Black Friday

Yes, I am one of those crazy people who pulled an all-nighter to get the "best deals" on items for Christmas presents, which probably aren't even THAT good, but they go anyway because someone advertised "BEST SALE OF THE YEAR!!" and, of course, they believe it. Ya, that was me. Except, I went more for the thrill of it. And by "thrill," I still am not sure I knew what I was getting into this year.


First, my friend and I were dumb enough to go to the mall at 12:01 a.m., even though we went last year and we swore up and down to ourselves that we would never do that again (imagine a huge herd of cows - ornery cows - crammed together, walking slowly through the halls of the mall, and if you wanted to make an exit into a store, you had to time it just right or you'd miss it).
This year wasn't half as bad as last year, though, since it was at a different mall, which was larger and probably a bit more organized. So we actually enjoyed ourselves. We shopped for about 2 hours (2:00 a.m.).


We then drove over to Kohl's (2:30), which opened at 4:00. We sat in the car for about 1/2 an hour, then got brave and stood in the FREEZING COLD line for an hour until the store opened. Doors opened at 4:00 and everyone went running into the store (it made all of us really mad when they opened the doors- because there were people who had been sitting in their warm, heated cars for about 20 minutes, waiting for the doors to open and, when 4:00 hit, they just rushed to the front of the line and pushed their way right into the store, making some definite enemies). I quickly walked (I didn't run- I saved that for Target) through the aisles, grabbing the things that were on my list, and pretty soon my arms were full. I scanned the area for an empty shopping cart, and soon I found one. I wobbled quickly over to it and started laying my bundle of stuff down, when a lady came from the other direction to take the cart from me. She gave me a DIRTY LOOK! (How dare she!) And I explained to her that my arms were full and I got to the cart first, and she said "So?" (she had nothing in her hands)... I explained to her, again, that when you have your arms full, it's kind of hard to walk, and if I drop something, I might just throw it at her head (I didn't really say it, but I felt like it). She then retorted by saying "Man, people are so GRUMPY!" But I got the cart. This was not a time to give in to selfish people. :) I finished shopping, and only had to wait in the 2-hour line for about 10 minutes, since my friend was near the front of the line (this was perfectly acceptable- it's part of Black Friday etiquette).

A big dent in the checkbook later...

We were off to Target to get the coveted game: Guitar Hero III (choir voices: "aaahhhhhh"). And this was not just the regular Guitar Hero III... this one came with 2 guitars instead of 1. And it was on SALE!!! We got in line (4:30) and there were about 60 people in front of us. We had an hour and a half to wait in the -40 degree weather (that's how cold it felt). We were talking to the people around us, and discovered that 4 out of the 5 people we spoke with wanted Guitar Hero III (I told you it was coveted). So our hopes were were turning to fears... would we be able to get it?!? (we needed two of them - we were on a mission for her as well as a friend). 10 minutes before 6:00, we started to get excited and we concocted our plan. We had asked a worker exactly where it was located (the people at these stores think they're clever by putting these big sale items AWAY from their normal area, i.e. Guitar Hero was in the Men's department. Well, maybe that is where it should be, since men play it a lot), and so we decided that we'd run in as fast as we could, push people over if we needed to (desperate times call for desperate measures) and grab them. 5:55, 5:58... Doors opened!! The evil shoppers who were sitting in their cars ran to to the front of the line, but the strong soldiers dressed as Target employees blocked them in their efforts. All hail the soldier Target workers!! I imagined putting on my marathon shoes... these 100 people who stood in my way (the 60 turned into 100 since their family/friends joined them in line) were merely small obstacles that I would need to get through so that I could make it to my beloved sale item. As soon as I made it to the door, a girl I was standing next to (who was only my friend since we were standing in line together, but now we were enemies, since she was a threat who might get the Guitar Hero III before I did) ran next to me all the way to the men's department, we dodged carts, people, clothing racks, and we soon ran to the men's department and ran right past the pallet of Guitar Heros!! Soon we realized our mistake and ran to the pallet. She grabbed 2 sitting nearby and there were 3 left on the pallet. I needed 2. I jumped on, grabbed my 2, and victoriously leaped off, kicking my feet together in triumph!! (not really.) But I got them. I conquered. Everyone who felt like a threat was suddenly my friend. I felt like a new woman. I found my friend and told her the story that would soon become legend. Can you believe she laughed at me (mockingly)?? Oh well.


I guess this was the thrill I didn't know I would find when I told my friend I'd go shopping with her on Black Friday. Maybe I'll do it again next year. But now I only have a few more Christmas presents to buy! And mom, could you please decide what you want? If anyone has ideas for what my mother might like for Christmas, post it. Thanks! :)