Wal-Mart worker dies in rush; two killed at toy store

Are you kidding me?  Seriously, what deal is worth causing the death of another human being?  How materialistic have we become where we lose all common sense and make being one of the select few to get a doorbuster deal our biggest priority?  Is a low quality TV worth that much?

I’ve written previously that there is seldom if any deal that even gets me out the door on Black Friday, but I have long since given up the idea of camping out to get the loss leader stores put out to draw in (read that as trick) consumers to visiting their store.  There are typically only a handful in stock on the big deal, and often those items are the low quality version of what you can get.

All that aside, I have to come back to the complete idiocy of an entire crowd that rushes their way through doors, intent on doing whatever it takes to rush to the deal.  So intent are these people that they are literally stomping an employee to death.  I am appalled at these people and all those that may not have killed someone but shed their humanity in the name of saving a few bucks and getting some thing for the holidays.

Now that’s the spirit of the season.

That said, my wife this year braved the crowds, and very cold weather, to stand in a line to get our kids a Wii game console. We have avoided any sort of gaming device for our kids for years, but this one has won us over from the active play standpoint of their games. At least it requires them to get off of the couch and be involved in the game. Trouble has been, though, finding any in stock. The Wii’s popularity has far outpaced the production capacity, so finding one has been trouble. Fortunately my wife’s choice of store and diligence paid off and we have a box under the tree that the kids are going to be ecstatic about.

Me, I was ready to pay the premium graft on eBay to get a console without having to deal with finding one in the stores. I wasn’t happy about it, but it was better than the alternative I guess.

So what is it I hate so much about Black Friday? Here is a fun little list for you.

1. People

Yes, I hate people. Not really; that is too broad and makes me sound really bad. What I hate is people in that mode. The vast majority of people out on Black Friday morning are out for a bargain and will do anything to get it. Proof positive as they join the line at 3 am or even the night before in the hopes of saving a few bucks on something might actually want. These people will drop all previous ethos they might live by and take on a new Mr. (or Mrs.) Hyde while they hone in on their anticipated purchase.

I have witnessed the acts of these types, and it has driven me away from the “fun” experience of the shopping moment.

The front of lines bulge with new people joining just before opening where their supposed place was saved in line. Outright cutting in line is sure to happen. The running of the bulls has nothing on these people as they stampede through narrow entrances and rush to the bargain points they have planned out in their SWAT-esque meetings the night before. Voices are raised and new levels of cursing emit from the mouths of the most unexpected sources.

2. “Limited Quantities”

This phrase is true, yet the most deceiving of the advertising for the blessed events. Limited could otherwise be defined as “the bar minimum quantity we have to have at this price to avoid regulatory involvement and pentalties for false advertising.” That amazing laptop deal for half the typical retail price? Don’t plan on seeing more than a handful per store. It is expected and we all know the chances of getting any are slim to none, yet there are hundreds in line with hopes similar to winning the lottery brimming with anticipation.

3. Do You Really Want It Anyway?

Is it just me or have the “deals” they offer in recent years fall well short of motivating a shopping expedition? There have been a few little items here and there that get me to say “well, I guess that is a bit of a savings” but otherwise I am left clearly wanting. Not only do I not really want most of what is listed as their doorbusters, the rest of the items listed feel like the discount offered just really isn’t a deal. The price off of retail they are offering is no better than what I could find somewhere online anyway. Sure I have to pay shipping, but usually that is a wash with the tax I would pay locally along with the time invested in getting my lazy butt to the store in the first place. Don’t get me started on the cost of gas factored in as well.

4. Insufficient Checkout Capacity

Once you have made it inside and chosen the loot you acquiesce to take home with you, then you have to brave the long lines to fork over your money. Depending on your store of choice, the number of checkout counters offered is meant to handle average traffic in the store; there is just no way it is going to deal with the influx of 10x the buyers all at once pushing their way forward in hopes of jumping over to the next store before all those great deals are gone too.

