Gifts for the Non-Cook

It's the Christmas season and if people aren't buying because of a down economy, it's not because the retailers and manufacturers aren't trying their best to push the merchandise. The stack of flyers that came with the Sunday Post was as thick as the newspaper itself and there appear to be deals galore. I wouldn't know for sure because frankly, while I'm not too fond of shopping in general, the thought of a crowded shopping mall at Christmastime is simply horrifying. And yet, while I have let my fingers do the clicking to take care of most of the items on the holiday gifts online, one occasionally must actually get out of pajamas and go interact with a human in a real store.

The thing is, do you really want one of these?

Or how about this?

Seriously, wouldn't a toaster oven be a better choice?

I am already imagining next spring's yard sales when these will be popping up in droves. Apparently you can still buy a dedicated appliance for cooking hot dogs too although there didn't seem to be any in Target when I was there.

What other wacky single use kitchen appliances have you seen in the stores this season?

All Shopping is Not Created Equal

Several months ago, I received an e-mail from a friend who had just returned to the U.S. from France with the subject line, "Overwhelmed."  When I opened up the photo attachment, it was a picture of the peanut butter aisle in her local supermarket.  I got a belly laugh out of that one, thinking I should have counter offered with snapshots of the yogurt and chocolate aisles in Paris.  I never managed to do that so belatedly I offer two shots from my recent American retail experience. 

The first one?  I can only call it a little slice of heaven.  The wrapping paper section of The Container Store.  Oh how I missed you:  your reasonable prices, your high quality, the endless mix and match combinations of ribbons, papers, cards, and bags.

And did I mention the containers for any kind of little gift on your list?

This display, on the other hand, at Bed Bath & Beyond kind of made me queasy.  I'd have to classify the store as a necessary evil.  I did find the zebra bedding ensemble that was high on my younger child's priority list and at a very fair price to boot.  But the giant shopping carts and the stacks of merchandise to the ceiling were the very embodiment of excessive American consumerism.  If you need this for a snack, maybe you should rethink things.