TARGET was slammed!!!!

[RobertScorpio]

Target was slammed today as I went up there for last minute shopping..I got 2010/Bluray for 12$

Despite the bad economy? This year seemed far more busier than last christmas shopping season? Anyone else see it that way too? Though, I guess, it could depend where you live. I live in SAN DIEGO...

Rob

 

[John Picard]

All of Oklahoma is shut down. Interstates, highways, and the airports.

 

[RobertScorpio]

All of Oklahoma is shut down. Interstates, highways, and the airports.

Is that because of the snow storm? DAMN that global warming...

Rob

 

[John Picard]

All of Oklahoma is shut down. Interstates, highways, and the airports.

Is that because of the snow storm? DAMN that global warming...

Rob

Yep. Record snowfall that places third to records set in the early 1900's (1914 the record?) The official amount is 14" with massive drifts and white-out conditions. Word is that thousands of people are stranded awaiting rescue from the State National Guard.

 

[Tom Riley]

The economy might not be great, but it was worse last christmas if I remember correctly, so it would seem busier this year, right?

 

[Sakrysta]

Christmas Eve shopping this year seemed more manageable than in previous years. Not that I make a habit of this or anything... My local TJMaxx really impressed me this year with their management of the crowds. Lines were long, but the store was well-staffed and kept things moving nicely. Stein Mart was not busy at all. I had fun at Big Lots scarfing up lots of 50% off decorations - simple stuff like red bows & garlands & tissue paper for dirt cheap. And they weren't that busy either.

Now I don't have to go looking for after Christmas sales - which is a GOOD thing! I can stay home and hibernate on December 26th! Though I do have one more errand to attempt tonight. Walgreens is open 24/7/365, so I'm going to go see if their photo printer is working. If not, I'll just come home and print them myself, but it would be nice to not have to cut them out (all I have is full sheets of photo paper).

If I can just avoid Santa out there, I should be fine.

 

[Misfit Toy]

All of Oklahoma is shut down. Interstates, highways, and the airports.

Is that because of the snow storm? DAMN that global warming...

Rob

Good thing it wasn't Global Climate Change instead.

 

[Gryffindorian]

NOTHING sucks more than running errands on Christmas Eve ... getting stuck in traffic, standing in a mile-long line to pay for your items, and finding a parking space.

I worked only half-day today as I used my employer's special "Christmas Eve leave." My original plan was to get a toy gift from Target for my youngest nephew then get back home, but my not-so-brilliant brother decided to tag along and get a few items of his own. Three hours later, I hadn't even accomplished what I originally set out to do. So I stopped by Wal-Mart to return some stuff, then my neighborhood Target, and finally, home.

No act of God or Force of Nature can get me out of the house for the next 24 hours.

 

[Peacemaker]

Well, I'll bring a different perspective to this...

My family has been getting smaller and smaller for the past several years, and my Christmases have sucked for the past several years. I've just had to put on my happy face and chug through them.

This year, my Grandma died, and I thought this would be a downer. Heck I'm unemployed right now too, like a lot of other people.

BUT - a few months ago, I fell in love again for the first time since 1995, yes, in nearly 15 years. We are doing well, and we are extremely happy. We set a $50 limit on gifts to each other, and we kept our limits. In all of this, I've meet the sisters and am soon to meet Mom and Dad, and one sister got engaged last week. My family has expanded this year for the first time that I can remember. I went to Walmart today to buy my Mom a last minute gift, and I didn't mind the long lines, because I'm having the best Christmas I have had in so long that I can't remember. I feel like a kid for the first time in years. I feel like I understand the holidays again.

 

[Mr Light]

My mid sized town has been jammed pack with traffic and shoppers for a week now. It's horrible. The main road through town, which you can normally go down at 40, is at a complete stop.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I skipped out of work at 11 this morning. No traffic, thankfully. I went to the grocery store which was kinda busy but no worse than usual. I have stayed home since then. No way was I going to venture out in the evening!

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Yep. Record snowfall that places third to records set in the early 1900's (1914 the record?) The official amount is 14" with massive drifts and white-out conditions. Word is that thousands of people are stranded awaiting rescue from the State National Guard.

That's why they closed all the interstates. So many people stranded there's not enough manpower to rescue them all. An ambulance taking a woman away from the 50 car pile up on I-40 in Midwest City got nailed by another car. Can't get anything cleared with the blizzard strength winds still blowing.

 

[Sakrysta]

I went to Walmart today to buy my Mom a last minute gift, and I didn't mind the long lines, because I'm having the best Christmas I have had in so long that I can't remember. I feel like a kid for the first time in years. I feel like I understand the holidays again.

Thank you for sharing that. I teared up a little bit reading it. I appreciate people who can find joy in situations that cause most of us to fret and fume. Merry Christmas to you!

 

[Peacemaker]

And the same to you and everybody else who comes here!

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yep. Record snowfall that places third to records set in the early 1900's (1914 the record?) The official amount is 14" with massive drifts and white-out conditions. Word is that thousands of people are stranded awaiting rescue from the State National Guard.

That's why they closed all the interstates. So many people stranded there's not enough manpower to rescue them all. An ambulance taking a woman away from the 50 car pile up on I-40 in Midwest City got nailed by another car. Can't get anything cleared with the blizzard strength winds still blowing.

Shit, my friend lives in Midwest City. I hope she's OK!

 

[Dorian Thompson]

I hope she's okay, too, Robert Maxwell. Hopefully she wasn't out driving. The side roads were impassible with all the snow blowing around 40 to 60 miles an hour. It was a pretty serious situation. The major roads are still closed this morning because the plows couldn't clear them with all the abandoned cars in the way. Oklahoma City is a mess. The drifts in my front yard are five feet and taller. The drifts formed a pyramid of snow in the middle of the yard--darndest thing I've ever seen. I'm lamenting the fact that my camera is broken. Darn! I'm sure your friend is safe if she didn't have to work today. Fingers crossed.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I got in touch with one of her friends. Everybody's fine. She was just stranded for a few hours, but now she's safe at home. Looks like nobody's going anywhere for a while, though.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Good. Yikes. She was stranded? That wind was so cold yesterday. I'm glad she made it home safely. Can't take that for granted.

 

[Holdfast]

Target was slammed today as I went up there for last minute shopping..I got 2010/Bluray for 12$

Despite the bad economy? This year seemed far more busier than last christmas shopping season? Anyone else see it that way too?

Over here, a lot of people postponed their Christmas shopping until the last minute, playing chicken with the shops in terms of when the price cuts came. So there was a lot of Christmas Eve shopping. Overall, I'm not sure what the retail footfall figures were, but I suspect largely flat on last year but with a skew towards the last few days. Still, I think that due to better inventory control than last year, shops didn't have to slash prices as aggressively to move stock, so in terms of value of sales and profitability (combined with the tentative macro recovery), they probably did better than last Christmas. But not by much, I suspect.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

I went to K-Mart on the 22nd. It was busy but not slammed.