I know these checkout people are dreading the day as well, and hopefully they are being compensated to put up with tired and unruly group that patronizes the retail mania that is Black Friday. I do wonder though if they bring on their “best” checkers in these situations, because in years past there hasn’t seemed to be any rush to get people checked out and out the door. Checkers paid by hour don’t have any motivation, so why move it along? I am sure some enterprising store manager could have the bright idea to research how to really move along the process for days like this. Staff up, get extra people involved, and maybe even figure out how to speed this process along and you might get people back the next year simply because you are the store that didn’t waste their time on this day of glut.

5. Just Not Worth My Time

This last point is likely more a commentary on my attitude more than anything else. The savings offered, even if on an item I want, is just not worth my time. The hours required to put in, aside from the discomfort and inconvenience, simply are not worth it. I would rather put in some extra time working on a project and earning the extra money than waste my time doing nothing more than standing in line with the outside hope of getting the bargain.

I like a bargain as much and perhaps more than the next person, but I measure the return on my time very carefully these days and have found it just plain is not getting me out to the big day.

Cyber Monday is more my style these days, and even then I had most of my online shopping done several weeks in advance of the big weekend. So much for the hoopla.

Now all that is fine and good but what drives me to want to smack someone with a Hallmark card is this…do we women NEED more stress??? Isn’t our self esteem low enough with the weight loss ads every 15 seconds on TV, the Victoria Secret Models in their wings, and the TV spots for botox telling us “It’s MY time” isn’t THAT enough? But NO….here we are still getting past the guilt of yet another set of New Year resolutions being broken not 4 weeks in when the stores are filled to the gills with Valentine Day stuff!!!! Grocery stores, drug stores, department stores and jewelry stores…isles filled with candy, cards, stuffed animals and lacy lingerie all jumping out saying… “If he loved you…you’d get some of this.” 

So…how did I fend on the old V-Day? First I will cut my hubby some slack here as we were up to our heart undies in snow and ice so no last minute Run For The Roses in Costco like Jeremy posted about BUT….I don’t buy he never was in a place were he could have picked up a card…heck you could even get a card at the Gas Stations!  So that being said…Did I decide my lovability on what I received on Valentine’s Day? Of course! I was brainwashed like the rest of the women! LOL! 

I told myself it didn’t’ matter that the average man would spend $135.00 on his sweetheart…I was secure in my love. It didn’t’ matter that the morning news/talk shows had a week long of Romantic Tips for the BIG day…I didn’t NEED a handwritten love note with Belgian Chocolates attached to feel like a woman! Diamonds were NOT my best friends…long stem red roses made me sneeze…I didn’t’ need to know Victoria’s Secret! HA! I’m a secure middle aged 21 years married woman! So why when I approached my hubby as he sat at his computer yesterday morning with a card and small box of his fav chocolates did I linger waiting…hoping he said, “Oh hold on…let me get your gift?” Why? WHY? Because the media told me “If he loved you…you’d get some of this stuff” At first my heart sank when no precipitating gift came and the twinge grew as the morning went on as I thought more about it and as every show on TV was about romance and love…wasn’t I HIS Valentine?

But once I allowed myself to stop looking thru the eyes of the advertisers and I looked with my heart I saw what LOVE really means….I saw how lucky I am and how very loved I am.

Yesterday my hubby shoveled the snow and ice off our driveway and cars….this took him hours and he never once complained. When our power and lights went out he brought me a flashlight first. And when our power came back on and I was able to cook dinner he came up behind me as I stood at the stove and hugged me saying, “Now that smells comforting.” And after we ate he said to my daughter, “Let’s thank Mom for such a great dinner!” And this morning he got up and went to work and I could tell everything hurt from all the shoveling he had done. And last thing he said to me was, “I cleaned off your car and you have a full tank…if you need to go out for anything let me know so maybe I can pick it up on my way home so you can stay in.” How romantic is that I ask…Oh baby…THE BEST!

