Dashing Through the Stores . . .

Well, it is approaching noon, and I have slept for about 3 hours and am ready to go again!!!  Happy Shopping Day!!!  Judge as you will . . . I really enjoy Black Friday!!!  Maybe this is because it is something my husband and I have linked in as our Thanksgiving tradition; maybe it is my love of shopping in general or that it is the one day a year my hubby really wants to go shopping with me; or maybe it is because I find it fascinating to watch large masses of people wake up before dawn (when I KNOW they won't wake up that early to go to work or school) to shop and potentially save some money!!!  Who knows, but I must admit there is just something fun about it!!!  Something so fun that it keeps large quantities of people coming back year after year to dodge people in stores, to crawl (I'm talking on hands and knees) through department store aisles to find a small clear space to try on shoes (nowhere near the shoe department), and to wait in lines even though we all know we can sit at home in our pjs, wake up later, and still get the same deal on 98% of the stuff shopping at the same stores online (and probably skip out on paying sales tax or shipping too).  In my mind, this makes it less about money and more about the experience!!!

This Black Friday was different from any other . . . tyically, my hubby and I start out after 5am.  This year, many stores had the crazy idea (to much criticism) to open at midnight (or even late Thanksgiving evening at Wal-Mart).  I was skeptical.  I am a morning person and was not fond of the idea of just staying up all night (which I have only done 3 times ever).  My husband (NOT a morning person) was ecstatic!!

So right after midnight, we headed off to the wonderful world of Best Buy!!  We figured getting there around 12:30 - 12:45am would give the line time to go away.  Now, I don't know what Black Friday is like where you live, but here Best Buy shoppers are hardcore.  They start camping out as early as Tuesday, and by 11:30pm on Thanksgiving, the line was reportedly wrapped around the Best Buy shopping center, across the side parking lot, and around the back of Staples and that shopping center.  When we arrived, the line was still across the parking lot.  It is about 34 degrees, and we have no coats (no plans to wait in a line), but luckily my feet were incredibly toasty in my Uggs!!!  I'm still amazed by how warm they are!!!  Best Buy was mainly for my hubby, but I did find one of my fave all time movies on Bluray for $4!!! 

(yes, I am aware my cell phone camera stinks)

Next on the list . . . Belk!!  We had to make a 3:00am stop at Starbucks for breakfast and mochas before starting our next adventure!!!  Belk amazed me!!  There are no other words.  No description could do it justice.  It was the shoe sale.  Boxes, paper, cardboard, shoes . . . all scattered EVERYWHERE!!!  And they'd only been open 20-30 minutes by the time I walked in.  You could barely walk through the store (to get passed the shoe department), and if you've ever shopped with me in NYC, you know I can do some serious squeezing and pushing to maneuver in a busy store or on a crowded street.  I finally managed to find my way to my favorite area (Karen Kane, Nine West, Calvin Klein, Pippa, Seven for All Mankind, Kensie, etc) and still found people sitting in the middle of the clothing racks surrounded by shoe boxes trying to find a space to try on piles of shoes and boots!!!

After that, we browsed through the mall (The Limited, Anne Taylor, and several other shops had the whole store at 50% off plus the sales stuff was discounted on top of the sale / clearance prices), grabbed some Chick-fil-A, discovered Dillards didn't open 'til 8am (I'd be passed out by then), so I ran by Target (which was calm by 5am) to get a belt (random, I know) and stopped by a few more places before crashing at 7:00am. 

And the part that always amazes me . . . everyone is sooo nice!!!  I always hear horror stories, but I have never seen anyone be rude on Black Friday.  Quite the opposite -- everyone seems excited and cheerful to up and shopping and spending (I mean saving - haha!) money!!! 

I realize this was a totally random and non-productive post.  I was just in the mood to write (and you may or may not know, but this is an exceptionally rough day for me, and I know my grandfather is sitting up in Heaven shaking his head that I am crazy enough to still go out shopping when he taught me it was more cost effective and sane to shop online, and that somehow makes me smile).  Ending on a serious note -- I did notice that there were tons of angels still on the Angel Trees at the mall . . . remember, the joy of giving, and please don't forget to do something special for someone who really needs it this Christmas (and really all the time)!!! 

And did I mention I saw 4 guys walking through the store in cowboy hats, boots, and chaps (and I'm pretty sure there were sequins involved on some of them)!?!?  Hahahaha!!!