I did end up going to the Moorestown Mall to do my Christmas shopping today. After a quick Multi-Grain Cheerios and Cranberry Flummery breakfast, I headed out. Made a quick stop at WaWa to get money, then rode down to the corner of King's Highway and the White Horse Pike. Even with crossing the street to lock my bike at the rack in front of CVS, I still had plenty of time before the bus finally arrived ten minutes late. I don't know why they were late. The traffic must have been bad in Camden. It was a little congested in Haddonfield, but otherwise wasn't really that bad going to the mall.
This time, I got off right at the Mall. The bus conveniently lets off next to Boscov's, which is where I wanted to go first. They were very busy, probably more than the mall at large. Thankfully, the accessories are some of the first displays you see upon entering through the mall. I always get my sister Jessa some nifty socks or accessories.
After I found what I wanted for Jess, I headed to the toy department. Boscov's toy department isn't great, but I'm just glad they have one. Most larger department stores like Macy's only have toys out around Christmas, and then just a few. I did peek at their Ever After High dolls, but they were all $22 and over, way more than I want to pay for a small fashion doll. I'll keep looking for the basic dolls on good sales. I had more luck with my nephew Collyn, I bought him a Hot Wheels monster truck and a larger truck that held two more cars.
Made a quick stop at the candy counter on the way out. This is something else that Boscov's still has that most other department stores have long phased out. Their different kinds of fudge all looked so tempting! In the end, I decided to stick with the spirit of the season and pick up two large pieces of Peppermint Crunch.
It was getting late, and I was hungry. I headed to the food court for lunch and a bathroom break. I opted for a Philly Chicken cheesesteak with mushrooms, green peppers, and onions and a cup of fries from Charley's. The fries were thick and hot and not too greasy. The chicken cheesesteak wasn't bad, but it did drip and make a bit of a mess.
The Barnes & Noble is literally right across the street from the food court and Boscov's entrances. The Moorestown Barnes & Noble is enormous, twice the size of the one from Cherry Hill. Maybe that was why I had such a hard time choosing books for my nephews! Khai was easier. I wanted one more Golden Book to go with the three I found mint at yard sales. I found one on Captain America. He was Captain America for Halloween; I thought he'd enjoy the pictures. I had a tougher time with 10-year-old Skylar. I really don't know what 10-year-old boys are reading these days. In the end, I went with a pocket encyclopedia of science (he's a science nut) and a new craft/writing book for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which Mom says he's really into.
As I was exploring for Skylar, I found that Ever After High also has a young adult book series. There were four books, the first two revolving more-or-less around "The Beginning" and series 1 webisodes, the third a stand-alone story featuring Cedar Wood and the Wonderland characters, and the fourth an anthology featuring the various characters. I'd love to pick up all four with Christmas money. They were written by Shannon Hale, who did the wonderful Princess Academy that I really enjoyed last year.
I just made it back to the bus terminal to pick up the 4:37...then realized I didn't have the right change for the bus. I ran inside and bought a chocolate chip cookie. I waited outside for at least 15 minutes before I finally gave up, decided I'd missed the bus, and went back in the mall.
FYE is right across from the food court. It's not very big, but they did have a lot of interesting DVDs. I ultimately went with two I'd wanted that weren't on sale, but were a good regular price. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies - I finally got the second early 90s movie, Secret of the Ooze. (Yes, the one with Vanilla Ice and the Ninja Rap.) The Road to El Dorado replaced a used copy I bought from FYE some time ago that was heavily scratched and skipped quite a bit around the middle of the movie.
I did make it to the bus stop well before 5:37. Of course, the bus didn't arrive until 5:55. It wasn't the only bus that was late, either. A lot of people were complaining about their rides being 10 minutes late or more. It wasn't hard to tell why. There was heavy traffic around the East Gate office complexes, and even more in a very busy Haddonfield. I did enjoy seeing all the lovely light displays, especially in Haddonfield. King's Highway was lit up like a blazing bonfire, and there were tons of people out shopping.
I finally got in at Audubon around 6:48. Since the bus lets off across from CVS, I picked up a few things I needed there. I'm almost out of contact lens solution. Their generic laundry detergent was $2.99 for the 100 oz bottle, and I just ran out on Monday. Also picked up one more item for Jessa to finish her out and a grapefruit sparkling water.
It was past 7 when I finally rolled in. I rode home in a light shower. The clouds that had hovered all day finally burst. It sounds like the shower is supposed to pick up and get a lot heavier tomorrow. I hope not. I don't hear anything right now, but we'll see what happens.
At the very least, except for one item for Lauren, my Christmas shopping is now done. Anyone else who comes in unexpectedly will get small gifts from the Acme or the drug stores or food.
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