Just as a man to wait until the eleventh hour.
Well, here I sit nearing the end of the work day and I’m thinking of all the shopping I haven’t done yet. Geesh! Why is it I always wait until the very last minute to get my shopping done?
I suppose it because I close my eyes and hope the hustle and bustle will die down before I absolutely have to go shopping.
This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 3:47 pm and is filed under Day in the Life of....
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Wow, MamaC. Great story.
I guess you never know who will walk into your store. Famous people are regular people just like us who also shop at the last minute
That was nice of you to stay there 3 hours after the store closes. I know Ric was happy you were very nice and appreciate for staying late.
Merry Christmas everybody.
That was a great story. Thanks for sharing.
mama c your soooooooooo sweet
have a great christmas and new year
I think that Mama C’s big heart and love of people just came shining through in that story — she is such a sweetie!
We should all be so lucky to h ave nice people like C in and around our lives.
What a lovely story Mama C…:) Now if only all shop assistants were as helpful as you.
Have a lovely Christmas everyone…xxx
Actually, there are a few benefits for waiting until the last minute to do your shopping, both as a consumer and a worker.
For consumers, some of THE best deals can be had during the last shopping weekend. A lot of stores are practically giving stuff away at that point.
The stores tend to be open later hours, so you don’t have to “rush” to get there early before they close for the night. Case in point: I saw a commercial on TV for Toys-R-Us last night, advertising that they’ll be open until 1:00 a.m.! Yeah, sure, it sucks for some of the workers, but for parents like us, who have very limited babysitting resources, it can make life a whole lot easier… put the kiddos to bed, and have one parent hang out at home while the other goes out and shops for them!
And, as a former Assistant Manager of an upscale women’s clothing store in Harvard Square, I can attest that guys who wait until the very last minute to do their Christmas shopping CAN be a good thing.
The manager had gone early, leaving me in charge of the store. It was about a half hour before closing time, when I noticed an EXTREMELY tall man darting in through the front door, looking quite panicked. When I looked again, I noticed that it was Ric Ocasek (lead singer for The Cars). I asked him if everything was all right, and he told me that some so-called “fans” were chasing him through The Square, preventing him from doing Christmas shopping for his then wife.
I took him by the hand, and practically threw him in one of our dressing rooms, and pulled the curtain closed just before the three youngsters ran through our front door.
I walked toward the front of the store, intercepting the bothersome bunch. “Can I help you guys?”, I asked, as sweetly and politely as possible. “We’re looking for Ric Ocasek”, the leader of the pack said, “…and we saw him come in here.”
I waved my hand towards the back of the store, pointing out the very open floor plan and the sparse customers who were finishing up their shopping… WOMEN customers.
I turned to them, and said, “Well, as you can plainly see, there’s no men shopping in here. Now, unless you’re in here to shop, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, because I’m closing right now.”
They looked past me, over my shoulders, and begrudgingly agreed to leave. I watched out the huge plate glass windows, and waited for them to ’round the corner before heading back to the dressing room to rescue Mr. Ocasek.
He must have overheard me saying we were closing, because he said, “I’m so sorry to keep you. If you’re closing, I’ll be on my way.”
I asked him if our merchandise was the kind that his wife might like, and he said, “Oh, yeah.. I was hoping to make this store one of my stops!”
So, I went up to the front of the store, and locked the front door. I went back to him and said, “I don’t mind hanging out here with you for awhile, if you want to take a look around and shop for your wife. You take your time.”
He was so thankful, and so relieved. The store was supposed to close at 4:00 p.m. that Christmas Eve, but I stayed with Ric until almost 7:00, and he wound up buying almost $10,000 worth of clothes, shoes, and accessories for his wife. Not only did I get a hefty commission for the sale, but I sent him home, happy that he was finally able to shop in peace. He even wrote the manager a wonderful note, stating what a help I was.
So… to make a VERY long story short… sometimes it pays to wait until the last minute!
I hope you’re able to find the perfect gift for everyone, and that you and your family have a blessed Christmas.
I have a brother who does all of his shopping at the last minute, and doesn’t even wrap the presents. But, you know what? His gifts are always my favorite!
Good luck getting your shopping done.
Merry Christmas!
i actually finished my xmas shopping in november,all wrapped and sent to santa,lolllll
i get the high street vouchers,i dont think you get them in the USA, but it saves you fighting for stuff in the shops,straight in straight out.
SOOOOOOOOOO WHAT ARE YOU BUYING ALL YOUR BLOGGER FRIENDS THEN DON,
Actually now is the best time to go shopping as everything is so much cheaper at the last minute. There’s loads of bargains out there now. Just don’t panic and buy the first thing you see. Write a list first. Good luck.
Don, Don, Don. Shame on you. You know you have your parents, brothers, their wives and then your nephew and niece. Then you have the other 125+ Osmonds to think about. Boy I don’t want to be in your shoes when it comes to buying all those gifts for your family.
I really haven’t given gifts to people in years. I just don’t have the money. Even though its not that many people in my people. I have a very small family.
This is because you are a man and that’s what guys do. Most men leave the Christmas stuff for the wives to do. Men only have the compulsion to shop when it’s in their interest i.e. cars, hardware etc.
People in retail really hate people like you. I work for a well known toy store every year during the holiday season. So if you decide to shop in Phoenix this year, please remember a few good shopper tips. Don’t shop in line, if you put it in your cart and get in line, buy it. It really upsets the cashier (who is having a bad day already), but it also makes everyone behind you angry. Don’t yell at me when we don’t have what you really, really wanted, it was gone weeks ago. And when we shut the doors please don’t call me names, I have been called names that I never knew existed before. Remember it is our Christmas also. And above all remember it is a toy store, play nice. Merry Christmas.
What, you think the hustle and bustle will die down. I am thankful that I already completed my shopping. However I did lack in getting cards out, just mailed this morning. And I just ordered the flowers for my Mother to be delivered tomorrow. Good luck getting done what you need to especially in the weather you are having. WOW. It is 47 here in Orlando. I noticed when I got home from work tonight that my Hubby had put more lights out today.
OH and I must say I have missed you posting and now so far today, 3 posts!!! At least we don’t have to remind you to put the link Vote for Brandon (wait until February) I am taking stock in post it notes.