Black Friday Fun

The day after Thanksgiving is a favorite of mine. I like getting up so early that it was pointless to go to bed to begin with and go out and fight for a good deal. This is only my second year participating in the black Friday frenzy, I didn't go last year because I was ill, but the year before I got such amazing deals that I was hooked. I can't say that I got AS good of deals this year, but everything I got WAS at least 50% off.

The first time I went I was with two of my sister-in-laws, Julie and Katie. None of us had ever participated before and we did not come prepared for how COLD it was. It was like 4 am and the store didn't open till 5 or 6 and we were so cold we actually sent Katie home to get us blankets. We were at K-Mart. Our mission: Fisher Price Laugh-n-Roar Dinosaur, normally $35 marked down to $7. We were hoping to get two, one for Logan (who was nearly 6 months) and one for nearly born Jonathon. We stood / sat outside forever, finally the doors opened and everyone made a mad dash for their desired items. It was such an adrenaline rush! We found and purchased the ONLY TWO dinosaurs. We were in and out in 5 minutes. We made other great finds that day but none had quite the same feeling.

This year was MUCH different. I went with my mother-in-law and two sister-in-laws, Katie and Michelle. We all had different things we were hoping to buy but our first stop was Wal-Mart. We got up at 3:30 and arrived at the store at 4:15, though it didn't open till 5. We were all prepared this year in layers and coats and blankets, some even wearing thermal underwear! However these preparations were unnecessary. Wal-mart does things differently than K-Mart does. Instead of having the crowds wait outside freezing to death they allow you inside to wait by your desired item but you are not allowed to grab it until the store is officially open. Now I know what you are thinking, 'Wow! That is a great idea. That way no one freezes. That way you already know if you will be able to get what you want.' All good points.

All in all I think I actually prefer the freezing scenario. Yes, I was very cold, and yes, I didn't know if I would be able to get what I wanted. But it was so much more rewarding having to search for and snatch what I wanted than having to simply pick it up after having waited comfortably. I guess the reason I enjoyed it so much more the first time was because I had to fight for it. It wasn't just given to me.