The end is near

Christmas shopping... If you aren't done, you really shouldn't be sitting here on the computer. Get your ass to the store and grab whatever crap is left so you can start getting drunk and be done with it.

I'm done, finally. Does anyone have any joyous shopping related stories to share? Here are mine, sort of categorized:

Annoying - I went to this game/hobby stop to buy a hard to find game for a friend (well and a few for me too). The entire 40 minutes I was there, one of the employees was walking around the place speaking in a poorly faked British accent like he just fell out of a youtube spoof of a Monty Python skit (and apparently hit his head).

It's people like that that remind me and other people who play oddball table top games and Steve Jackson card games how big of losers we are. You see, walking dildos like that guy seem to exist in every group of gamers. Even if I can almost fit in as a normal person, I still know that at one point I hung out with at least one person who did that regularly and didn't punch/slap/kick/shoot him. Damn me to geek hell.

Oh Shit Moment - I sent out 8 things via eBay last week. Everything was marked and double checked before handing it over to the helpful shipping person. They put the UPS labels over the top of my writing and then put them back with the rest of the crap they had to ship. Apparently they screwed up. YIKES! 2 buyers got the wrong stuff. I've never had this happen to me as a buyer or have I done this before as a seller. DAMN IT ALL.

Luckily they weren't purchased as christmas presents. I refunded 50% off the items costs (which sucks for me) and paid them both a very fair amount to cross ship the items via UPS. It's taken care off, they were both satisfied with their refunds and items. All is saved.

Creepy Checkout - Why do some people insist on telling you their entire life stories while you are stuck with them in the never ending Best Buy checkout herd? This late 30s early 40s ish guy starts talking to me and my wife about all these different gifts he was buying and how he was going to be his nephew's hero for buying some DVD. He peppered it all with something about a kidney stone and lunch at Houlihan's and list of what gift cards he hopes he gets for christmas. He kept talking and talking and talking (sort of like how I'm rambling now, but the difference being that you have the ability to escape).

End Date = Dec-30-06 20:36:57 PST

My Christmas spirit has left the building.
Tags: christmas shopping, geeks, checkout lane, ebay mishaps