Hiding from Holiday Madness Online

I had secretly hoped that as Amazon and other online retailers expanded their hold on the holiday dollar that it would somehow make my life easier. See, by night I am a mother, blogger, and super busy writer. Ah, but by day, I am a lowly office manager. (I like my night job better.)

Unfortunately, said office is located within a mall. During the holidays, it's a bustling mall, overflowing with holiday shoppers. And if there's anything I have discovered about holiday shoppers, they are a traffic nightmare both inside and out.

Inside the shoppers stop, randomly, and without warning in the malls. They exit stores without looking to see who they might run into. They walk four wide at a leisurely pace without considering the road block they are creating.

Outside is even worse. Since most of these people rarely visit a mall, aside from the holiday season, they have no idea of the traffic patterns. They ignore or miss signs. They park in turning circles. In general, they wreak havoc.

It's hard to feel superior while I'm working in a mall, but I do like the few perks that it allows, like inside knowledge of super secret parking places, and the ability to mostly shop while on break or during lunch. Better still, as much as possible, I patronize the online shops. (Oh, sweet Amazon, home of video games and no lines and no waiting.)

The holidays are mostly over. Aside from those doing their massive returns and spending the last of their flex plan dollars in the eleventh hour of the year, the mall is about back to normal. And I am happy to once again be back in my element.

Article Author: Nicki Andrews

Blogger, single mother of two teens, book lover, foodie, and world traveler barely begin to describe Nicki. She thrives on challenges, laughs in the face of deadlines, and stretches herself as thin as dental floss to keep things running smoothly. …

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