This is one of those assignments that I really don’t look forward to. Photographs of people shopping is a hassle. And it isn’t because of the shoppers, it’s because of the shops. It has gotten to where businesses don’t want photographers in their stores during rush times. I think they are afraid of pictures showing massive people fighting for their goods.

Well I headed to Shopko, one of the last stores that I could talk into letting me in but the manager said “no,” she had gotten e-mails from the corporate offices saying no media inside the store.

I headed to Home Depot thinking that store or Lowe’s might be good as they usually carry large decorations and I had in mind a shopper leaving the store struggling with something big.

Well I was blessed again because as I left my car, heading into the store to try to convince a manager I wouldn’t do any harm to them, I saw these two men with their carts filled with Christmas decorations.

That’s a great feeling - when I think there is little hope and the situation turns into a good photograph.