Monday, December 21, 2009

Smack Down In Costco

Ok. It wasn't a smack down. Just an opportunity for one. That I passed up of course.

I'm not much of a shopper but I love shopping at Christmas time. I enjoy the hustle and bustle. The lights and decorations. The sounds and the smells. Before children I would enjoy browsing the stores with a latte in hand taking in all the people and the excitement of the season.

Since children have entered the picture I don't get that opportunity much at all. I just realized last week how much I miss it. Especially this time of year. My shopping trips now are a mixture of cruising the aisles, keeping our budget in mind and keeping three children happy and relatively quiet until we get to the car.

So last week (Yes, I went shopping last week. For presents. Can we say, "Behind schedule!") I planned a shopping trip. I ask one cousin to keep Abiah and Hazel and the other to come along with me and Amelia. I tried to make an organized plan for the day and felt like it would be a successful day. And it was in most ways. But in all other ways I felt scattered and lost.

I couldn't remember a single present idea that I had planned. I felt like I wandered around aimlessly. I enjoyed my cousin but the shopping was a disappointment. And then we went to Costco.

The scattered feeling was irritating me. Then I misunderstood something about pictures I was having printed. After standing in the line for 15 minutes and paying they told me I needed a release form from the photographers. It was my mistake but I was frustrated. More with myself than anything. But anyways. The point.

As I'm walking away from the photo counter line to stand in the check out line I hear a woman behind me say, "Look at all these damn people!" I admit, this made my blood pressure rise. I wanted to turn around and say, "Lady, you're one of 'em!"

Seriously, people! Everyone knows there are crowds during the holidays. Everyone! And if you don't want to deal with it stay home! And please, if you do go out acknowledge that fact that you are part of the insanity. In fact, embrace it. It is more fun that way.

I'm glad I didn't start a fight in Costco. But I did need to vent. And you seem like a good audience. I now I bow and curtsy. I'm done.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Good job adding some peace to her shopping experience! I had a lady behind me at Costco who was talking on the phone to someone who was going to be Santa at their party. She told the person that they should get some "you know what's"... And that she was glad they knew what it was cause there were "alot" of children in front of her and she couldn't just say it. Made me thin of Santa Bob in the Viagra commercials.. And I wondered what the heck kind of Christmas party she was going to! ;). Oh ya... What cousin? Weird.

pistolsnprincesses said...

Rachel and Hannah. I took Hannah with me. And lol that you have "a lot" of children. Four isn't a lot. I wonder what she thinks of the Duggars.

LaFonda Dunlap said...

Very funny! Is does make you wonder what are people thinking when they make statements like that.

LaFonda Dunlap said...

So, I have another one of these "what are people thinking when they make those kind of statements'. Okay while taking our 5 hour longgggg drive in the snow for our 27.4 mile trip, your, yes your Auntie Pam says in her ,I am about to run out of patience voice, as she looks at the miles and miles of red tail lights in front of us, "OKAY PEOPLE I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!!!" I chuckled and then had to tell her why I found this to be funny. When I explained that you had written a blog that you called Smacked down in Costco and why you named it that,and that I had just written to you saying "What are people thinking when they say things like that, she began to laugh.Then I said "really all these people are doing are staying out here in all this mess just to keep you from home." They don't even care about getting home." We all had a good laugh.