“Let’s go … shopping!”

With Valentine’s Day upon us (and having passed by the time this scheduled post is on the site), my daughters and I set out to find cute gifts for our friends and family.  We didn’t realize everyone had the same idea today, too!

Walking into the store, we noticed the long lines but still decided to join in on the fun.  It seemed like no matter which section of the store we were shopping in, everyone soon made their way there, too!  We would shift to another section, and the crowd shifted with us once more.

What were we thinking venturing out in this?!

In one section of the store, two ladies invaded my personal space by getting way too close to me, as if they were trying to climb into my back pocket.  Then, one lady moved to my right and reached over my head for an item on the shelf directly above me without even so much as an “Excuse me.”  It was as if I was invisible.  When the opportunity presented itself, we moved further down and finally on to another aisle to get away from them.  We  decided to go to an “off season” section of the store thinking surely it wouldn’t be crowded there.  Everything was going great until another woman started coming straight for me.  I moved to my left to clear the aisle since she was walking toward me on my right side.  As she passed me, she started mumbling something about, “People … ”  Shortly thereafter, my daughters joined me on the aisle and told me the same woman brushed shoulders with my youngest daughter as she passed.  That is WAY too close for comfort, so we decided to leave the store.

Where are people’s manners these days?  While this scenario can certainly play out in another town, it seems commonplace here.  We were reminded once again why we drive an hour away to shop.  The stores are better stocked, neat and orderly, and the people offer more respect and common consideration than here in our small town.

It was almost more than my frazzled nerves could bear!  It’s too people-y out there.

And so we made our way back to the vehicle, ordered dessert, and headed home.  Although the shopping experience left a lot to be desired, I still had a fun day with my girls.