Don't you just hate it? No matter what your good intentions might have been after the frenzy and chaos of the previous year, here we go again, and we haven't even really started on that holiday shopping yet. Oh sure, I've been to the stores. Bought the obligatory Godiva chocolate for the wife. Even scored a Furbie for one of the kids. But, as I look at my list, I haven't even made a visible dent in anything except my wallet.

With three daughters and one Furbie so far, we have been cruising the shopping malls for weeks now for more of those darling toys. No luck. Evereyone is out. Going to have to draw straws to see who gets him (maybe that cute little Furbie is really a girl?). Then I'll have to move out of town to avoid the wrath of the other two kids. This is not an isolated experience, either. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that I have been behind the eight ball since Thanksgiving. The stores simply aren't stocking the stuff I really want!!

Oh sure. They have lots of copies of Titanic. You want Shania? Got her. Rug Rats? No problem. I was in a large department store chain the other day.

"I'm looking for an espresso-capuchino-latte maker for under $75?"

"Those will be on sale December 24 from 6 to midnight."

"How about that DVD player you advertised on TV for $229?"

"Oh, we sold those out the day after Thansgiving."

"Well, I do need some Hanukkah wrapping paper."

"Is that like Kawanzaa?"

After a string of failures I thought I would try a sure thing. I wanted to surprise my wife with a Dolby® Surroud Sound speaker system to match the 53-inch wide-screen we bought earlier in the year. So I drove out to Best Buy, where we bought the original TV.

"Hi. We bought that SONY 53" TV a few months ago and now I want to get the wireless SAVA-1000 speakers that go with it. You know, the kind that transmit to the rear speakers via a wireless receiver."

"Never heard of them."

"You do sell SONY, don't you?"

"What do you think those are over there?!"

"Right. So what do you recommend for a Surround Sound System?"

"We have SONY systems in the Audio section."

"Um...OK...can you help me with those?"

"Nope. I work in the TV section."

So, I trekked about three miles to the Audio Section on the other side of the store. The same salesman was already there.

"I thought you worked in TVs?"

"I'm picking up a set of speakers for a customer."

"What! Well can't you show me the SAVA line?"

"Sorry. I don't sell speakers. Just TVs."

"Uh. How about if you pick out a pair of 1000's and bring them over to me in the TV section?"

"It'll take a few minutes."

"Take your time."

So I trekked the three miles back to the TV section. Some time later my speakers arrived on a cart.

"So how much are these?"

"Don't know. I just work in TVs."

"You had them advertised in the paper for $600."

"Well, then they're $600."

"Fine. Can you ring these up for me here, please."

"No way. We just sell TVs here. You'll have to get them in the Audio section."

Let's just say Best Buy didn't get my money.