Reasons Why I Hate Shopping

Alright it's the beginning of the year and we're getting into some more spending holidays and occasions.Tax season is upon us, not to mention Valentine's Day in a few weeks.  Retail chains nationwide stand to make a grip from many shoppers spending money as their bank accounts are now revived from the post-Christmas frenzy.

Anyone that knows me well knows I loathe shopping. I shop as less frequently as possible, and try to do it all in one day, often at one store if possible.  I'm even like this when I shop for Christmas, holidays, birthdays, or go spending some of my tax refund. 

There are various reasons for this extreme dislike

1. Too time consuming and exhausting

I was raised by two women: my mother and grandmother. My mother didn't shop much and when she did, she limited her time and stores she went to. My late grandma, on the other hand, wasn't the person you wanted to go to the grocery store with. She would turn a 15 minute shopping trip to the local Community Cash into an hour.  It seemed she would always find something else she wanted, plus she would run into someone every minute and would talk and talk and talk.
I may have inherited my gabbing from my grandma, but I got my shopping habits from my mom. I always aim to be in and out of any shopping excursion in 30 minutes or less.  Often if it takes that long, it's not worthwhile to me. When I do have to go do a lot of shopping, it tires me out so easily. 

2. The lines

I have written before about how I cannot stand waiting in long, unnecessary lines. I purposely shop early or late to avoid all of this. Therefore, I don't like huge shopping days such as Black "Whack" Friday, Christmas Eve, and back to school time.   It's way too nauseating for me. Let's not forget the crowds at stores such as Wal-Mart.

3. My frugality. 

Yes I am extremely frugal, cheap, or as I refer to myself "economically sound". I have a hard time handing over my hard earned cash or swiping my debit card. I like to hold on to my money and not frivolously spend, spend, and spend some more. Many people don't seem to have this problem though.

4. Online shopping

It's so easy now to simply buy stuff at the touch of your smartphone, tablet or laptop. You can even buy groceries and order pizza online.  And it's becoming more and more secure, especially with PayPal. You do not even have to leave your house in order to purchase certain items. Many times, this is a great thing.

Shopping is an adrenaline rush, even a sport for many. It's more of a chore for myself, especially for the reasons stated above.

So if you say you're going shopping and I'm with you, it better not be an all day trip. I will respectfully decline.

Waiting In Line, Really?

This is one of my pet peeves, and something I take every precaution to avoid. Waiting in long lines for something can be very irritating.

I consider myself a patient man. However, when it comes to standing in line for something, my patient is truly put to the test.

This is a season of giving, but also a season of lines. Beginning with Black Friday and even culiminating with the day after Christmas, the lines at the stores and the traffic on the road will be bananas. It cannot always be worthwhile.

Then during the year, people will camp out for sporting events, concerts, and other events with long lines.

I purposely shop early or late, and I leave events early or late to avoid lines. They simply irk me. It seems even adults have trouble forming a single file line. Then, lines seen to take forever, with not much in return.

Again I'm not against waiting and being patient. It all depends on the purpose and if I can avoid a crowd.  The faster and more convenient, the better.

During my research, I saw where many stores have a limit on how long they want their cashier's checkout lines to be. That is a good thing, because if you cannot efficiently handle a crowd of customers, you need another line of work. No pun intended of course.

It all boils down to using your head and taking all precautions to cut down on the waiting. Buy things online or in advance. Arrive early for functions. Those who know me know that I'm usually the first or extremely prompt for an event. It pays to be prepared in advance.

One must learn these practices to reduce the stress and anxiety of waiting for mundane things and purposes. Wait on things such as true love, the Lord, and results from hard work. A proper level of tolerance is necessary to balance your life.