Beads Look Good Enough to Eat
YET ANOTHER RETRO RELIC: One of the best-looking and most deliciously priced stocking stuffers around is lurking in the seasonal section of the Rexall Square drugstore at La Cienega and Beverly Boulevard. It’s a set of plastic pop beads, that silly, connect-em-yourself fad of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Only these poppers have no resemblance to the trashy-looking, pearlized numbers of yesteryear.
This new rendering resembles fluffy popcorn and ripe cranberries (pictured, $2 for a small box). Although a single container of beads doesn’t contain enough faux food to make much of a statement on a tree, it does hold enough baubles to create a few bracelets or a conversation-stopping necklace.
LAST NANOSECOND SHOPPING TIPS: Freaking out? No clues as to how you’ll get it all done by Dec. 25 without buying everybody Ginzu knives or the latest members of the Chia pet family? Here are my favorite Ninja Shopping ploys for navigating the seasonal crunch when it’s at its worst:
First, decide exactly what you want and figure out where it’s sold before you start out. This may limit your choices dramatically, but at this point it’s probably way too late for Lucy-n-Ethel- or Cheech-n-Chong-style shopping around.
Next, call ahead to be sure that what you want is definitely in stock. If it’s a big store and you don’t know how to get to a specific department, ask directions and write them down.
Plan to go alone. A companion will probably slow you down unless he or she is as devoted to Ninja Shopping as you are.
Take plenty of cash. It’s faster than credit. If you’re tempted to reach for the plastic, remember the warrior’s goal: Get in. Get out. Get it over with.
Finally, plan to arrive at the store or mall very early or very late. If you show up the instant the place opens, there’s a good chance you won’t encounter hordes of panic-stricken procrastinators just like you. Or cranky clerks (they’re usually fresher earlier in the day). Plus, the merchandise is likely to have been re-stacked overnight in neat displays.
If you waltz in very late at night (places such as Toys R Us and a few department stores stay open until 11 or midnight on some days), you may have to deal with burned-out clerks and stores that look as if they marched in the Doo Dah Parade. But you’ll have the place almost to yourself. Even die-hard shoppers would rather be out dancing than making purchases in the midnight hour.
