Special Assignment: Black Friday

I was given a special assignment to shop at Mesa Mall on Black Friday. Ordinarily, I am one of those people who, on the day after Thanksgiving, stays cozy in my bed, has pie for breakfast, and smiles when I think about all those suckers getting up early to go shopping.

 

"You can't  CAN pay me to shop on Black Friday!"

 

But, alas, the allure of reserved parking and a $100 Simon Malls gift card to spend as I wish brought me out of my tryptophan stupor and into my yellow, suede walking shoes to brave the crowds at the mall.

 

 

"Plan ahead and nobody gets hurt"

 

Honestly, I haven't shopped on Black Friday since the kids were tiny and we were looking for

any excuse to leave them with the grandparents to get out of the house good deals on toys. Having been out of rotation for so long, I worried about my ability to effectively negotiate my way through the hustle and bustle without losing my cool or a limb or causing someone else to lose their cool or limbs.

In order to decrease the likelihood of disorderly conduct, I  made a plan of ahead of time for what we needed and where we wanted to go, so there was no meandering (except to try on winter scarves), pandering (at least not by me) or philandering (I don't know, it just rhymed). 

"To avoid lines, caffeinate before you shop"

Our first stop was Herberger's for a gift set of Obsession for Grandma. We paid for that at the perfume counter. No line.

Then, we went to Target for a new iPod Shuffle. Again, no need to wait in line at the front of the store while staring that the latest cover of US magazine (Will Kim and Nene ever be friends again?)We paid for the iPod in the electronics department.  Again, no line.

I was super pleased (and frankly surprised) to have not stood in a single line on Black Friday.  Honestly, the longest line I saw was for Starbucks. I had my caffeine fix before I shopped, so I was good to go. No line for me!

"Super Mario  is now available at a mall near you."

 





Finally, we went to the seasonal calendar and games store. You know the one, there is one is every mall. Which worked out great for us because back in October we were at a mall in SLC and my son's came across a Super Mario Chess set. It being that their birthday was another month away (November 25th) I wasn't willing to drop the buck$ on it just yet. I told my boys our mall was most likely going to have one of these seasonal game stores when it gets closer to Christmas and I would buy it then. Thanks Mesa Mall for not making a liar and a major fun-squisher out of me. And luck upon luck, they stocked the same game!

So you CAN pay me to shop on Black Friday, but if it's always as easy as it was this year, you wouldn't have to.



Although I received compensation from Simon Property Group, this post does not represent their positions, strategies, warm drink preferences, or opinions.