Here’s another thing about those old days. Most of the presents under the Christmas tree were made in America. That is of course no longer true.
Amazon . . . I don’t like buying the rope they will use to hang me. Amazon is among the bad guys. I will inconvenience myself to avoid doing business with the enemy. There are other sources on-line to shop
I noticed at the local Walmart Supercenter about 3 years ago on a Black Friday that shopper traffic was light and the customers who were exiting were not carrying out loads of items. Most had none or one or two bags.
I sort of understand. If the price is comparable, I occasionally order from Amazon because packages are either delivered to my mail box or to my back door.
I never loved the Christmas crowds at the mall. So far this year I spent about an hour shopping at TJ Maxx and everything else is coming from online.
Way back in the 90’s, I decided that I was no longer going to play the game! From then on, all of my gifts would be certificates to things that created memorable experiences. They were far easier to buy, prior to the internet, and they suited most anyone. ATV rides, Horse Sleigh rides, Helicopter rides, iMax, Jeep Rides, Balloon rides, Go-Carts, concerts, Wild Animal Sanctuaries, Trips... there’s so much and I remember sharing many of them with the recipients. My FIL died last month but I have great memories of sharing many of these trips with him and my in laws. Ironically, we inherited a Nuwave Oven from him that was gifted by someone, never used and still in the box.
Say what you will about Amazon: My local mall looks like a 3rd world hell whole with little English spoken. It’s already 1/2 closed and I suspect will be closed and torn down within the next two years. The next mall is far away. The parking lot is a war zone of aggressive drivers cutting each other off.
Amazon shopping is ridiculously easy, they’ll deliver the gift right to the recipient, wrap it and you can even have a message sent as well. I’ve even sent flowers via Amazon. Their exchange or refund policy is easy as well. My local Whole Food has an Amazon outlet inside - I had to return something and I’d lost the packaging information - no problem, had my refund within minutes, no questions asked.
They’ve made it extremely easy and convenient for people to exchange gifts.
I went to Lowes today to buy 10 wall outlet timers. Inventory said they had 70 in stock. Electric dept manager said they were in the back in pallets but he was short staffed to find them so he price matched the much nicer $12.99 ones for the 6.50 ones I wanted.
Try that happening online.
I enjoy the true old days shopping at standalone department stores Downtown
I remember the Jimmy Carter recession and Gas "Crisis" when I was just married and lost my job.
I got work pumping gas, and a wise guy Leftist cut in line (with his car) and caused quite a problem.
I took the other tack, I refused him service, the gas station owner backed me up, and banned him for life and called the cops to take him away.
It was the only time in my life when a crowd of strangers cheered me in public.
Boy, those were the good old days when we had Equality in America!
I will admit I got many things from Amazon ahead of and during the pandemic. Then once I saw the news of Bezo’s personal wealth soaring off the charts, and all of the unhappy workers, I decided to help the littler guys stay in business. Now I only get things from Amazon that are not easy to find elsewhere, like the tiny Avery labels I need for price tags in my shop.
I use Second Sale for used books, Dick Blick for art supplies, Thrive Market for many foods (which are less than retail in most cases.)
The internet is huge and there are so many options. And what happened to the Prime promise of 2 day delivery, BTW? I am paying a higher fee for less service than I received a handful of years ago.
Everytime I see a mall closed or repurposed it brings a smile to my face - never got the cult of Black Friday myself.
The closest shopping mall to me is crime ridden. I order everything online now.
Did majority of my online and nothing from Amazon or Walmart. Some gift cards - Ulta and Nordstrom Rack for DIL, running store GC and Salomon running shoes for son, My Slippers and a gadget called Keysmart for Mr Tea. Ordered from Pura with their BOGO. I have two in our house. Love them. Spongelle soapy sponge thingies for DIL. She loves them. Lots of other stuff but mostly direct from the seller.
My Tea and I did order Starlink. We have access to so so internet and we only stream - no cable or dish. Just got it. We’ll see how it goes.
I generally have all my present shopping done before Thanksgiving if not shortly after. Then I just kick back.
But when the last big Christmas Eve rush begins, I would go to the local mall and patiently wait for a good parking spot. After securing my primo spot, maybe wander around the parking lot holding my keys to see how many cars follow me. Then I would head into the food court and get some ice cream, go sit on a bench and watch all the people frantically rushing from one store to the next.
When I finish my ice cream, I will head out to the parking lot and screw with the parkers one more time before heading home by way of the ABC store for my gift from Santa...
I almost always check at the manufacturers site and use them directly. A lot of stuff is still made here.
Og hated the rock I gave him last year, and regifted it to Thok.
I use Amazon to buy stuff that I can’t find locally.
I repurposed my son’s room after he moved out into my “Room of Requirement”. It was my 60th birthday present to myself. I have my way-too-much-power computer with the almost-too-wide monitor, a 65 inch OLED TV, a PS5, surround sound, and lots of shelves to hold memories and knickknacks. There is a very comfortable futon to relax on. I wanted my room to be kind of steam punk/industrial, so we put in dark wood flooring, painted the walls dark green, and the shelves are planks supported by what look like pipes attached to the walls.
All that to say that a lot of the furniture and items in this project were not available in Albuquerque. There were a couple of places that would special order the shelves, but I bought them on Amazon for less and they came in less than a week. My desk and TV stand needed to match the style of the shelves and again, nothing local. Amazon was inexpensive, good quality and fast.
We did get the flooring and paint at Home Depot.
I miss the shopping malls. Now we have to drive from store to store, or order everything for delivery.
Well, I DO buy from ebay and Amazon when there is a large price and / or selection advantage. But, my wife just bought a bunch of footwear for herself and our daughter, online. Not only were the prices not great, I just simply can’t imagine buying footwear without trying it on and walking on it...