I don't like to shop.

Laaaaaaaaaaawd - Jesus.  I think I'm going to faint.

 

I do research before making occasional major purchases like cameras, cars, and computers that I get a lot of use out of. I've kept cars an average of six or seven years, and the longest was twelve.

 

Me too, the people at Apple are like why are you here again, are you going to buy a unit or not?

 

I've had my car since '90 and rarely drive it, I just had it fixed and its' being painted so that I can give it to my nephew for his B-day.  The car is older than he is.

 

Malls suck. Their overpriced frivolous stuff draws recreational shoppers like cow-poop draws flies. I buy clothes at Tractor Supply (TSC) and other farm-supply stores; they have quality work and casual clothes that wear like iron for good prices, and lots of hardware and tools. The stores are redolent with the aroma of new tires, a smell I like as much as leather.

Hey, hey, hey.  It depends on the mall or "life style center", yes Crocker Park sucks, but some malls like The Houston or Dallas Galleria's are Fab-u-lous.

 

Some of us shoppers recreational shoppers are very skilled in our element.  Now I do like some industrial work clothes for when I dumpster dive or work in my "laboratory"

 

Anybody who tries to take away my gay card will have to pry it from my cold, dead, un-manicured fingers!

 

The next fllight to Ft. Wayne leaves in 90 minutes. I think we need to have a lil "chat", sweetie.  Your gay card may just have to be suspended for a while.

No Rob, you have earned every part of your corncob tiara ;-)

 

One thing I've become more conscious of are the gifts I buy for my partner's young relatives (great-nieces, etc.) - walking through the toy aisle at Target, I was appalled at how expensive and "structured" toys have become. $20 for some chintzy plug-in component of "Dora's World" or whatever the h#ll they're trying to pass off as "interactive fun". $20 for an "outfit" so they can dress a Bratz doll like some streetwalker?!? I don't think so! I ended up getting a lot of good stuff at the art museum's gift shop - things that actually require THEM to think, or things they can create and personalize. They absolutely loved it :-)

No Rob, you have earned every part of your corncob tiara ;)

 

One thing I've become more conscious of are the gifts I buy for my partner's young relatives (great-nieces, etc.) - walking through the toy aisle at Target, I was appalled at how expensive and "structured" toys have become. $20 for some chintzy plug-in component of "Dora's World" or whatever the h#ll they're trying to pass off as "interactive fun". $20 for an "outfit" so they can dress a Bratz doll like some streetwalker?!? I don't think so! I ended up getting a lot of good stuff at the art museum's gift shop - things that actually require THEM to think, or things they can create and personalize. They absolutely loved it :)

 

Corncob tiara!  LOL  LOL

 

Yes Mayday, toys are ridiculously expensive.  I refused to buy stuff like that, but thank goodness my nieces have never been been into dolls.

 

I usually buy family memberships to the zoo (my nephew can tell you every inch of the zoo from memory), GLSC, book stores and other places of learning.  They learn and take friends to so they too can appreciate all the wonders of Cleveland.

Anybody who tries to take away my gay card will have to pry it from my cold, dead, un-manicured fingers!

 

The next fllight to Ft. Wayne leaves in 90 minutes. I think we need to have a lil "chat", sweetie.  Your gay card may just have to be suspended for a while.

 

I just called the security people at the airport and told them to be on the lookout for a tall, stylish Puerto Rican terrorist. You might wanna' reconsider your travel plans. :wink:

Anybody who tries to take away my gay card will have to pry it from my cold, dead, un-manicured fingers!

 

The next fllight to Ft. Wayne leaves in 90 minutes. I think we need to have a lil "chat", sweetie.  Your gay card may just have to be suspended for a while.

 

I just called the security people at the airport and told them to be on the lookout for a tall, stylish Puerto Rican terrorist. You might wanna' reconsider your travel plans. ;)

 

Thank goodness I have the "middle eastern look" going on this weekend!  They wont suspect a thing! :wink2:

I was appalled at how expensive and "structured" toys have become.

 

I agree.  Play-doh for all!

I was appalled at how expensive and "structured" toys have become.

 

I agree.  Play-doh for all!

 

Laaaaaaaaaaaaawd.  Thank goodness I'm not related to you.  I'm a Lincoln log & Caterpillar dump truck kinda kid.

 

A dump truck, a red wagon, some sand or mud and it's on and poppin.

With that attitude, you wouldn't get any Play-Doh anyway.

With that attitude, you wouldn't get any Play-Doh anyway.

 

Whew...dodged a bullet there!  One less gift to "re-gift"!  ;D

Second best present I ever got as a kid wasn't even at Christmas. When I was about twelve years old I got a broken washing machine. Tore that thing all apart and found out what it was made of.

 

Best present was a couple of years later - a worn-out flathead Ford V-8 engine from an old pickup truck. Same sort of experience, but with more grease and dirt.

 

A friend forwarded this list of upcoming store closings as a caution regarding gift cards. I assume it’s accurate:

 

FW: List of Stores that arre closing-Be careful where you buy gift cards‏. I wanted to give everyone a heads up that if you tend to give gift cards around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankruptcy Planning). Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about.

Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)

Mervyns closing all stores

Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide

Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January

Cache will close all stores

Talbots closing down specialty stores

J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)

Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)

GAP closing 85 stores

Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January

Wickes Furniture closing down

Levitz closing down remaining stores

Bombay closing remaining stores

Zales closing down 82 stores now and 105 more after January

Whitehall closing all stores

Piercing Pagoda closing all stores

Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.

Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )

Macys to close 9 stores after January

Linens and Things closing all stores

Movie Galley Closing all stores

Pep Boys Closing 33 stores

Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores

JC Penney closing a number of stores after January

Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.

Wilson Leather closing down all stores

Sharper Image closing down all stores

K B Toys closing 356 stores

Loews to close down some stores

Dillard's to close some stores

 

This list is out of date as some of those retailers have.  Some of this information was released in 4Q '07 or 1Q '08 and the closures have taken place.  Some stores have never issues releases on store closures.

Good article in yesterday’s NY Times about buying electronics for holidays:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/technology/personaltech/27basics.html?ref=business

 

BASICS

A Shoppers’ Briefing on Tech Gadgets

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Published: November 26, 2008

 

You can be forgiven if you haven’t been assiduously following the ups and downs (lately, mostly just downs) of the consumer-electronics marketplace this year. But if you plan to do any tech shopping this holiday season, knowing about those ups and downs can make the difference between a smart purchase and a waste of money.

 

The four contributors to The New York Times’s new personal-technology blog, Gadgetwise (www.nytimes.com/gadgetwise), have banded together to offer consumers this preholiday shopping briefing. Their analysis and guidance should help you make informed, even shrewd, buying decisions.