don't need to buy anything!" at the top of my lungs.

At which point little Cindy Loo Shopping Who pulls the bottom of my scarf, looks up at me with that sweet smile, those innocent, childlike eyes and says:

"Don't you have somewhere else better to be, then? Loser."

The music is what really kills me about holiday shopping. What I've done recently is just sprint through jo-ann fabrics grabbing anything that is either batiked, on clearance, or has robots on it (or dragons, or skiers, or zombies (man i wish jo-ann sold zombie-theme fabrics)), snatch up a handful of embroidery floss, and run home to sew something up. it's the least painful and least expensive method i've found. though, the last time i was there, some little old lady hit my car in the parking lot (luckily it's a forester, and covered in tacky gray plastic, like urban armor. actually, more like a protective layer of lego.). she got out and hobbled over to say, 'it's fine, i barely bumped you!' and hobbled away to her shopping.

yeah, the mall sucks big time. luckily, i think i'll survive the season with zero trips there this year.

Williebee said:

Two words. Online Shopping.

I only go to the mall on Christmas Eve, about an hour before closing.

I like to stand in that large center common area, surrounded by the madness and shout "I don't need to buy anything!" at the top of my lungs.

At which point little Cindy Loo Shopping Who pulls the bottom of my scarf, looks up at me with that sweet smile, those innocent, childlike eyes and says:

"Don't you have somewhere else better to be, then? Loser."

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ANd ROFLMFAO!

It's not the stores that have bothered me so much this season - it's the parking lots. I almost got run over a few weeks back when someone was backing up.

Your problem Perks is what I call the blur factor. Everything becomes a blur after a while and it all starts looking the same. Nothing is unique. Nothing stands out.

*rams his cart into mela's leg*

I said get out of the way!

I hate shopping in general, so I only go when it becomes necessary.

BenPanced said:

I hate shopping in general, so I only go when it becomes necessary.

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Same here. If I could avoid ever setting foot into a store again, I would. And don't get me started on Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart gives me hives.

Ditto to the online shopping.

I love Christmas, but totally maxed out on commercialism. Jo don't play dat game no more. Handmade gifts, amazon gifts, whatever. I'm just not going shopping.

Oh, my other solution? I got gifts in early November. Everything's all wrapped and in a pile already.

JoNightshade said:

Ditto to the online shopping.

Oh, my other solution? I got gifts in early November. Everything's all wrapped and in a pile already.

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I agree! Got my gifts weeks ago. I live way out of town, so it's an hour drive PLUS all the insanity to deal with if I go shopping closer to the holidays. I refuse to play. However, I still have to endure grocery shopping, which is nearly as bad. Oh well.

I generally get bonuses and money from church which means I generally don't have the money to do my Christmas shopping until the week before Christmas. Still haven't started yet for this year.

And I can't do it on line, because I don't have a credit card, and I'm not going to get one.

Here's how I survive:

1) I know exactly what I want to get everyone on my list, and pretty close to exactly how much it costs. I do this by scouting out gifts in the couple of months before Christmas, at a leisurely pace, and by having everyone I'm buying for make a written list.

2) Based on money available, I decide which day(s) is/are shopping day(s). Usually only one or at most two days for this.

3) I get up before the stores open. Eat a good breakfast. Then it's off to the stores I've targeted (usually in a mall, but not always). I'm there when they open. You'd be surprised how empty the mall is at ten in the morning.

4) I go directly to the store I'm buying from, pick up the pre-chosen gift, go to the cashier, pay my dues, and it's on to the next store and gift.

I'm usually out of there before the crowds start rolling in, just before noon.

I do my grocery shopping the same way. Normally I'm a night owl, but if I'm going shopping, I'm out early and home well before noon, when everyone who is normally up at seven to go to work is just getting up to go shopping.

As for parking at the mall, I choose the farthest spot away from the door. There's never any competition for it.

I hate shopping. That's why I shop online.

I hate shopping too. Anytime of year, but Christmastime is the worst. I hate crowds and heat and, yes, people who won't get the hell out of my way. Every year my husband and I take a day off work in November and do (almost) all our shopping together. It's actually kind of fun, we go out for lunch, and I don't have to go into a mall in December. I get to sit at home sipping rum and eggnog with the fire on watching Christmas Vacation for the 50th time. Works for me!

In the bookstore I work at, every year it's the same battle to keep our sanity and faith in humanity around this time. For every polite person, there are five who've forgotten manners exist or scream at me because we're waiting on our re-orders of the popular books. Then there's always one or two who passive-aggressively imply I've ruined their Christmas because they won't be able to get the gift that will make this the most perfect Christmas ever.

My survival method is to smile. Keep on smiling so I don't snap. Come home, have chocolate, and put on Christmas carols. I ask my family what they want in October and do all my shopping at the end of November. When the customers at work start getting frantic, I'm already done.

They still have malls? Really?

I haven't been in one in years.

I have been to the mall. I invoke Shadow Ferret's words: "Get. Out. Of. My. Way." Usually said with a snarl.

Williebee said:

Two words. Online Shopping.

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Perks, this was going to be my advice, too.

I shopped on amazon.com this year. A great way to shop! Also a few other places online. My purchases were shipped to me very quickly and all I have to do is wrap them.

I refuse to go to malls in December. It's not good for my blood pressure.