Friday, November 30, 2012
kitsapweek
page 13
Some ways you can avoid conflict on Aisle 3 I
first posted this blog two holiday seasons ago but I think it’s worth repeating. Remember to keep your cool no matter what others are doing, and enjoy the season! Shopping during the holidays can be a real nightmare. Facing parking lots jammed with cars, performing complicated search and rescue efforts to find an available cart, and approaching aisles with your best obstacle course strategies can cause even the most happy-go-lucky holiday shopper to start up a conflict with any stranger who dares cross his path. Delivering an emotionally-charged snarky remark while juggling the sweater you’re buying for Nana doesn’t say much about your ability to spread joy or share in the holiday spirit. I can’t tell you how to manage every potential conflict you’ll face in the next month or so, but I can pass on a few tips retail workers have shared with me. Of course, I’ve added my own two cents worth on the subject and hope there’s something in here that will help you keep your cool this season. 1. Minimize the material and maximize the experience: What I mean by that is limit the amount of “stuff” you buy and, instead, think about experiences you can share with your family and friends. Throwing a potluck or hosting a game night will deliver a much better experience than being angry with those around you as you wait in line after line after line spending money you don’t have. 2. Shop online: Avoid the lines (and the other crabby people!) by hitting up your favorite stores’ websites. Check out promotion sites to find deals on price discounts, free
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST By VIVIAN SCOTT shipping, and the like. Words of caution, though: make sure you’re carving out uninterrupted computer time so you steer clear of fighting with the family when they “just won’t leave you alone.” Also, practice scanning Internet deals quickly to avoid getting to the checkout page only to discover the discount you’re counting on doesn’t apply to the items in your shopping cart. 3. Use parking lots as personal training sessions: Why get worked up when you can work out? Use the back entrance and take the first spot you see. Walk the extra distance to the front door with a smile on your face and daydream about what you’ll do with all the extra time you’ve given yourself by not circling the same aisles over and over. Unless you need to build your demolition derby skills, let the other shoppers duke it out, honk their horns, and yell obscenities. 4. Shop the little guy: I called a warehouse store to ask if they had any tips on avoiding shopper conflicts and the person who answered the phone said, “Don’t shop here.” Good point. If crowds, long lines, and oversized carts bumping into the back of your heels make you mad, shop at smaller stores that offer fewer items to fewer customers. 5. Plan to be patient: No matter what anyone else does, have control over your own emotions and reactions. Prepare yourself to take a “we’re in this together” attitude whenever possible. If the cashier is rude,
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empathetically ask if she’s having a rough day. She’ll probably appreciate your interest and lighten up for the next guy. Smile at everyone, even if — and especially when — they don’t return the gesture. My local grocery store manager said that for the most part, holiday shoppers and retail employees are a cheerful bunch. His staff actually notices that most of their patrons dis-
“Smile at everyone, even if — and especially when — they don’t return the gesture.” play quite a bit of holiday spirit even when they’re stressed and tired. He said that the happiest customers are the ones who have paid attention to the ads
the store and then get angry with a cashier who’s helping another customer count out change. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty good piece of advice for any time of the year. — Vivian Scott’s Conflicts of Interest blog can be found on BainbridgeReview.com, the online news site of the Bainbridge Island Review.
Kitsap Week Crossword
Crosswords
23. Altar avowal
9. Vein in the centre of a leaf
24. “At Seventeen” singer Janis 25. Partygoer
10. It regained independence in 1991
30. Becomes brisk
11. Attired
34. “D”
12. “Unimaginable as ___ in Heav’n”: Milton
35. Jewish month 37. Place for a barbecue
13. Has a mortgage
38. “Gimme ___!” (start of an Iowa State cheer)
19. Alert, energetic person 21. Long, long time
39. Impressive in appearance
25. In pieces
41. Branch
26. Contents of some cartridges
42. Any “Seinfeld,” now
27. “Can’t Help Lovin’ ___ Man”
44. Calf-length skirt
28. ___ cheese
45. Bit
29. Dine at home
46. Aftershock
31. Standing†still
48. Sudden sharp drop
32. Bolshoi rival
50. “You stink!”
33. Amiens is its capital
51. Away
36. Change
52. Cancels
39. Exclusive
55. Hearer
40. Sue Grafton’s “___ for Lawless”
60. Adherent of Mahayana†Buddhism
43. Offense
62. ___ a one
47. String†of†beads used in counting prayers
63. Penal†institution
ANSWERS
45. Kind of gland
64. Tall perennial herb of tropical Asia
49. Lizard, old-style
Across
65. “Mi chiamano Mimi,” e.g.
53. Cutting remark
1. The Everly Brothers, e.g.
66. “O” in old radio lingo
5. Bank
67. Bakery supply
54. Its quarter says “Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers”
10. Bounce back, in a way
68. Cleaning cabinet supplies
55. Andes capital
14. “Not to mention ...”
52. Early pulpit
56. Egyptian fertility goddess
15. Accused’s need
Down
57. Leave in, as text
16. Cole ___
1. Slap on
58. Ashtabula’s lake
17. To a remarkable degree or extent
2. Arm bone
59. Swedish shag rugs
3. Desk used for writing
61. Dundee denial
18. State in which a substance has no tendency to flow under moderate stress 20. Pin for holding women’s hair in†place 22. Largest of the Dodecanese
4. To specification 5. Actors 6. “Thanks ___!” 7. Anger, with “up” 8. ___-Wan Kenobi
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(which are timed to coincide with shopper habits) and are completing their lists with time to spare. He hinted that the best time to grocery shop is before 11 a.m. when most of the staff is in, the departments are fully stocked, and there are fewer customers to contend with. He also said that a shopper shouldn’t wait until late afternoon the day before an event to rush around