Boxing Day Sales... Round 1.

"It will be fun," they said.  "There will be so many bargains," they said.  However, all I could see when I arrived at my local shopping centre - to supposedly snatch up all the bargains - was wall to wall people, whose kindness and courtesy had clearly been left wrapped up under the Christmas tree.  It was like the bell to start a boxing match had been chimed, and the aisles of the stores were the boxing rings.  It was literally a free-for-all.  Children screaming, people pushing and shoving, clothes/CD's/DVDs/toys/sheets/homewares strewn everywhere... It was the stuff of nightmares.

Normally, I think I'm a person who can deal with a crowd;  I don't mind being shoulder to shoulder with people in a mosh pit at a gig, or on a train if I had to, but Boxing Day Sales, that was something else entirely. It got to the point where I thought if I didn't leave the shop soon I was literally going to curl up on the floor and start rocking back and forth... It was THAT chaotic.  Although that probably wouldn't have been a good move, because I would have been trampled by the bargain-hungry shoppers in the process.  

Which brings me to another point: were there actually that many bargains to be had? I know most of the items I bought weren't even on sale, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who did that.  If you see something you like, surely you wouldn't base your purchase on whether it was on sale or not?  However, it got to the point that, if I pulled another item of clothing off the rack that was tangled with something else and required at least five minutes of untangling, just to get a look at it, I was going to throw a hissy fit... Even if I liked it.

And those lucky people who had to work in the stores that were open on Boxing Day, my hat goes off to you.  Many of you looked like mice in microwaves, but I guess that comes with the territory.  It should be an accomplishment just to make it through your shift on a day like that.  

After wading my way through the sea of people, and managing to refrain from curling up on the floor, I have decided that I would rather pay full price than have to deal with that again in the near future...  Why did I put myself through that.  To those people who said it would be "fun," I say "no thanks."  Next year I will definitely not be going back for round two, I was knocked out in round one.  I think the best idea is to brave the shops on New Year's Day when everyone is probably in bed hungover; that's my new plan of attack.