Saturday - I was foolish enough to go shopping yesterday
Saturday morning, I headed up to Gringott’s to withdraw a sack of Knuts, Sickles, and Galleons to pay the bills. After depositing it at the other bank I made the foolish decision to do some shopping. I did a wee bit of quick research at home on the Consumer Reports web site, then headed out to buy myself a Blu-Ray player. Since they’re down around $100. And because, curse the movie studios, they’re no longer putting the cool extras on the DVDs, now they’re just releasing the deleted scenes and other goodies on Blu-Ray.
Now that most of their competition has disappeared, Best Buy pretty much has the market on electronics in the area. The problem is, the Nashua store was build back when Circuit City and Tweeter and other big chains still existed. And they’re not really equipped (or situated) for being the only game in town. Making the left turn off the Daniel Webster Highway took four or five light cycles, because only four or five cars can get through. And people kept cutting in line. Then once I got onto the little side road it was bumper to bumper traffic trying to get to the parking lot. I skipped the front lot and headed straight for the underground garage, which is usually empty. Not today. After three circuits of the parking lot (and two near misses where someone else whipped into the space I was aiming for) I gave up and became “that asshole” and parked in the non-space at the end of a row. It was a full size space, just striped as “do not park here.” But I can only handle just so much circling like a vulture. With my list of Consumer Reports approved models, I was in and out of the store in less time than it took me to park.
I had also wanted to pick up a copy of the extended edition of Lord of the Rings (mine disappeared in the robbery back in 2007). But the large cardboard LOTR display rack at Best Buy was oddly full of Harry Potter movies. (I wasn’t expecting to find it, because the Internet said they were out of stock. But why fill the display with something else, why not pull it off the floor?). I stopped in at Barnes and Nobles, but they were out of stock too. I did however pick up the entire eight movie set of the Horatio Hornblower movies from A&E (starring Ioan Gruffudd!) for a mere $17. Cheap monies! Thankfully that did not involve circling the parking lot, because Barnes and Nobles was planned as a Superstore when they built it. And I don’t care if I park near the door, I can walk.
But is there anything more creepy than walking through a parking lot and hearing the slow crunch of tires over sand and snow? It’s the sound you hear at the beginning of so damn many chase scenes in horror and action movies. I realized last week that it’s one of the reasons why I avoid Christmas shopping. It creeps me out when cars follow me through the parking lot (I tend to cut cross-country to throw them off my trail). And I try my hardest to avoid doing it to other shoppers. *shudders*
Drivers were annoying too yesterday. Trying to get back out of Best Buy was just as slow as getting in. Complete gridlock. Not improved by the short light that (at best) let four or five cars make the left turn off the side street and back onto the Daniel Webster highway. And made even worse by one person who was probably texting and didn’t see the light turn green. They were the ONLY person who got through that light cycle. Argh!
But my day was saved when I got down to Best Buy in Burlington (I was pretty much determined to own Hobbitses and Elves before the end of the day!). The parking lot was plenty big enough, and I found a spot right away. When I got into the store, I easily found the movie section. However, I didn’t see a cardboard display rack for LOTR, so I searched the shelves instead. No luck. There were three young fellows in blue chatting on the floor, so I asked them. And here’s the pleasant part, two of them literally lept to wait on me, all smiles. They were all so cheerful. Fellow #1 led me over to the shelves, where (of course) there was a huge empty slot. Fellow #2 ran off and found a boxed set for me somewhere else. Yay! I had to, of course, make the obligatory nerd joke. “My preciousss!” when I thanked them. Then I went off in search of the cashiers. I’d seen them on my way in, but had trouble finding them again. Because they’d tucked the registers behind an enormous flat screen TV display. I mean this thing was RIDONKULOUS. I think my single bed was smaller. I don’t think I even have a wall big enough to hold something that huge.
It’s stuff like that that makes me feel like I just don’t fit in with American consumer culture. Who needs a TV the size of a bed? Who needs reindeer antlers on their car? ( I saw at least three sets while I was out shopping.) Who racks up their credit cards so badly that they’re in debt for four or five months to pay for Christmas? I mean, I love to shop. Anyone who hangs out with me knows that. And my house is cluttered with stuff. But I’ve been trying to cut back. This year for Christmas I bought myself the following:
• A new vacuum - Because my old one died.
• A Blu-Ray player - Because it looks like the industry is forcing consumers in that direction.
