Pain of Shopping

If you hadn’t noticed, the temperature is dropping and Christmas will soon be upon us. I’m already late with my Christmas shopping duties. This is usually something I like to get done in September, but had to take a rain check due to time and financial constraints (don’t we all). I guess that does sound a bit neurotic, especially for a heterosexual man. The fact of the matter is that I tend to do things I dislike early, and shopping is one of them. Granted, my classmates in college already know about this.

I do enjoy shopping for “guy stuff” (i.e. muscle cars), but I even have to do that on my own terms. I suppose I suffer a touch of social anxiety, as I hate dealing with the throngs at stores and shifty salespeople. I think I dislike the later so much because I know it will become either a verbal sparing match, or me having to suffer the ignorance of someone who does not know as much about what they are selling as I do. Viva le informed consumer!

Regardless of anything else, it’s just a chore to me, and shopping at Christmas is the zenith of futility. Trying to buy gifts because you feel forced is just no fun. It tends to take the surprise and creativity out of things, and the worst part of that is you end up relying on the best and worst of all gifts: the gift card.

I like getting the cards (cash is still king, baby), as long as it’s for some place I would like, but I hate giving them, due to my twisted sense of ethics. For instance, my employer gave us gift certificates to Amazon.com. Now there’s one I’ll gratefully use. A card for one of those uppity KoP mall shops will just get re-gifted. Hope you’re not on my list! Ho, ho, ho!