Christmas Shopping Nightmares

[Pumpkin_Man]

Hi Folks:

I was remembering Christmas of 1983. This was before I was hired at my present job. I worked on the Christmas court at Martial Fields in Orland Square Shopping Mall. That was the same year the ferver to own a Cabbage Patch Doll was in full force, and nobody could fine one for love or money.

I was fortunate enought hat I did not work in the doy department, so I didn't have any problems. I was selling Christmas ornaments and artificial trees and the like, but the "Toys R Us" which was located in the same mall was swamped with irate parents who were all bent ouf of shape because they ordered Cabbage Patch Dolls for their children, and they have not arrived, as it was getting closer and closer to Christmas. On the tv news that same evening, they had a video clip of a stoor cashieer standing on top of the check-out counter with a baseball bat, while angry customers, (mostly women) were threatening him, screaming at him and throwing things at him. I'm not kidding, this guy was about ready to bludgeon sone one to death right on the spot. The other store employees were litteraly throwing these dolls in boxes to the customers and every time a Cabbage Patch Doll was thrown, this angry mob would clammer all around to catch it.

I don't know about you, but that really put a damper on things that Christmas. I thought the jog I had at that time was bad, I was thanking God that night that I wasn't selling Cabbage Patch Dolls.

Mike

[Halloween4Ever]

I was once trying to get a Turbo-man doll at the mall, and they gave us colored play balls to see which one of us got one of the few dolls left.
When it fell into a pool of balls at the playland, I tried to get it from this kid and all of the mothers started beating me with their purses.

Later I tried to buy it from a bunch of con-artist Santas, when I realized it was fake, I got in a fight with a room full of Santas. Then the cops showed up.

[Pumpkin_Man]

Like I said, nothing will completely crush the 'Christmas Spirit' faster then dog-eat-dog-claw-your-way-to-the-top-win-at-any-cost competition that those dolls caused back in the 80s. That year I worked at Martial Fields was THE WORST Christmas Season of my life, the only exception being the year my niece was in the hospital.

And it was lousy pay, too. Bare miniumu wage, and that's despite the fact that I made countless thousands for that company.

Mike