Thursday, December 23, 2004

It's Not The Having, It's All About The Hunt

I noticed something strange today. Actually all this week, but mostly today. When people are trying to get to a place to shop, they are total assholes. They will run you down, cut you off, flip you off, totally drive like idiots. It’s a scary thing to try to get to a shopping place. I was nearly run off the road several times trying to get into a parking lot today. One jerk in a ‘big ol pick-um-up-truck crossed 2 lanes from a left turn lane, nearly bounced off of my bumper and slammed on his brakes in the right turn lane right in front of me. Then he started waving his hands around like I was doing something terrible to him by sitting there waiting to turn.

But when you are inside the store, people are friendly. Everyone I talked to this week in every line I was stuck in was friendly, smiley and nice. Whether it was Lowe’s, Best Buy or Starbuck’s, I met some friendly person or persons to talk to.

I wonder what the difference is? It really makes no sense. To think that the nice old lady buying giant bags of food for her cats would squash me flat if I got in her way in the parking lot is kind of disturbing. And the nice college administrator I met at Starbuck’s would run me down if I was getting in the way of her chosen parking spot. It’s a weird conundrum.

It’s not the having of the place in line, it’s the getting of the place in line? That idea sounds vaguely familiar.


3 comments:

SJ said...

It's a different world out there all right, especially during the Silly Season. Like in that Steve Martin movie "LA Story" when he says it's the start of gun season on the LA freeway (or something)? That could so easily be applied to shopping at Xmas time.

By the way, since you mentioned Starbucks and I mentioned LA Story, I just have to mention one of my fav lines ever, which is from that movie - when the waitress is going round the table asking everyone which coffee they want, and people are saying Double Expresso! A Decaf Cappuccino! A Machiatto! Then she gets to Steve and he says "I'll have a half double decaffinated half caf, with a twist of lemon!"

Hilarious.

Yankeebob said...

Ian, LA Story is one of my favorites! That whole lunch scene is hilarious! And I love the scene where he acts like he's hurt by his girlfriend fooling around on him, but when he gets outside, he does that weird dance, celebration thing going down the steps. How he moves like that without injury, I don't know.

peachy said...

I got to the grocery store this morning, found a parking place. Froze on the way to the store and there was not one cart available. I waited at the cart stand (still freezing) until a nice lady brought a cart over. She said 'it's a mad house in there.' I pushed my cart to the door and gave it away to a family. I froze walking back to my car, but now I'm home and warm. I did my good deed for the day. You couldn't pay me enough (well, you probably could, knowing me) to go inside that store today. I'll shop on Sunday. :)