My Hunt
After a nice looong weekend away from work, things are great. I mean, how can I complain when I’ve had five whole days away from the office? Yeah, I really can’t…and trust me, I’m not.
The best thing about my long weekend was that it wasn’t necessarily a long weekend for everyone else. And there’s nothing I enjoy more than having time off when everyone and their mother isn’t out and about. I’m sure there are many of you reading this who didn’t enjoy a weekend as long as mine…and for that I’m sorry. Sort of. Hehe.
So I got a good weekend story for you all to enjoy. With the election finally behind us, it’s nice to be able to watch the news without having to hear about candidates all the time, answering the phone to hear prerecorded messages, and not receiving any more informational voter information. With all that said, I’m really not one to collect random memorabilia just to commemorate an event, but because this election is so historic, I wanted something that I could save for years to come (i.e. something to remember this time by, something to refer to, something to show the next generation, etc.). Anyway, the latest issues of all the news magazines had their “commemorative” issues out on store shelves last Thursday afternoon. How did I know this, you ask. Well, let me tell you. During a break from work on Thursday afternoon, I found myself flipping through random news magazines trying to decide the one, and only, magazine that I would spend precious storage space saving for years to come. I decided that I really liked Time magazine’s commemorative issue of the presidential election (a close second was The Economist…surprisingly enough, I wasn’t a big fan of Newsweek’s issue). Finding myself without my wallet or any means to purchase this “coveted” magazine, I returned to work and decided to hit up my local book store that evening to get a copy of the magazine. Little did I know, that was the beginning of my demise.
That evening, I found myself at a local Barnes & Noble looking for the latest copy of Time magazine. As I was browsing through their magazine selection, I noticed that they still had last week’s issue up on their shelves. I was just about to inquire about Time when a random guy asked me if I was looking for the latest copy of Time magazine…I responded in the affirmative (I must have had a desperate look on my face). He asked a store clerk about the latest issue and she said that their first delivery of Time magazine from earlier that afternoon had been completely sold out, but they were getting another shipment early the next day. She cautioned that we were one of many people who had inquired about it and would probably be back the next morning. She recommended going across the street to Safeway, since they also carry the latest magazines, and people don’t typically go to Safeway to buy magazines. I thought that was an excellent idea and I was off. On my way to Safeway, I made a brief stop at Target to see if they had a copy of Time…sadly no.
I arrived at Safeway and perused their magazine selection with no luck. At this point, I was starting to get a little worried. So…I made a split decision and decided to drive back into the City and visit the book store that I saw the initial Time magazine earlier that day. Half an hour later, a store clerk informed me that their entire delivery of Time magazine had been sold out. I thought he was kidding…since he probably sensed my desperation. He went on to inform me that Time magazines had been flying off the shelves and I was one of many looking for a copy.
I proceeded to get back onto the freeway and was headed back down the peninsula. I debated how much longer I was willing to go to get this Time magazine. I was weighing my options and tried to decide how much I really wanted it. Of course the answer was obvious, I wanted it and I was determined to get it. No regrets and no excuses. So my journey continued…
I got off the freeway in Daly City (more familiar territory for me) and decided to continue my search at another Barnes & Noble…again, no luck. I got back into the car and drove up a ways and tried another local Safeway…again no luck. At that point, it was just a matter of trying to rack my brain for other possibilities where the latest copy of Time magazine could be hiding. I had to find it and I had to buy it. There was no getting around it.
I guess I should have mentioned that I’m not alone on this journey. I had made plans early last week to hang out with a friend. After dinner I had explained that I was making a “quick” stop to Barnes & Noble (the first one) to pick up a magazine. Little did I know that the trip would take on a life of its own. I mean, I was literally left with no choice but to take matters into my own hands and continue my hunt for Time magazine, right? Ha! Don’t answer that. So in the end, I knew I had to return my friend back to our original destination in Millbrae.
After the last two unsuccessful attempts since I arrived back on the peninsula, I got back into the car and headed towards Walgreens and Longs Drug Stores. I visited three Walgreens and two Longs Drug Stores. Yes, that’s right, five more stores with no Time magazine in sight. At that point, my hopes were dwindling, my frustration levels were rising, and my temper was getting out of control…let’s just say, that I wasn’t feeling all that great. Buying The Economist was looking pretty good…not only was the cover and some of the stories probably just as good, but it was easily accessible. Every place I visited had the Economist…but again, that wasn’t the point anymore. It was all about Time magazine.
I was on the verge of giving up, but decided to stop at one last Safeway as I arrived in Millbrae. At that point it was 11:30 pm (I started my journey at roughly 6:30 pm that evening…yeah I know, completely crazy). I entered Safeway and, as in past searches, started my hunt at the magazine section (with no luck as usual) and then headed to check every magazine rack lining the checkout counters. As I approached the last checkout line, I noticed that it was blocked off (there were racks in front of the checkout area to prevent people from getting by). I peeked around the corner and looked at the magazine racks….and almost fell over. There they were…three copies of the latest Time magazine with Barack Obama on the cover of the “commemorative issue.” Oh. My. Goodness. I pushed the rack aside, climbed over the rope, and grabbed all three copies of Time magazine.
I took all three copies of Time magazine and proceeded to the checkout (one for me and two for my co-workers). The clerk told me that Time magazine had been a popular item that day with people coming in just to buy it…I nodded and told her I completely understood. She asked me where I found the copies that I had…I informed her that I swiped the last three copies from the last checkout counter on the far side of the store. She looked at me and said that I was pretty lucky because they shelved their entire supply of Time magazine for the week. I felt like a total badass…because finally, everything was right in the world again.
