Black Friday

It all began very late Thursday night, after way too much pie and eggnog ice cream. I was wondering about Black Friday jokes. People shoving old ladies, bodies run over by carts, etc. Until I could see one for myself, I decided not to make any final judgements. I convinced Dad to go shopping with me the next morning. After flipping through the dozens of fliers that had come in the mail, I went to bed at 10:15.

At 4 the next morning, I was up. We left at 4:30, and were met by a grand sight--stars!

Wal-Mart was our first stop. Since it stays open all night, and the sale didn't start until 5, people were waiting in lines beside the piles of items. I felt conspicuous walking nonchalantly down the aisles in front of all the slightly impatient shoppers. As Dad and I perused the store, we passed one woman with a satisfied grin on her face pushing a cart filled six feet high with boxes. Dad congratulated her, saying, "You win the shopper of the year award!" Keep in mind, this is about 5:10 am...

After Wal Mart, we drove to Best Buy. Finding a parking spot was literally impossible, and the line to get inside snaked around the side of the building (and Best Buy isn't a small store!) We went to Target. It didn't open until 6, and there was a line out front, so we went to Sears. Dad and I looked around, but didn't find anything. The sun was just beginning to creep up the sky. Back to Target. It was open now, and there was no more line outside. Inside, the store was abuzz with people. Luckily, we didn't have a shopping cart, otherwise we would have joined the jammed rows of carts and people. Tip: If you are in a crowded store, take shortcuts through the empty aisles, like 'greeting cards', and 'home decor'. I got two DVDs (Pirates of the Caribbean & Pride and Prejudice) for 5.50 apiece, and a Christmas present. The checkout lines were pretty bad--stretching across the store--but the cashiers were whipping along, so the wait wasn't too horrible. After Target, we crossed the street to Borders, where we browsed, glad for the quiet after the noisy stores. I bought one Christmas present there, nothing else--even on Black Friday, the place is ridiculously overpriced! Pride and Prejudice was on sale there, and it was still $16! (original price, $20...)
It was 8:30 when we got home, and people were just waking up.

Final thoughts? In some ways, it was just like I had imagined. There were the material people, waiting in line at indecent hours just to buy a piece of metal and wires. But it was also different than I had pictured. Black Friday is an adventure. You wake up while the stars are still twinkling, and go shopping with relatives. You buy electronics and Christmas presents and have a shopping experience like no other. When you get home, you nap and eat left-over pie for breakfast. Nearly everyone I saw was smiling.