We've all seen the video of the woman getting trampled two years ago in Michigan coming through the front doors of a store in the painfully-early-pre-dawn hours. Last year, I interviewed a couple in Northern California who'd been waiting outside the Best Buy for FOUR DAYS....for a Playstation!

Things seem to have changed from my memories of standing in line for 15 minutes waiting for a deal on a television set.

Maybe I lack the stamina and time to commit myself to an endeavor like that. Maybe I'm not mentally tough enough to elbow people out of the way for a video game system or a handbag. Maybe both of those statements are true, in which case, I'm ok with it.

I like to shop in peace and solitude, not armed with Gore-tex, Kevlar and boulder-sized purses. Basically, you won't see me anywhere near a mall or retailer until my days off....Monday and Tuesday...when the herd mentality has left the rest of the country.