Valentines Day was most definitely invented by a woman. I don’t have any historical research to back this up, but even if you show me something to the contrary I won’t believe you. Just another reason for women to make their man show them their love with their time and wallet. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not exactly complaining about it, just calling it for what it is. I love my wife, and if this gives me an excuse (read that kick in the butt) to get out there and do something to show my feelings, I’m on it.

The guys at work and I all headed to Costco, because if there is any place that screams romance it’s Costco. Actually, any seasoned V-day participant knows that Costco is the best option around for a good set of flowers at a decent price. I’ve been a loyal visitor there every year on Feb 14th for as long as I can remember. Usually I am trying to squeeze it in later in the day, so the pickings are a bit slimmer by then. Today we decided to be there early and get the better selection.

Apparently we are not the only enlightened husbands in the valley because we arrived to find a huge contingent of men waiting for the doors to open. This is Costco though, so we weren’t worried. There would be enough flowers to go around. Looking around though I could see more than a few furrowed brows as more men continued to arrive prior to the grand opening. The concern was written on their faces as they knew they had to beat these other guys in there to get the best flowers for their gals. Actually, what I think really worried them was the idea that they would be rushed into picking out their flowers ’cause if they dallied, everyone else would snatch up the good ones.

I decided right then I had to turn this into a bull rush. When the big doors began to roll back I timed my advance to the door so I passed through with a slight graze to my hair yet without a break in my stride. The greeter at the door mentioned she would like to see member cards, and the novices of the group stopped to fish them out. The advanced shoppers of the bunch continued on at full steam.

This is where it got fun. I was in a group of a dozen or so guys leading the pack, right in the middle of them. We were carrying on at a decent clip towards the middle of the store where they flowers are kept – not running, just a brisk walk. Time to test the resolve of these guys to win at this unspoken contest. If there was anything that has to go in this story, it is the innate need to make a competition out of the dumbest things. Every guy wants to win, even if there is nothing really to win; we can’t help it. So, I picked up the pace.

My sudden increase was immediately noticed and matched a brief moment later by the entire group. They knew I was making my move but none wanted to give up pole position. The gauntlet was thrown and the race was on. We hit the first set of isles and the group split up with some taking the direct route and others cutting through other isles to hide the fact that they were going to break into a full on run once out of site.

I nearly doubled over laughing, but instead slowed my pace a bit and let the others get ahead. I arrived a few seconds after the initial group and of course there were hundreds of bouquets to choose from. My sweetheart received her flowers and I left with a good story to brighten my day. Hopefully it brightened yours a bit as well.

I do have to make sure you know, I am not a sickly person by nature.  In fact I used to rarely get sick.  I sure hope I am not just getting more prone to sickness with age, but I am afraid everything that comes with passing the 30 mark several years back has something to do with it.  Of course, added weight and less exercise couldn’t have anything to do with it…no, definitely not.

I do place a lot of the blame squarely on my kids.  They head off to school and preschool, centers of disease and pestilence, and bring back loads of new virus and bacteria colonies to join our funny farm we call home.  Once one kid brings it in, we begin the joyful experience of passing it around the house multiple times until everyone has enjoyed the symptoms to their fullest.  Rarely does a parent fall first ill, so I feel pretty secure in blaming my children.

This year, though, I am pretty sure it was me.  Christmas Eve rolls around and I can start feeling it.  Nothing like already feeling squeamish come early Christmas morning when you hear that shout of “SANTA CAME!” at o-dark-hundred.  This year we were treated to an even earlier than normal wake up call – 3:30 am – to which we quickly threw the kid back into bed with a stern lecture on waiting until there was at least a bit of light.  Of course he had a hard time getting back to sleep, but somehow managed.   Me on the other hand, I was up for the duration.  So on top of some bug running rampant through my system, I had sleep deprivation to deal with.  Christmas joy to be had.

