I successfully made a massive effort to accomplish my Christmas shopping...
We went to 3 different stores and never did get the main item we were looking for!
When my kids were young, Toys R Us was jam packed with every toy one could think of!... nowadays, there are seems to be a limited supply of a limited selection of items.
I guess I might have more selection available if I wanted to order online, but I really do prefer to be a "hands-on" shopper.
What really irked me most was when we would stop and ask an employee that was working in the toy section (in 3 different stores) if they carried a certain item or if more of a certain toy was available besides the small selection offered at the front of the store and their response would be "....uuummm....I'm not really sure but I don't think so but you could check out the aisle over there..."
There used to be a day when a helpful employee might check an inventory on a store computer so as to answer the customer's query...but I guess those days are long gone!
I guess it wouldn't have bothered me so much if said employee was actually busy doing something!...but these folks were just standing around and not really doing anything!
So anyway...I accomplished getting gifts for 98 percent of the people I expect to give gifts to... Mainly my grandkids...and I managed to do it without being injured or attacked by any wayward elbows!
There also used to be a day when parents left the kids home with a sitter or a family member while they shopped for their Christmas gifts...But these days, the kids accompany the parents...often resulting in sobbing and tears when the toy they really wanted gets put back on the shelf...
There is selfish, greedy crying...then there is the heartbreaking cry of the child that really REALLY wants a toy that the parents probably can't afford...and it is those tears that really hurt my heart.
I figure it would be kinder to leave the kid home so they can't see what they can't have!...and it makes opening gifts on Christmas that much more special!

Wow! Sorry to ramble on, here! ...just felt the need to express myself, I guess!