Best and worst gifts

[Alex]

You are suffering under the misapprehension that shopping online is not shopping. I have no more interest in doing it on a computer than in a real store (my online shopping is exacly the same as in real life: I don't go to the web site unless I know exactly what I want and then the goal is to minimize the amount of time spent there).

I bought the Movado watch that Kevy linked to in the other thread (actually Lani did because after she found out I got her a Christmas present she decided she had to get me one; but ultimately it will be my money that pays the credit card bill so it all the same). I never looked at another Web site or another page on that Web site. Perfect shopping experience.

And my current wallet is perfectly the right size (total shopping time: 4 minutes, it was within two feet of the door at Wilson Leather). I'm not looking for a solution to the unused Wal-Mart gift card. I'm completely fine with having it in my nightstand until I clean or move and then throw it away.

Someone got the small pleasure of giving me a gift.
I don't have to shop, which is a large pleasure.
Wal-Mart gets free money, which they enjoy.
Some prison worker in China wasn't oppressed to serve my overindulgent globalized eco-imerio-consumerism. The ungrateful bastard probably didn't even notice.

It's win-win for everybody.