Blisstory Question -

Would you rather shop online or at the mall?

Black Friday is fast approaching. For many years my mom and my brother picked me up at 4:30 am and we would hit the malls and department stores in the hopes of getting the best deal on holiday gifts. Remember the Beanie Baby and Tickle Me Elmo craze? Boy, do I remember the mad rush as the doors opened, people pushing and shoving to get in. Hundreds of obnoxious men and women would stampede to the back of the store to make sure they were the first 100 to get that extra bonus and to get there before the toys were gone. Talk about great marketing; limited supply and the free gift. Aren’t holiday’s meant to be fun and blissful?

Thanks to the advent of the internet and its amazing growth, I now sit in my office, toasty warm, with a mug of my favorite Perfect Blendz coffee, shopping online! The only stampedes I experience are my two dogs as they vie for the spot under my desk. It’s way more safe and convenient than fighting the masses at the mall; not to mention there’s no traffic. With our lists in hand and breakfast cooking on our own stove, my husband and I hit the net!

If you love the Day after Thanksgiving Sales but can’t stand the crowds, shopping online in the comfort of your own home is wonderful. Almost anything available "in store" is generally available "online", except for a few of the extreme door busters. Most stores offer the same, if not better, deals online as they have in store, will have have online only sales and offer free shipping. If you are interested in "buying local" many local retailers have a website, which makes it easy to shop with them and keep the money in your own community.

We get a list early from our brood of five children and my husband spends a few hours researching where we’ll get the best deals. Then, between reading our email, updating our Facebooks and tweeting about how warm we are, we get busy ordering our holiday gifts. In just a couple of hours we are finished with most of our holiday shopping. The best part is nobody pushed and shoved us around or scowled at us as we picked our prize.

No matter what your preference is, I wish you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, as well and a wonderful holiday season. Next time you’re in line at the store, even if it’s the mad rush of Black Friday, remember we all have one thing in common – gift giving. Give the gift of a smile and a warm wish for happy days!

Smiles…