I was able to do the morning routine and help the kids play with their new loot.  After that, I was spent.  I missed the wonderful Christmas dinner my wife prepared and spent the entire next day in bed.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to me.

Now, three days later I am finally feeling like I am on the upswing.  I will spare the gruesome details of my symptoms, but I will be happy to be in the clear of this bout with mother nature’s hidden little gems.  I hope you all had more fun with your time off than I did.  Being sick on the holidays has definitely gotta go.

For those particularly slow, yes, my last name is Hall. For those even slower, a little sarcasm is always a good thing…but if you feel like you have to try out your rendition of Deck the Halls, just be sure it was worth the laugh.

1. Is it at all possible for my family to remove all Kleenex from their pockets before they put their clothes in the wash? I have clocked in way too many hours sitting on my laundry room floor picking small wet blobs of tissue off my shirts.
2. Can the “10 items or less” rule be enforced in check-out lines. Could the conveyor belt be rigged to shock a person when that 11^th item is placed on it?
3. Can drug companies put all “possible side effects” info hidden on all their packaging so we hypochondriacs don’t experience “tremors, diarrhea, headache, nausea, blurred vision, dry mouth, weight gain, hair loss and/or hives” BEFORE we even swallow the pill.
4. Can the reality TV people put a show out where gorgeous, slim perfect people be forced to have reverse lipo, stretch marks added to their tummies, a matched set of bags put under their eyes, chin hair implants and their teeth dyed to match corn? Now THAT is a show I’d watch!
5. How about all dog owners made to follow a mandate where a computer chip is installed in their dogs and speakers added to their bedrooms where the dogs barking is amplified 10 times. Sweet!
6. Rude people come with a MUTE button….
7. People that drink to excess can all be recorded on video and forced to watch themselves looking like demented circus monkeys for hours!
8. Can children once again start being held accountable for their behavior and can the parents step up and not be afraid to say NO to Jr.?
9. Could all celebrities be taxed for all the stupid stuff they do? If ya make it on the cover of the Enquirer…PAY UP! Lindsey alone could have built two schools by now.
10. Could everyone put down the cell phones, pagers, iPods…and listen for once…to each other…to that inner voice…to the sounds around you and maybe you might learn something! Happy New Year everyone!

What exactly is it with parents these days?  Ha!  You thought I was going to launch right in on the kids didn’t you?  I’ll get to them in a minute.  The reason I start in on the parents is it really is their fault.  Being spoiled is not a genetic thing, it is a result of upbringing.  Sure, tempers and personalities prone to anger can come from those genes a bit – goodness knows my son comes by it honestly – but the balme for being kids being spoiled lies squarely with the parents.

It all comes about quite honestly actually.  Good parents want to give their kids the things they didn’t have growing up.  That is the case with most parents anyway.  Some parents did have most everything growing up, and may or may not have turned out ok.  Having things is not a mortal sin, it is the attitude fostered that is the root of the problem.  If you give in to a kid’s every whim, they don’t get the value of working for things; they just get.  There is also something to be said for just plain not having something you want – it gives you something to strive for.

I come from what I consider humble roots.  My parents made sure we were never without food on the table and a roof over our heads, but they worked hard to give us what we had and taught us the value of work.  Fortunately I don’t feel like anyone in my family was raised to be spoiled.  Now that we are all wage earning adults, we value the money we earn and try to spend it wisely.  Because of this I am at a lack of immediate, personal examples to share of spoiled kids, though I have experienced it with acquaintances in the past.

What happens when kids are given every possible gift?  All the cool gifts, big gifts and then some more?  They don’t value what they are given.  A child is taught to be an ingrate.  Small gifts carry no meaning and all they want is more, more MORE!  Each Christmas and birthday becomes a game to get more and better gifts than last time.  Perhaps even worse is when a gift is opened and the dismay is plainly painted on the face of the recipient.  This can seem a little humorous with little kids, but nip this one early.  Teaching the value of being grateful is beyond measure.  So what if those socks from Grandma were not the CD player you really wanted, be happy there was anything at all there and that you had a Grandma that is alive and cares enough about you.  Stand up, give her a hug and make her feel like it is the best present you have ever received.

