Okay, so we know it's the season of giving but let's be real– nobody enjoys slowly emptying their bank accounts to buy stuff for OTHER people.

Like yeah, we love our mothers too but do you know how expensive women's lotions can get? It's outright theft.

TBH, holiday shopping shouldn't be thaaat bad but knocking elbows with 500 other irritated, holiday broke New Yorkers on the way out of H&M really sets the tone. Another type of Christmas spirit, really.

Luckily, as if we aren't waaay too reliant on Google already, they announced Monday that they were expanding their Popular Times feature to see how busy an establishment is in real time.

Sure, on like Black Friday, this might be rhetorical but for your December holiday shopping needs, it could certainly be a useful tool. 

Nobody wants to stop by Bed, Bath, & Beyond after work to quickly pick up a gift for their aunt, only to get stuck waiting in line to buy lotion for three hours.

This is in addition to an update of the Popular Times feature, which now lets you know the average time patrons stay in a store, as well as obviously, the most "popular times" to visit an establishment are.

[anad]

Sure, the methods are a little Big Brother-y, but whatev, amirite? 

djzimmie

As reported by Thrillist, Google relies on "aggregated, anonymized location history data"– so basically, in case you haven't already noticed, if you have location services turned on, Google ALWAYS knows where you are.

But whatever, yay, easier holiday shopping.