Opting for Safer Holiday Shopping

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Black Friday may be a little more dangerous than usual.

When you hear about Black Friday, the typical horror stories involve things like trampling, scratch fights, unbearably long lines, and smelly people. In more recent years, events like that have thankfully become more of a minority as people learn to keep things orderly. Of course, in recent years, there wasn’t a global pandemic going on, but here we all are. Now, I’ve already done my holiday shopping, and I did all online, but if you absolutely, positively need to go into a physical storefront to buy something this year, you’re going to need to take some extra safety precautions. Not only is there the danger of COVID-19 to consider, but quarantine has made everybody especially antsy this year, which means we could be due for some incidents. Play it smart, play it safe.

Before you go into the store, know exactly what you want, exactly where it is, and exactly how much you’re looking to get it for. There is neither time nor space for wandering around the store. Meandering around like that increases your risk of COVID exposure, plus you’re probably in someone else’s way. Stay laser focused on your target, get in, get out, get home. Masks will likely be mandatory wherever you go, and while a regular mask is certainly better than nothing, if you’re one of those lucky few with a ventilated mask like an N95, this is gonna be the time to bust it out.

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For the holiday season, many stores are offering curbside pickup, and you should take advantage of that. Just place your order online, head over to the store, and wait your turn until an associate comes over with your order. This will reduce your contact with other people to the bare minimum. Granted, you may have to wait a little longer, but just put on some music and be patient.

Finally, if you need to hit more than one store, try to do it all in one trip. Ideally, you shouldn’t visit more than one store, but if you have to, it’s best to get all of it done in one go so you can go home and stay home afterward. It’s probably going to be an arduous process, and I won’t lie to you and tell you it’s safest, but, well, I certainly know the siren call of good deals. Just remember to prioritize your health first and foremost.