Thanksgiving Ushers in Black Friday Shopping...Oh Yeah!
Can you believe it, Thanksgiving is this Thursday! Family and friends will soon gather to share stories, reminisce about "the good 'ol days" and, of course, feast.
Before the dishes are done and leftovers put away, thoughts of Black Friday begin cloud my thoughts. Times have changed though. No longer do I rush home to scour the sales ads, double check door buster times and itemize my list by toy, price and store.
No, no, no. These days, I make keyboard haste. Without a doubt online shopping has made Black Friday shopping easier, cost effective and certainly much healthier. Admittedly, Black Friday shopping could be rather brutal back in the day with all the pushing, shoving and out right fighting. (What can I say, it was difficult to contain my emotions).
So, why did I put myself through all of that? Well, sit back, let the tryptophan kick in, and I'll tell you a little story.
A long time ago, way before online shopping was even a kilobyte in the memory of a processor, my Black Friday shopping skills were birthed and honed. Bottom line, my children were young, and well, their wants were not.
"Mom, it's the only think I want for Christmas," was the mantra of the day. This seasonal cry typically began shortly after Halloween and continued through Christmas Eve. The "more than anything," die-hard request tugged at the heart. In addition, their "have to have" item always seemed to be attached to the most elusive, hard to find toy on the market. I can still recall the echo of desperation in their tiny voices.
How I dreaded and despised the non-stop, commercial driven antics of the toy industry. Hot item lists and anticipated shortages plagued my very existence. How could I let my kids down? What kind of mother would I be? There could be no exceptions or mishaps, Santa HAD to deliver! Mindful of my limited budget and armed with determination, Black Friday became my ultimate challenge. Let's just say my perceived mom badge was at stake and I had to emerge victorious.
I freely admit that my first Black Friday escapade was a colossal failure. As a newbie, I learned very quickly that Black Friday shopping was not an exercise for the amateur or an adventure for the fainthearted. Black Friday shopping success depended upon strategy, expertise and a fierce desire to beat the competition. I knew I had to train and be in great shopping shape for the next year and thus my Black Friday tradition began.
As soon as Thanksgiving festivities would end, my Mad Woman on a Mission personality would surface. As a Black Friday shopping guru, my strategy began by gathering sale ads, mapping out Early Bird Specials/Door Busters, making a detailed list of which sales were at what stores, set out my clothes and went to bed early.
The specials were very limited, and I had to be first or second in line if I were to have a chance at getting the "must have", "hard to get" item. This meant that I would be in line somewhere between 12 and 1 a.m. Thinking back, I have to laugh remembering how easy it was to distinguish between Black Friday professionals and first timers. First timers just didn't seem to understand the consequences of drinking too much coffee or the hassle of returning lawn chairs to the car. Suffice it to say, depending on the crowd, getting out of line wasn't always respected.
First time Black Friday shoppers would show up unprepared and unfortunately would be forced to experience a Black Friday boot camp of sorts. It is impossible to accurately describe the brutality that could sometimes accompany Black Friday shopping. Once the doors opened, rules disappeared and shoppers that, just moments earlier, appeared to be jolly and friendly, mysteriously transformed into raging mobs brandishing fisticuffs, pushing, shoving and displaying ruthless hostility.
Over the years, I became very skilled at Black Friday shopping and my BFF and I incorporated team shopping into our ritual. Team shopping made it even easier to secure more of our "must get items".
Those days are thankfully in the past. The era of Cabbage Patch Dolls, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Tickle Me Elmo, Power Puff Girls, Nintendo, PlayStation, Fur Real Cat, and Furbie are gone, but the memories remain. Black Friday shopping became a quest I conquered and now, for me, it's over! Like I stated earlier, times have changed. I still love Black Friday shopping, but now-a-days, I enjoy it more from the comfort of my computer.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not saying that I will never again (never say never) suit up to tackle the crowds and experience the rush of adrenaline while zigging and zagging my way through the frenzy of sale chaos as it is impossible for me to know whether or not nostalgia will once again release my Mad Woman on a Mission personality. However, one thing is certain....should that day arrive, I highly suggest that you move on or move over!
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