Friday, November 23, 2007

Day 23 - Black Friday

Do you shop on Black Friday? Are you one of those crazy shoppers that gets up before the sun (and temperature!) to save $10 on an item, at a store 30 minutes away, and stand in the cold for an hour (maybe two) with a bunch of strangers you're hoping you don't have to wrestle for said item? I don't do this. I'm not saying there has never been a time or two that the insanity hasn't bitten me in the past. But there are several reasons why I don't like it.

1. I hate shopping. Of any sort (unless it's for Yankee Candles, or cute baby clothes). Or I have a specific list of what I have to get. Very specific. I don't want to have to hop from store to store on this search. I don't care if yultide carols are being sung by a choir over the store sound system.

2. It's cold. And you know I am a person that's alway hot, so the cold shouldn't bother me right? Well when it's 10 degrees out and 4:00 in the morning - yah, that bothers me. Brrrr...

3. My family never has anything on their wish-lists this early in the season. Or they want a gift card to some store that I can get on Dec. 24th, because that's how gift-card shopping goes...

4. I have high speed internet to shop online. I love Amazon.com! I can sit in my pajamas, no lines, no parking spots to search for and still get some pretty great deals throughout the month.

5. The lines are long. Have you seriously ever seen this madness? Oh my gosh - this should have been my #1 because I get really irritated standing in line, and standing in line, and standing in line - watching the Associate ring up the 700th shirt on sale for Buy-1 Get-1 from the woman 5 heads in front of me with 3 carts full of stuff.

The department stores need an express line for Black Friday Shoppers. No, not those stupid self-checkout lanes like they have at the Super Grocery Stores (what's the point of those anyway - they take 10 times as long because you don't know what the heck you are doing and it always talks back to you - "please scan the item again" - Bah!). I'm talking about an express line for people with 10 items or less on Black Friday. Possibly even 5 items or less. Because people like me are probably there for one specific item, ok maybe a couple of them - and they get stuck behind Here Comes Spoilin' Grandma buying everything in sight for the grandbabies. I just wanted this paper shredder for $10 off!

You see, it's worth it to me, the EXTRA $10 I would pay to not have to endure this craziness on Black Friday. Tom doesn't mind though - he's a shopper. He'd stand in the cold, wind and rain at 4:00 am on any Black Friday if there was an item on his mind. He's in IT Purchasing, so he's always on a mission to find the best price. It's good to have this balance in a household. I can still take part in Black Friday without having to take part in it. Ours started a little late. 9:00 am - Tom got one of the last two pre-lit Christmas tree Door Buster Sale items for us. A $339 tree for $108! What a bargain!!

What's not to love about Black Friday again?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I got an $80 jacket for $18!!! I love Black Friday!!!

Of course the coldest we've had to stand out in is 45 degrees. I might not like it if I lived up north!

Anne said...

I have never shopped on Black Friday until this year. And the only reason I would ever do it again is if there is something I really want that is a great deal. That's why I did it this year - Derrek wanted a drill set and Lowe's had one that was regular $119 on sale for $39.99. I was all over that. And luckily the store didn't open until 6 am, I got there at about 5:45, and there were only about 10 people there already. Not one of the big ticket stores to go to I guess. Lucky for me!

Anonymous said...

I was in Puerto Rico and went to the mall around 10 AM! Guess what! I bought $180 worth of clothes with $80! All of them for ME!