I made the grave mistake of agreeing to get some last-minute Thanksgiving groceries today. So grievous an error has never been made.
I have never encountered a meaner, more anxiety-filled batch of Wal-Mart patrons than I did today. I counted seven different people honking angrily in the parking lot before we even made it into the store! Once we got inside, the usual spaces were parking lots in themselves; people gritted their teeth and gathered their carts around the potatoes, the pumpkin pie, and the rolls. Specific spaces were emptied out on the shelves and only some aisles were three carts wide. I will admit that it was a bit harrowing for me.
But it made it all worth it when I misunderstood something a stranger mouthed to me.
We pulled our cart into one of the cashier lanes; the man in front of us got a belt divider and placed it behind his groceries. I said to him loudly, "Oh, thank you so much!" And he inaudibly responded:
"I love you."
Or maybe he just said "You're welcome" or "Thank you" or "Happy holidays."
I will never know, but I do know that he made my nightmarish pre-Thanksgiving shopping trip memorable.
Do you have any horror stories about shopping for Thanksgiving?
Or are you more of a Black Friday shopper?
No mention of your DEAR friend Emily, and how she was such a bright spot in your otherwise dreary trip too? So sad... :) j/k! I was just glad we managed to do it before it got SUPER busy. Pre-9am is definitely better than post-9, right? We sure had fun seeing you again! :) Can't wait until colds are gone!
ReplyDeletegrrr...I could never be a black Friday shopper because I hate huge crowds of shoppers and the anxiety that goes with shopping in herds. I had to run into Trader Joe's early this morning to finish off the last items on my list and I was in & out in 15 minutes without incident...but yes, my fellow shoppers were tense & grumpy (and they needed carts, not a tiny shopping basket like me ;)
ReplyDeleteThere are ALWAYS big lines at the grocery store the day before a holiday.....so I go late at night the day before the last day. Actually, I try to buy things early in the month and then just have to run in for the fresh stuff....however, I was in the store today to buy frozen vegetables and rolls....way to go Mom!
ReplyDelete