Thankful for... online shopping

Photo Courtesy of Daniel Kulinski

I have never been much of a shopper.  Holiday shopping is one of my least favorite activities.  So Black Friday Shopping is like the seventh circle of hell as far as I am concerned.  I only went Black Friday Shopping once, when I was in college.  This was back before iPhones, iPods, iPads, and even before mp3 players were popular.  Sales were not nearly as nutty as they are today.  And yet I still hated it.  In general, shopping at malls and stores during the holiday season is kind of miserable.  Employees are overworked and tired, shoppers are rude and frustrated.  Children are wailing due to exhaustion and sensory overload.  All in all, not the way I want to spend my time.  Some people love it, my sister is a super shopper and a whiz at Black Friday.  Me, I am happy to stay home in my jammies eating a turkey sandwich.

My philosophy is, there is nothing I need or want so bad that I am willing to risk life and limb fighting off a thousand other people who want that same thing.  The fact that people act so nutty, hurting others, getting some thing they MUST have the day after being thankful for what they already have just seems sadly ironic.

Each year, a larger and larger portion of my holiday shopping is done online.  I have shopped online for about ten years now, and for me, it is the perfect solution.  Now, many retails cater to online shoppers with our own day of specials, called Cyber Monday.  I have never really gotten any deals that way, and in some ways it is just as frustrating as Black Friday.  Nope, I will take my time, and browse the interwebz my own way, with coffee in my had, fleece on my body, and wiener dogs in my lap.

As someone who would chew her own arm off to escape a mall on Black Friday, I am eternally thankful for online shopping.