Black Friday

Well, Mom and I were out and at it by 11pm Thanksgiving Day! I had a little list I wanted to get from Wal-Mart, Kohl's and Target. And Mom was after... dum dum dah dum.... electronics. I am, however, sad to report that my camera was dead by then... so no pics to go with it! Lots from Thanksgiving though... so stay tuned for that.

Wal-Mart was a massive rush of insanity and greed! I was so impossibly frustrated by people's lack of common courtesy and downright rude behavior. I couldn't have kept up with the things that were snatched out of hands, the buggies that were rammed unmercilessly into my ankles, and snide comments coupled with murderous looks thrown at me for being in the general vicinity of a sought after item. Wal-mart had roped off the main aisle and had pallets of items saran wrapped with signs that said you could not take the items until midnight. So I wriggled by way around the store to the toy department and tried to spot the items I was trying to get. I got a couple, but not all. I was just happy to get out that store in tact!! The swell of noise at midnight was about deafening in the toy department and I am not exaggerating when I tell you, the Wal-Mart employees were scrambling up onto the paint counter like someone escaping a flood!

Kohl's was a little better. This time, there were less people.... all the way around. But saying less people in terms of people buying things on Black Friday, means double to triple the amount of shoppers on any other busy Saturday. And Kohl's was understaffed and the staff they had there had no clue where any of the early bird special items were. I asked 5 employees the location of one item, after I had already searched the store. I came to the conclusion that this store must not carry it for some reason. So I got in the massive line and when I was about 5-8 people away from checking out, I see a woman literally scurrying past me with multiples of the item. I tried to ask the women where she got it but she was single minded in her focus and gone before I could get the thought out. So I decided to get out of line... by the time I located the item (and also a couple of more that I had on my list that were being rolled out of the back!! yay!) the line had quadrupled. I waited in line for an hour. *Sigh* Both in frustration at the memory and that it is behind me.

Target was the main event though. I was still in the Kohl's line from H-E-double hockey sticks when they opened, but my Mom and brother Matt about 25 back or so... Wait, allow me to back up for a second. After we left Wal-Mart at 12:30, we headed over to the shopping center where Target and Kohl's are located. When we saw the line at Target off to a healthy start, I told Mom I would get in line and hold the place until Matt got there. I start to get out and decide off handedly to bring my sweater. And after I get out, Mom rolls down the window and hands me a small umbrella "just in case." About 10 minutes later, that "just in case" was a reality as I attempted to wedge my rear onto a 2 inch ledge and hunker down under a smaller than small umbrella in an attempt to claim a small piece of dry ground. An hour in, when the rain slacked some, my Mom relieved me for a half hour, then I was back out until Matt got there. It was miserable... and I didn't even want a big ticket item! But I sure do love my Mom and Brother, so, hey... whatcha gonna do?!!?

Now, back to the story. Mom calls me and tell me that at 4, when they opened the door, people that didn't stay one minute in the line, came and acted like they had been there the entire time. My sweet little Momma got sassy with some and even strong armed one back behind her! I so wish I had been there to see it. But, I feel I need to remind you that I was still in line at Kohl's. I did finally escape from there and walked over to Target where my Mom was already in line, having already purchased two TVs and now had a buggy load of presents for grand kids. While she waited in line, I zipped around and found almost everything I had on my list! The line we were in was so that we could also purchase a $25 I-tunes card for $20, and while we were standing there, a red shirted employee hurries up and says the I-tunes deal is over. We were at the register checking out! Thank the Lord, we had a sweet spirited lady who upon hearing this news, winked at us, and said, "So this is my last one!"

We rolled back home sometime between 6:30-7 am... just in time for Grandaddy, who was holding down the fort with the kids, to head out to work! The kids were still (barely) asleep so I headed right to bed, and slept nearly 5 hours! Now I'm up and enjoying the Alabama v. Auburn game with my Daddy.