So my story comes to a close with a happy ending and I can return to work in a pleasant mood. If you’re still reading this…I’m surprised. Ha!
The best thing about my long weekend was that it wasn’t necessarily a long weekend for everyone else. And there’s nothing I enjoy more than having time off when everyone and their mother isn’t out and about. I’m sure there are many of you reading this who didn’t enjoy a weekend as long as mine…and for that I’m sorry. Sort of. Hehe.
So I got a good weekend story for you all to enjoy. With the election finally behind us, it’s nice to be able to watch the news without having to hear about candidates all the time, answering the phone to hear prerecorded messages, and not receiving any more informational voter information. With all that said, I’m really not one to collect random memorabilia just to commemorate an event, but because this election is so historic, I wanted something that I could save for years to come (i.e. something to remember this time by, something to refer to, something to show the next generation, etc.). Anyway, the latest issues of all the news magazines had their “commemorative” issues out on store shelves last Thursday afternoon. How did I know this, you ask. Well, let me tell you. During a break from work on Thursday afternoon, I found myself flipping through random news magazines trying to decide the one, and only, magazine that I would spend precious storage space saving for years to come. I decided that I really liked Time magazine’s commemorative issue of the presidential election (a close second was The Economist…surprisingly enough, I wasn’t a big fan of Newsweek’s issue). Finding myself without my wallet or any means to purchase this “coveted” magazine, I returned to work and decided to hit up my local book store that evening to get a copy of the magazine. Little did I know, that was the beginning of my demise.
That evening, I found myself at a local Barnes & Noble looking for the latest copy of Time magazine. As I was browsing through their magazine selection, I noticed that they still had last week’s issue up on their shelves. I was just about to inquire about Time when a random guy asked me if I was looking for the latest copy of Time magazine…I responded in the affirmative (I must have had a desperate look on my face). He asked a store clerk about the latest issue and she said that their first delivery of Time magazine from earlier that afternoon had been completely sold out, but they were getting another shipment early the next day. She cautioned that we were one of many people who had inquired about it and would probably be back the next morning. She recommended going across the street to Safeway, since they also carry the latest magazines, and people don’t typically go to Safeway to buy magazines. I thought that was an excellent idea and I was off. On my way to Safeway, I made a brief stop at Target to see if they had a copy of Time…sadly no.
I arrived at Safeway and perused their magazine selection with no luck. At this point, I was starting to get a little worried. So…I made a split decision and decided to drive back into the City and visit the book store that I saw the initial Time magazine earlier that day. Half an hour later, a store clerk informed me that their entire delivery of Time magazine had been sold out. I thought he was kidding…since he probably sensed my desperation. He went on to inform me that Time magazines had been flying off the shelves and I was one of many looking for a copy.
I proceeded to get back onto the freeway and was headed back down the peninsula. I debated how much longer I was willing to go to get this Time magazine. I was weighing my options and tried to decide how much I really wanted it. Of course the answer was obvious, I wanted it and I was determined to get it. No regrets and no excuses. So my journey continued…
I got off the freeway in Daly City (more familiar territory for me) and decided to continue my search at another Barnes & Noble…again, no luck. I got back into the car and drove up a ways and tried another local Safeway…again no luck. At that point, it was just a matter of trying to rack my brain for other possibilities where the latest copy of Time magazine could be hiding. I had to find it and I had to buy it. There was no getting around it.
I guess I should have mentioned that I’m not alone on this journey. I had made plans early last week to hang out with a friend. After dinner I had explained that I was making a “quick” stop to Barnes & Noble (the first one) to pick up a magazine. Little did I know that the trip would take on a life of its own. I mean, I was literally left with no choice but to take matters into my own hands and continue my hunt for Time magazine, right? Ha! Don’t answer that. So in the end, I knew I had to return my friend back to our original destination in Millbrae.
After the last two unsuccessful attempts since I arrived back on the peninsula, I got back into the car and headed towards Walgreens and Longs Drug Stores. I visited three Walgreens and two Longs Drug Stores. Yes, that’s right, five more stores with no Time magazine in sight. At that point, my hopes were dwindling, my frustration levels were rising, and my temper was getting out of control…let’s just say, that I wasn’t feeling all that great. Buying The Economist was looking pretty good…not only was the cover and some of the stories probably just as good, but it was easily accessible. Every place I visited had the Economist…but again, that wasn’t the point anymore. It was all about Time magazine.
I was on the verge of giving up, but decided to stop at one last Safeway as I arrived in Millbrae. At that point it was 11:30 pm (I started my journey at roughly 6:30 pm that evening…yeah I know, completely crazy). I entered Safeway and, as in past searches, started my hunt at the magazine section (with no luck as usual) and then headed to check every magazine rack lining the checkout counters. As I approached the last checkout line, I noticed that it was blocked off (there were racks in front of the checkout area to prevent people from getting by). I peeked around the corner and looked at the magazine racks….and almost fell over. There they were…three copies of the latest Time magazine with Barack Obama on the cover of the “commemorative issue.” Oh. My. Goodness. I pushed the rack aside, climbed over the rope, and grabbed all three copies of Time magazine.
I took all three copies of Time magazine and proceeded to the checkout (one for me and two for my co-workers). The clerk told me that Time magazine had been a popular item that day with people coming in just to buy it…I nodded and told her I completely understood. She asked me where I found the copies that I had…I informed her that I swiped the last three copies from the last checkout counter on the far side of the store. She looked at me and said that I was pretty lucky because they shelved their entire supply of Time magazine for the week. I felt like a total badass…because finally, everything was right in the world again.
So my story comes to a close with a happy ending and I can return to work in a pleasant mood. If you’re still reading this…I’m surprised. Ha!
Posted by kristina
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