What to do, what to do?
Apparently this Santa Claus thing is tougher than I thought. I’ve set myself a budget to spend on my Salvation Army Angel, but I’d like to able to get the things she asked for (a bicycle and a pink backpack), plus maybe a sweater and a blouse and whatever-else-it-is-that-11-year-old-girls want. My co-worker suggested that I start at Wal-Mart for the bicycle, and after a preliminary search online, it looks they may indeed be the cheapest. Trouble is, I harbor a distinct dislike for that place, mainly because they have a record of eminent domain abuse. (Alabaster, Alabama comes to mind.)
I checked them out at lunch. Looks like a 24” girls bike starts at around $53.73. The next best cost from another retailer jumps into the $70 range. So now I’m trying to decide, do I bump up the budget and shop my conscience? Or do I just buy the cheapest bike and feel better about my Santa complex? I've got some time left, so I guess I'll keep comparison-shopping for now.
I also stopped by the girls’ clothing for a couple of reasons: to get some ideas, and to better visualize the child I’m buying for. But when you’re big and hairy and 40-ish, and you have no visible children in tow, and you’re shopping in the little girls’ section in the first week of November, people tend to look at you like you’re a perv. And it doesn’t help that Wal-Mart puts their lingerie just a few feet away. I made a serious misstep and ended up face-to-face with a wall full of 38DDs.
I checked them out at lunch. Looks like a 24” girls bike starts at around $53.73. The next best cost from another retailer jumps into the $70 range. So now I’m trying to decide, do I bump up the budget and shop my conscience? Or do I just buy the cheapest bike and feel better about my Santa complex? I've got some time left, so I guess I'll keep comparison-shopping for now.
I also stopped by the girls’ clothing for a couple of reasons: to get some ideas, and to better visualize the child I’m buying for. But when you’re big and hairy and 40-ish, and you have no visible children in tow, and you’re shopping in the little girls’ section in the first week of November, people tend to look at you like you’re a perv. And it doesn’t help that Wal-Mart puts their lingerie just a few feet away. I made a serious misstep and ended up face-to-face with a wall full of 38DDs.
posted by Ben at
12:42 PM
2 Comments:
Ok, I'm going to rationalize here. The girl's Christmas is far more important than your justified hated of the dreaded Empire from Bentonville. Get her the bike and anything else you can in the budget, Wal-Mart be damned. They will get what's coming to them someday. Of course that may be when China takes over the U.S., thanks in part to our continued impulsive importation of every shiny bauble they produce.
Maybe you can use the extra money to buy her Pimsleur's Chinese Language Program on CD?
Just sayin'.
By
Anonymous, at 4:29 PM
Point taken, madame director honeylips. I'll pack up my scruples and head back to Wal-Mart.
By
Ben, at 8:45 AM
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