The cream of Bangkok society has been seen in department stores, fighting over T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of the famous dog.
Before the age of Amazon, you had to survive trips to the decked-out department stores, fighting it out with fellow-shoppers and with those who were there to visit Santa or admire the window displays.
Unconfirmed reports said that the current army chief had been killed and many of Guinea-Bissau's soldiers in the capital had deserted.As Guinea-Bissau and its allies battled to recapture the barracks where most of the country's arms are stored, fighting was heaviest in a suburb that houses the foreign embassies.
The comedy-horror film has a bravura opening: a stampede of feral shoppers shown in slow motion rushing into a department store and fighting viciously over consumer goods as the music reminds us with heavy irony that it is "the most wonderful time of the year".
They broke into the armoury, where their weapons were stored, and fighting started.
It's telling that in France, where several stores are fighting an order requiring them to close on Sundays, retail employees showed up at work last month wearing T-shirts that read, "YES WEEK END".
Federated, May and other old-line department stores are fighting a losing battle.
Now, brands and the biggest box stores are fighting back with their own billion dollar acquisitions.
There's the inevitable pedestrianisation, the string of familiar chain stores, businesses fighting to stay alive in the face of internet shopping and out of town retail.
Of course, we tolerate this because it's still easier than trekking around to a dozen different stores and fighting for a dressing room and waiting in line.
