boxing day not spar-ing day

American’s have Black Friday and Canadians have Boxing Day.  The day everyone escapes the forced confinement, of 1 single day with family and flees to the mall to shop for bargains… after spending furiously just a few days before for Christmas.  Not that I’m judging.

For those who work retail, it’s the day before the day you have a breakdown from working too many long hours, too many days in a row to make enough money to get a decent sized commission cheque in January.

As a kid I never experience Boxing Day as the family budget was beyond stretched by Christmas to participate.  As a working teen most of my jobs, mercifully, chose to avoid the sales and it wasn’t until I started working as a young adult that I discovered Boxing Day.  From that first experience I came to a very firm decision to save several of my very hard earned vacation days to be able to avoid these days.  And it was a high cost.

Now that I work in an office I sometimes get a thought in my head that I might want to venture out for a few post holiday deals, and then I get to the mall, turn around and leave.

Full disclosure – mostly because I really wanted to write ‘full disclosure’ – I still get retail related panic attacks when the mall is full and I know I have to do my holiday shopping.

And further disclosure, it really sticks in my craw that I don’t get to participate in the great deals.  But losing limb, life and possibly even sanity for discounts really seems over the top and so I stay home.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love shopping.  I’m fond of the mall, and department stores – I like that ‘everything-under-one-roof’ concept.  And I love a sale. In fact I miss the days when as a store clerk I could peruse the sales racks before the store opened and, with the benefit of befriending my fellow colleagues, could stash a few choices behind the counter for later retrieval   So this year I braved it.  And made it to one store and then went home and had a stiff drink.

What I hate, is the people.  More specifically the mentality of people when they gather in a large group - seemingly to stand collectively in my way while I try to walk between stores.

My yield?  3 pairs of Second Yoga jeans - which really should be tried on by all.  The cost?  A few more liver cells as I enjoyed that stiff drink.

And some confidence restored.  So much so that I might brave the discount bra event at my favourite ‘secret’ place tomorrow.