Last-Minute Shopper Frenzy

Two hours on the road and in the stores battling the masses has proved that I am not the only last-minute shopper out there. There should be signs posted in our neighborhoods that read “Caution: Leave at Your Own Risk” with a disclaimer that says, “No one will be held responsible for your vehicle’s safety, your safety, or your sanity.”

It’s a mad house out there. People honking at one another while parked in the middle of intersections. Cars flying around other cars at warp speeds. People running out in the middle of the road with shopping carts. That was all within a 2 mile drive to the store.

The store is even more chaotic. Have you ever experienced a snow fall to the point where the lines designating the parking spaces can’t be seen and the snow is piled everywhere, forcing people to park wherever they can fit their car? Then when you arrive, you have to somehow maneuver your car through the maze of cars, while trying not to hit any of them. That was today, but without the snow.

Then you finally get in the store only to be greeted with the drivers of those cars. Shopping carts are being run into one another, near misses of hitting passersby and some who actually do get hit.

Then there are the facial expressions that tell it all without saying a word. The hurried last-minute shopper, “Get out of my way! Do you have to walk .5 miles per hour?” The angry last-minute shopper, “That’s mine lady! I had my eyes on it first. Take it, and we’ll be taking this outside.”

It’s quite comical really, but a little dangerous too. If you don’t watch your back or keep up with the flow of traffic (in or outside the store), then that shopping trip could quickly turn into a ride in the back of a patrol car. Then again, that may not be so bad. They feed you in jail, right? Christmas dinner – served!

If you must head out to pick up last-minute items, be careful of fellow shoppers. They mean business!