It was a Nightmare doping Christmas shopping this morning!

@jennybianca (12912)
Australia
December 9, 2009 8:13pm CST
I live ner Australias biggest shopping centre. I went there this morning to do some christmas shopping. Knowing how crowded it can get, I went early to score a car park. My gooness, it is almost a nightmare. People everywhere, pushing past one another, getting agro with other shoppers. A number of us, including myself had shopping trolleys, and of course some of the shop isles are too narrow to manovre these trolleys arround, and they bump into one another. The police have a very high presence there, as theft and aggressive people abound. There are big line ups to be served. Specials that are advertised are sold out in one day, so I wasted 20 minutes looking for something that didn't exist. Is Christmas shopping like this where you live? Can you get a car park?
1 person likes this
9 responses
• United States
10 Dec 09
I try to do most of my Christmas shopping early, because of that fact. I don't live in a big town, so I have to travel about 20 minutes to get to the big town to go shopping. WalMart is ALWAYS packed with people during December, so I try to pick days that most people will be at work or in school, like Mondays. I'm lucky that my mom is handicapped, just for those situations where we can park in the handicap spot and nobody can get mad about it. I still have some last-minute things to get, but we just had a blizzard so I have to wait a few days until the roads are clear.
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
I heard on TV last night about blizzards in the US. Trying to do Christmas shopping in those conditions along with the crowds and parking would be a nightmare.
@bhav27 (442)
• India
10 Dec 09
Jenny it's even worst here in india. people are so crazy about shopping and for christmas presents they dn't care about rules and then park on road and then their cars are in police station but they dn't care about it , i went for shopping in the morning and came back at night because of the crowd and traffic jam. i actually like it as every one is full of enjoy and happy. But the worst thing is i always lose something whenver i am on shopping. :( i lost my cell phone in crowd but no matter it's christmas may be santa will give me new one :p lolzz
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@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
Yes, thasts the other risk I forgot to mention and you reminded me. Loosing items. I told my daughter when she goes Christmas shoping next weerk, she has to take a carry bag with a zip, that goes over her shoulder.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
10 Dec 09
We have the same problem in our area too. I try to do my Christmas shopping well in advance to try to avoid this kind of thing. I do alot of my shopping online also to avoid it too.
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@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
This is why Im trying to hop 2cweeks before Christmas, but I fear Imleft my run too late.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
10 Dec 09
Hi Jenny, as I've probably mentioned we don't do christmas over here. The worst shopping day of the year has to be the weekend before school starts back up in September as everyone heads to the huge shop in town which is a toy shop but stocks all the new school supplies we need which are a rip off price wise if we need to get them locally instead. Narrow aisles, hundreds of childern, and no car park. Parking though is always impossible in town unless it is at the two supermarkets which actually have car parks. It's worse than ever at the moment as about a mile of road is dug up on one side on the seafront which means it is impossible to park near my favourite coffee shop up there. I have the delight of needing to be in town centre on Saturday morning and it will probably take me half as long as the hours journey up there to actually find a space.
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@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
I can imagine the rip off price. Is there any possibility off buying school supplies earlier at anotrher discount store, or online? I say this, as I learnt in my daughters first year of school, not to buy directkly from their book list. Instead, I wait for the school sales early in January, and buy her school gear there. Its a fraction of the price. Parking... dont tell me... it's getting worse and worse in Adelaide. They encourage us to use public transport, but many of us dont live on a direct route.
@allknowing (130088)
• India
10 Dec 09
Nice to hear about people crowding in malls despite recession. Recession or no recession Christmas is not to be ignored. The place where I live is a small town and hardly anyone around. I do my shopping nearing Xmas time that is around the 20th.The weather is changing here too. It rained heavily in November with thunder and lightining never heard of before! Happy Christmas to you.
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@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
The recession is over here in Australia, or so we are told. I did hear one report that sales are down. It actually gets much worst in the week immediately prior to Christmas. That is why I want to do my shopping NOW.
@rebaozi (100)
• United States
10 Dec 09
Here is all right.Yesterday I went to target ahout 6 o'clock in the evening.Every checkout has a line that people wait to pay.But several minutes later it's my turn.NO crowd,no police.
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@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
Great. Will it be like that in the week just before Christmas do you think?
@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
10 Dec 09
It probably is, I just do not do it. I go to local stores at weird hours whenever possible or I shop all year long. I just ordered a gift card for my son in law for Christmas. Nephews want gift cards. Not sure what I am doing for son, but I bet I do it online, maybe tomorrow. I have bought for my daughter and granddaughters. I am pretty well done.
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@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
Any hour of the night? Gift cards are very popular here too. I have often given them when I need to post a gift, or if I cant think of anything else!! My brother wants me to give his 2 kids cash, which Im not too happy about, as they may waste it.,.but guess its better than giving them something they dont want.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Dec 09
hi jennybianca yes I went shopping this morning at target and I ran into those problems with my trolley and also my left shoulder was paining me so that bAcking and filling with my cart was really awful. the crowds were not too bad, as I think most people were at Walmart but I sort of like target and Idid get some real bargains. a lot of stuff was marked down due to the holidays.i was surprised that the store was not more crowded than it was.but one thing we are having unusual weather, it was about forty at that time, but this in Southern ca. ? no it rarely happens but it did, and last night it went down to freezing, what is going on here? we are just not used to this in Dec. maybe Jan or feb. but not in Dec. also our buildings are not built for protecting in cold weather. we had our space heater on all night last night. But the parking was not so great but YAra our activity director managed to get our van parked close to the front door of target.some of us were in wheelchairs,not me as I can get around fine with my quad cane. I was sort of glad that there were not as ma ny people as I expected because I had a hard enough time getting my cart past other people's carts as it was.
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
10 Dec 09
This must be more difficult for you using a quad cane in a busy shopping centre. I like target a lot too. They often have very good specials. My daughter says they have the best prioces on DVDs. You are having unusual weather; we are having unusual weather... it is climate change, Im sure. Our big worry are the coming heat waves. You keep very warm if you are having a cold spell.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
14 Dec 09
Honestly, the only time that I have been out to the shopping centers during this holiday season was on Black Friday, that was the day that I finished up my Christmas shopping. On that day, I can tell you that it was awful. I went to Wal-Mart for some of their specials with my brother and sister-in-law and we got there before four in the morning and the place was already packed. There were people standing around all of the pallets, so I thought it most important to concentrate on the door busters that I wanted. Then, after I had gotten them, I went looking for the one thing that I wanted that was on sale for the entire weekend. That was the item that was sold out.