November 20, 2008 3:03:53 PM
TOYDIRECTORY® | TDmonthly™ Magazine | Join
our 27,800 subscribers | Forums | PlayZak®
November 20, 2008 3:03:53 PM
TOYDIRECTORY® | TDmonthly™ Magazine | Join
our 27,800 subscribers | Forums | PlayZak®
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Mom's Perspective
My son and I were on a mission. Due to a confrontation between a weed wacker and our inflatable swimming pool (The weed wacker won.), we found ourselves prowling around the local toy establishment in hot pursuit of a replacement. As far as my son Ryan was concerned, we would not be leaving that store without something that was going to cool him off. "May I help you?" inquired a young clerk with Bryl-creemed hair and heavy, black-framed glasses. "Yes," I said. "We're here to buy a pool." "You must be joking. We haven't had any inflatable pools in stock since February." "February?" I squeaked. "Of course," he said, smirking at my naiveté.
I looked around, and for the first time since we'd entered the store, noticed the silvery strands of Christmas garland snaking their way around every shelf and display. "Jingle Bell Rock" jumped out of the PA system, and not five feet from us, bright red Riva Sno-Raptor Sleds (ToyDirectory) were stacked to the ceiling and ready to topple over and bury us at the merest hint of a breeze. A robotic Santa did a belly dance and "ho, ho, ho'd" in the corner. "You mean to tell me that in the middle of an August heat wave, when the temperature outside is 115 degrees, and when there is not a snowflake within 10,000 miles of here, that you don't have a single swimming pool in stock because you're getting ready for CHRISTMAS?!" "Well," he said. "It is just around the corner you know."
"Sold out in January," came his reply. "A Slip 'N Slide?" "All gone." “Super Soaker?" "Out of stock." "Water balloons?" "Pa-leez!" "How about a little rubber duck and a nose plug?" "Now THOSE we still have," he said with a grin. My son and I each learned a lesson that day. For me, it was that no matter how annoying I consider those hyper-organized people who have their taxes done by January 2nd, their Christmas shopping completed by July 4th or their New Year's Eve reservations locked in by September 1st, it might behoove me to plan ahead a little. At least where retail shopping is concerned.
As for my son, he learned that if you fill your Super Saucer
Snow Sled (ToyDirectory)
with water and sit in it with your snorkel and mask on, you should probably
do it in the back yard where nobody can see you.
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