Hurry! Buy it NOW!

Before we moved to Rota, I communicated with other military spouses who had previously lived here and the advice was always the same in regard to shopping... If you see something you even THINK you might want, you'd better snag it when you see it because it won't be there when you go back. I couldn't imagine things to be quite so drastic. I mean, come on... Hoarding? That sounded like an exaggeration to me.

I'd always thought people who hoarded things had some issues. They either had an addiction to spending, were scared that their favorite shampoo was going to stop being manufactured or they were just plain selfish. Whatever the reason for their hoarding, they had some major problems.

Well... my point of view has dramatically changed. If I learn but one lesson while living here at Rota, it's to hoard the things I like and use, even if I rarely use them. You see, the supply of items for the commissary and NEX are limited here, and it seemingly takes forever to re-stock them. It's as if we're at the end of the food chain.

Need an example? I've been here since mid-August. I forgot to pack more of my Mary Kay makeup remover, therefore it got shipped with our household goods, leaving me without any. There are no Mary Kay consultants here, nor does Mary Kay ship overseas, so I was forced to find something else to use until our household goods arrive. No big deal, right? When I went to the NEX to purchase makeup remover, I found they were out of stock. I've checked back every week since mid-August and they're STILL out of stock. There aren't enough of specific items to satisfy the needs of the population of people residing here. All it takes is for Sally Sue to discover the NEX has makeup remover this week and POOF! It's all gone because Sally Sue bought the entire stock.

Need another example? I bought these little sports ice packs for my boys' lunch bags when we first got here. We gave one to a kid who needed ice for an injury in a soccer game and never got it back, which normally wouldn't be a big deal because these things aren't expensive and I could just go get another one, right? Not here! I looked for WEEKS before finding these ice packs again. When I found them, I bought the replacement ice pack as well as two more... just in case.

Some items are seasonal, such as pumpkin pie filling. One can only get it now until probably Christmas. If I want pumpkin pie at any other time of year, that's too bad because I won't be able to find it on the shelves. I must buy it now, and be sure to buy enough to last me a while.

My kids like Gogurt and it's great to put in their school lunches. What has been the trend for me here is that the commissary rarely ever has Gogurt, at least not when I'm in the store. If I see it, I'm forced to buy 2-3 boxes at one time. If it's close to the expiration date (and it always is), I freeze them.

Computer printer items are evidently coveted by all who reside here because they are hard to come by as well. We searched the shelves for quite some time before we were able to find business cards. Some people have computer printers that require ink cartridges the stores here do not carry at all. Thankfully we aren't among that crowd.

Do you see what's happened to me here? I've become a hoarder of goods! I see something I like and know I'll eventually use and I don't just buy one or two of these items... I buy five or six (maybe more) because I don't know if that particular item will be in the store when I return in a few days. Hey, it's dog eat dog here! It's every man for himself! It's sink or swim! It's sh-- or get off the pot! I'm sorry... IT IS WHAT IT IS!

It's like I'm on a TV reality show, one where contestants are given a shopping cart and are told to put as much merchandise as possible into it during a designated amount of time. I feel I have to be on the offensive here at all times. I might need to start wearing elbow and knee pads and a helmet in the commissary and NEX, so that I'm ready to do battle with all the other shoppers. Now that I know the rules of engagement here, I can hold my own. Bring it on, fellow shoppers! I'm ready.