Major holiday shopping rant

You'd think I'd have learned better. Every year, I swear I'm only going to order from catalogs or online, and I will be done shopping by Thanksgiving. Paying the shipping is (usually) worth not having to deal with people and parking and standing in line. I have never managed the only catalogs/online part, and only one year that I can think of have I managed the Thanksgiving part. I am, however, usually done by December 10, and I have made that this year, granted with only 8 hours to spare. I finished up this afternoon, after venturing out to the mall.


First off, it is now mid-December; only 16 shopping days are left. Then please explain to me WHY I had to go to four different registers at Macy's to find one that had a cashier?! This was only downstairs, by the way. Upstairs, they had them coming out of their ears, with no customers, but they couldn't ring up my purchase because they do make-up counter stuff only (yes, I know they are usually employed by the make-up company, not just the store). This is a store; last time I checked, they were in the business to sell stuff and to make money while doing it. I should not have to put serious time and effort into trying to give them my money! If it hadn't been for the fact that I could only get what I wanted at this store or at the one half-way across town (at a much busier mall), I would simply have left.

And while I appreciate the customer service aspect of allowing returns at any register (most definitely convenient if you are trying to return or exchange something), it is decidedly NOT convenient for those of us who just want to give you our single item, give you our credit card, and leave. When every register (well, those who have cashiers who don't say "sorry, I'm not open, please go to the next department") has 3-4 people in line trying to do major returns, that takes an incredible amount of time. Could you please have *one* register open for people who just want to pay and leave (and that does not take checks!)?

Oh yes, other customers please have your method of payment out and ready to go by the time they finish ringing you up. If you're using a check (and I'd really rather that you didn't), have it filled in and signed, and have your ID out and ready; you *know* they're going to ask! If you're using a credit card or cash, have it out and ready. PLEASE DO NOT wait until after your purchase has been rung up and bagged to then pick up your purse and start rummaging around in it, looking for your wallet, debating whether to use cash or card or which card to use. What, did you think they were going to ring it up and then say "it's on the house"? NO, they're not. You are going to have to pay for these things. So act like it! Be ready to pay once they're done ringing you up.

And by the way, if you see a car half-way pulled out of a space, please DO NOT block that car in while waiting on a space that is two slots closer to the door. That is just plain flat out RUDE, and if you hadn't moved when I honked my horn, I would have gotten out of the car and given you a piece of my mind. That parking space is not that important, and you clearly knew I was there and partially out of my space when you pulled up, because you swung your car out to go around me and then stopped directly behind me. If it hadn't been because I can't afford the higher insurance or the damage to my car, I probably would have intentionally backed into you, just to make myself feel better!

Currently feeling: supremely aggrivated