Busy Shopping Day

Arriving at the grocery store one hour after it opened, I found the parking lot crowded and the store very busy as well. I was a bit slow in getting "a move on" or I would have arrived when the doors opened at 7am. It took me longer than usual to shop because I had more than I usually have to buy. I decided to make next weekend's shopping trip shorter by buying all the non-perishables I'll need for Christmas today. I also went and bought the wine we'll need for dinner, and brandy for the pecan pie which I plan to make. Making that stop today avoided the rush on the liquor store at the last minute. After unpacking the car and putting everything away, I decided to go out to pick up three prints which I had had framed. That store, in a strip mall with a bookstore, and two department stores, was also very crowded. The parking lot was full but luck was with me and I found someone pulling out of their space. I put on my blinker and I pulled into the space. It wasn't very far from the store either. All of Santa's Elves and associates are out there looking for Christmas treasures. I stopped into the bookstore to look for a new Christmas book which came out this year. There was a whole pile of them, so I decided that I could put off purchasing it until another day. You see, the line to check out your books was slightly longer than ? A mile, maybe? Not really, but it was sure a long line which wrapped around a couple of times. What I need to do next week is get to the bookstore at the opening hour of 9am before the crowds arrive. I now know where the book is in the store, just need to pick it up and walk to the register and pay for it. That will be painless. The book is also 30% off which helps the pocketbook at this time of year. I don't like shopping in "crowds". I guess I feel that I have better things to do with my time than wait in long lines. But to all those die hard last minute shoppers, may you find what you're looking for, and may all the lines you have to wait in be short.