This article is classified "Real"
The concept of competition has, for as long as anyone can remember, dominated the pursuit of just about anything. This is because it is, quite simply, how society has actually reached its current position, and the reason why progress is something that habitually happens. It has been theorised that, without competition, nothing will change, because nothing has to change [1]. Pushing for what you want is often the way to get it, and this is never more apparent to anyone than when witnessing the mad scrambles that habitually occur in the centres of modern society, the shops, whether they be simple corner stores or massive corporate monsters. Many people have long-since developed the ability to track items down in shops, no matter how much the owners of the store have cunningly hidden them [2]. Spotting these finely homed facilities is a perfect way to identify the experienced shopper, and avoiding these people is a perfect way to stay clear of a massive amount of trouble. To explain: people who know what they are doing and who are able and willing to do it quickly are usually not going to waste any time waiting for "lesser mortals" to get in front of them and do it much slower. Also, most people in the shopping environment will be aware of the fact that many items will be in limited supply, and the disappointment of being told that something has "sold out" can usually provoke a wide range of negative feelings. Hence, they will attempt to use their experience and ability to break ahead of anyone and everyone else. The biggest problems arise when there are more than one of this type of person in the vicinity, and when all of them are looking for the same items. This is where wars are known to have broken out. Examples of phrases gathered from opposing parties on these occasions are usually along the lines of, "Give me that, I was there first," or "I had my eye on that, it's mine," and even, "If you even lay so much as a finger on that, I shall (insert general abuse and/or threat here)." It is because of this that shopping has now become significantly more dangerous for the less committed or less "professional" shopper. Perhaps the only way to survive in the not-to-distant future, will be to become one of the "elite" shoppers, and learn to push with the rest of them. [1] This is, of course, a generalisation. [2] A task for which some are, perhaps, specially trained.