• LOTR Extended Edition - To replace the ones that were stolen.
• And I’m going to make an Amazon book order later today.
But that’s it. No clothes. No toys. Really, I didn’t do much in the way of additional shopping this year. Because 2013 is going to be about having less stuff in the house.
Now that most of their competition has disappeared, Best Buy pretty much has the market on electronics in the area. The problem is, the Nashua store was build back when Circuit City and Tweeter and other big chains still existed. And they’re not really equipped (or situated) for being the only game in town. Making the left turn off the Daniel Webster Highway took four or five light cycles, because only four or five cars can get through. And people kept cutting in line. Then once I got onto the little side road it was bumper to bumper traffic trying to get to the parking lot. I skipped the front lot and headed straight for the underground garage, which is usually empty. Not today. After three circuits of the parking lot (and two near misses where someone else whipped into the space I was aiming for) I gave up and became “that asshole” and parked in the non-space at the end of a row. It was a full size space, just striped as “do not park here.” But I can only handle just so much circling like a vulture. With my list of Consumer Reports approved models, I was in and out of the store in less time than it took me to park.
I had also wanted to pick up a copy of the extended edition of Lord of the Rings (mine disappeared in the robbery back in 2007). But the large cardboard LOTR display rack at Best Buy was oddly full of Harry Potter movies. (I wasn’t expecting to find it, because the Internet said they were out of stock. But why fill the display with something else, why not pull it off the floor?). I stopped in at Barnes and Nobles, but they were out of stock too. I did however pick up the entire eight movie set of the Horatio Hornblower movies from A&E (starring Ioan Gruffudd!) for a mere $17. Cheap monies! Thankfully that did not involve circling the parking lot, because Barnes and Nobles was planned as a Superstore when they built it. And I don’t care if I park near the door, I can walk.
But is there anything more creepy than walking through a parking lot and hearing the slow crunch of tires over sand and snow? It’s the sound you hear at the beginning of so damn many chase scenes in horror and action movies. I realized last week that it’s one of the reasons why I avoid Christmas shopping. It creeps me out when cars follow me through the parking lot (I tend to cut cross-country to throw them off my trail). And I try my hardest to avoid doing it to other shoppers. *shudders*
Drivers were annoying too yesterday. Trying to get back out of Best Buy was just as slow as getting in. Complete gridlock. Not improved by the short light that (at best) let four or five cars make the left turn off the side street and back onto the Daniel Webster highway. And made even worse by one person who was probably texting and didn’t see the light turn green. They were the ONLY person who got through that light cycle. Argh!
But my day was saved when I got down to Best Buy in Burlington (I was pretty much determined to own Hobbitses and Elves before the end of the day!). The parking lot was plenty big enough, and I found a spot right away. When I got into the store, I easily found the movie section. However, I didn’t see a cardboard display rack for LOTR, so I searched the shelves instead. No luck. There were three young fellows in blue chatting on the floor, so I asked them. And here’s the pleasant part, two of them literally lept to wait on me, all smiles. They were all so cheerful. Fellow #1 led me over to the shelves, where (of course) there was a huge empty slot. Fellow #2 ran off and found a boxed set for me somewhere else. Yay! I had to, of course, make the obligatory nerd joke. “My preciousss!” when I thanked them. Then I went off in search of the cashiers. I’d seen them on my way in, but had trouble finding them again. Because they’d tucked the registers behind an enormous flat screen TV display. I mean this thing was RIDONKULOUS. I think my single bed was smaller. I don’t think I even have a wall big enough to hold something that huge.
It’s stuff like that that makes me feel like I just don’t fit in with American consumer culture. Who needs a TV the size of a bed? Who needs reindeer antlers on their car? ( I saw at least three sets while I was out shopping.) Who racks up their credit cards so badly that they’re in debt for four or five months to pay for Christmas? I mean, I love to shop. Anyone who hangs out with me knows that. And my house is cluttered with stuff. But I’ve been trying to cut back. This year for Christmas I bought myself the following:
• A new vacuum - Because my old one died.
• A Blu-Ray player - Because it looks like the industry is forcing consumers in that direction.
• LOTR Extended Edition - To replace the ones that were stolen.
• And I’m going to make an Amazon book order later today.
But that’s it. No clothes. No toys. Really, I didn’t do much in the way of additional shopping this year. Because 2013 is going to be about having less stuff in the house.