Fear of a stampede
I should know better, at my age. There are no real Boxing Day bargains, especially when the prices are published for all to see. For days now, the intrepid shoppers have been planning their strategies, armed with fast cars and cell phones. I am no more than a witness without much money.
Nature tried to give us a snowstorm, but the winds were missing. Some new powder for anyone that believes skis are a natural form of transport. I didn’t even have to shovel to get out of the driveway. Must be a storm for those who don’t really have winter. Still, without so much as a good meal to prepare myself, I put the van on the road just after the noonday bell. Goal: purchase some cheap CD-R media. Target: Future Shop.
The parking lot for Staples had a hungry throng before their doors. Everyone needs a bundle of photocopy paper it seems. Along the side leading up to the gateway to the Future, nobody but the wind. And then I spotted the gathered multitude. Up to the end of the building and around the corner. All along the north wall, and around the corner. All along the woodside edge, leading back to Staples. Oh well, might as well play the game.
People phoning people to update the gossip. “They’ve already sold out of iPods, because of the Internet”. “I’ll be in Ontario a little later than I expected”. Right. With only minutes before the doors were to open, my fear of a stampede was peaking… and then, off we went. Walking. Steadily. Around the three corners and in the door. I knew what I wanted and I wanted what they had; a cheap tower of media. Grab, shoulder down and go for the goal. Broken field walking (don’t want to alert security that a serious shopper is in the store). Corner tuck around the black canvas tape that marked a cashier aisle and stop. Wait. There’s only one person ahead of me. Cash on the barrelhead and out the door. 13h03. What should have taken hours has lasted less time than a cup of coffee.
Later on, warmed up in my living room, I logged onto Skype’s secure site, did the necessary currency lookups at xe.com because I love a bargain, especially on Boxing Day and signed a virtual contract for a year of toll-free calls to anywhere in North America (excluding Mexico so this must be the American Geography version), as long as I respect the terms of service which include:
- That I agree to use the VoIP service fairly and sensibly.
- The offer is reserved to residents of the US and Canada. (Does QC count?)
- For the first three days after you sign-up, your communications will be limited to seven hours a day.
- Make sure you redeem the coupons before they expire. (Wait, what??)
And so on and so forth. I solemnly swear that I am not likely to abuse this service in any way. However, my new Vtech USB 7100 designed expressly for (you guessed it) the Skype user will make my “airtime” so much easier than before.