A good gift does not have to be something expensive; sometimes the best gift is something that shows how much the giver knows and cares about you.  I think every child should be required to experience a birthday or holiday of entirely home made gifts.  There is really something to be said for taking the commercialization out of these occasions.

As mentioned previously, I enjoy getting gifts.  I also enjoy giving them.  I also enjoy when they are appreciated.  These are all good things.  I know I can attribute my attitudes and gratitude in these respects to my parents.  I am so grateful they instilled in me these basic values.  You may take a little guff for doing it, but sometimes it is better to be a great parent than just the favorite for a day.

These are brand new bulbs!  And to add to my argument, these are bulbs for Christmas lights – you’d think they would be built to be a little hearty considering how they are supposed to be used.  Mounted on a house, with no shortage of getting bounced around in the process, left out in the cold and burned at for hours on end.  Isn’t this what they are designed to do?  I refuse to get up on my slick roof now just to change out a few bulbs, but they bug me every time I drive up to the house at night – those gaps in my nicely hung uniform lines just glare brightly with the absence of what should belong.  I never realized the absence of light could stand out in such a pronounced fashion.  No longer to people notice what you have displayed, rather what is missing.

Let’s move indoors now to those little cheap strings of lights we encircle our tree with.  These quaint little bulbs seem near indestructible when you look at them.  You throw that strand round and round and end up with a nice little display to compliment that traditional tree.  If you make it through the actual hanging process intact, chances are within the coming weeks, prior to Christmas of course, a bulb or two will go out.  If you get the more expensive variety, one bulb out is no problem, the rest of the strand looks great.  But, if you were cheap and got the lowest priced variety, the whole strand is a goner, leaving you guess at which bulb is the culprit.  Ever spent 15 minutes tearing up your fingertips pulling out and replacing each bulb one at a time in a seemingly futile effort to rejuvenate your lighting display?  Ever felt your blood pressure rise through the roof because you made it all the way to the end of the strand, and it still didn’t start working.  Argh!  This means there are two or more bulbs now out.  Trust me, pony up for the better variety with redundancy built in to the wiring.  Your sanity will thank you.  Either that, or just toss the strand that goes out and get a new one, which is of course a great example of our throw away attitude these day.
Christmas is the season of good cheer and happy thoughts.  I remind myself of that every time those nagging burnt out bulbs show up.  Just think happy thoughts.

In the interest of saving time with some online buddies, here are some valuable links:

DPReview.com – www.dpreview.com
If you want the most in-depth reviews of cameras, photo examples, expert opinions along with feedback from actual users, this is the place. Before I make any camera purchase or give advice for that matter, I start here.

Nextag.com – www.nextag.com
There are tons of price comparison sites, so one is pretty much as good as another. I have typically found the best price at NextTag though. One thing to watch out for, though, is don’t just jump to the lowest price. Often the first 5 or so at the top are shady outfits that will call you to “confirm” your order for a chance to upsell you overpriced accessories. What’s worse, is if you say now to their upsells many of those outfits will “lose” your order. Do a little research on the site before purchasing online. If you are scared online, stick to B&H Photo, who all pro photogs will readily recommend; great service and they don’t jerk you around. If that doesn’t work, try Costco is always a good option for a decent price.

NY Times – link to article

Looking for more direct advice? The NY Times has been running a “best under $300″ article each of the last several years that is a good comparison for a reasonably priced camera. There are tons of other options above that price, but this pretty much covers the price range most are looking for to get a camera for family shots.

So again, though I don’t mind offering my advice, in the interest of my sanity leading up to Christmas, this should push a good number of you in the right direction!