It’s the holiday shopping season, where shopaholics will wait in line (some over the Thanksgiving holiday) to participate in the rush for Black Friday sales. Do I do this? NO. I will confess that years ago, I went to a Toys ‘R’ Us at 6am to make sure I got a particular present for my son. I’m dating myself with that comment, because Toys ‘R’ Us now opens up for shopping at 8pm on Thanksgiving Day.
Talk about an awful shopping environment for someone with MS. Crowds of people pushing and shoving is just asking for a fall. And all those people and noises and lights can be horrible overstimulation.
I will admit to participating in another holiday shopping craze – Cyber Monday. That’s the day when online stores are doing everything they can to entice you to buy their products. Like Black Friday, online deals have been available earlier and earlier each year. And that’s fine with me. Online shopping turns the whole buying experience into something more pleasant…at least, until I get the credit card bill. So what’s so great about it?
- No battles over parking spaces.
- No long lines at the registers.
- I can shop in my pajamas. I don’t even have to brush my hair or put on makeup if I don’t want to!
- Comparison shopping is a lot less tiring. Instead of going back and forth from store to store, I can just check different websites.
- If you’re on the email list for your favorite shopping sites, you could get even more special deals sent to your inbox.
- Many sites offer free shipping, and they’ll tell you their deadlines for being able to guarantee on time delivery.
- You can have gifts shipped directly to folks who don’t live near you.
- For a small fee, they’ll even gift wrap the present before shipping it.
- The shipping deals are even better for those traveling for the holidays because a) limited space in a car, b) limited weight and exorbitant fees on luggage, and c) you can’t bring wrapped gifts with you on the plane.
- Some sites offer online exclusives that you can’t buy in the stores. I bought my mother a beautiful top one year that wasn’t stocked in the stores.
- Have a question about what size to buy? Don’t know what they want? Call them while you’re at your computer. I wasn’t sure what size shirt to buy for my sister, so I called my mother to make sure I got it right.
I will confess that I shopped on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday this year…both times, from the comfort of my own couch. During Thanksgiving dinner, a family member commented on something she’d like for Christmas. I went online to check it out and learned that there was a free shipping deal in place, and I could even get part of the present on sale. So voila, ordered it, and I know it will arrive in plenty of time for the holiday. On Black Friday, I discovered one of my favorite stores was offering 40% off and free shipping. A family member saw something she liked but told me not to buy it for her because it would be too expensive. Well, at 40% it wasn’t!
So bit by bit I’m getting through my holiday shopping without worrying about tripping, getting pushed over, or hoping against hope that all of the handicapped spaces won’t be filled up by the time I get to the mall. And since I’m less frustrated, I can actually enjoy giving gifts instead of seeing it as a chore. After all, this is supposed to be a joyful season…isn’t it?
