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 $100 Simon Malls gift card to spend as I wish brought me out of my tryptophan stupor and into my yellow, suede walking shoes to brave the crowds at the mall.
"Plan ahead and nobody gets hurt"
Honestly, I haven't shopped on Black Friday since the kids were tiny and we were looking for
In order to decrease the likelihood of disorderly conduct, I made a plan of ahead of time for what we needed and where we wanted to go, so there was no meandering (except to try on winter scarves), pandering (at least not by me) or philandering (I don't know, it just rhymed).
"To avoid lines, caffeinate before you shop"
Our first stop was Herberger's for a gift set of Obsession for Grandma. We paid for that at the perfume counter. No line.
Then, we went to Target for a new iPod Shuffle. Again, no need to wait in line at the front of the store while staring that the latest cover of US magazine (Will Kim and Nene ever be friends again?)We paid for the iPod in the electronics department. Again, no line.
I was super pleased (and frankly surprised) to have not stood in a single line on Black Friday. Honestly, the longest line I saw was for Starbucks. I had my caffeine fix before I shopped, so I was good to go. No line for me!
"Super Mario is now available at a mall near you."
Finally, we went to the seasonal calendar and games store. You know the one, there is one is every mall. Which worked out great for us because back in October we were at a mall in SLC and my son's came across a Super Mario Chess set. It being that their birthday was another month away (November 25th) I wasn't willing to drop the buck$ 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.
Although I was a bit tempted by Target's Brave DVD for 10 bucks, I ended up never leaving the house all day. I stayed in my jammies and packed away all the Harvest decor, then decorated the house for Christmas while Hubby Man did all the outside lights. (We have tons!) Hooray!
ReplyDeleteAwww...so nice, Nancy. You are going to have one best Christmas seasons ever with those new babies around.
ReplyDeleteI hope we can do lights this year.
I had Black Friday plans for the first time in my life, I've always been a pajamas and pie for breakfast type as well. But I woke up with a fever. Some tylenol and a nap later, I ventured out after dark and the deals were still there, merchandise was still stocked, lines were short, and I finished my Christmas shopping in one night (minus stocking stuffers). I may be a Black Friday convert. I enjoyed your post :)
ReplyDeleteI actually prefer the day after Christmas shopping experience to the day after Thanksgiving. I have two children with January birthdays, and knowing what they received as Christmas gifts better prepares me for birthday gift shopping. However, I, too have noticed that shopping at normal times throughout the day on Black Friday (no midnight to 6:00 a.m. shopping for me, unless it's for milk that I forgot to buy the day before) can actually be pleasant and fun, thanks to those department check outs!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Annie.
ReplyDeleteI love that a lot of the stores open at Midnight, somehow that seems a little more tolerable.
Glad you had such a wonderful experience. Almost makes me wish it was Black Friday again next Friday.
My Black Friday shopping started at 5:00 pm not a.m. We went to Sam's Club got a parking space right out front. It wasn't crowded at all and they still had $38 blue ray players. Score!!! Fun post Annie, question is are going again next year?
ReplyDeleteI am a pajama and pie person myself. The thought of Black Friday makes me a little ill, honestly: the crowds, the parking lots, the lines...but you made it sound easy. Maybe even fun. I'm almost convinced I should try it sometime.
ReplyDeleteWe will be visiting you next year for Thanksgiving so we can Black Friday shop with you, because here in our area it was a joke. Wal-Mart had 8 of the items we wanted. My husband went out and came back swearing to never go again and he came back empty handed. I sat on my behind and shopped online and got at least 2 of the things we wanted that way. I'll be joining the pie and jammies groups from here out. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're a brave woman and it turned out well. No battle. No scars. Congratulations. (Though I am still very fond of my pie for breakfast wear PJs til noon tradition for Black Friday.)
ReplyDeleteIn the past it's been me that has braved the crowds on Black Friday, but eventually I had enough and couldn't do it anymore. For years I stayed home, but yesterday my hubby, yes MY HUBBY begged me to come out with him to get some stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have only one conclusion and that the Mayans must be right and the world is coming to an end because he not only wanted to shop, but on the craziest day of the year! Haha!
The crowds weren't bad. Hmm...maybe I'll try again next year! :)
I stayed away from the stores on Black Friday other than Winco, which was not at all busy. I was tempted to brave it this year, but I had no one to keep me company. I think it's imperative to have someone who will keep you from being foolish over stuff on Black Friday.
ReplyDeleteMario Chess is a worthy investment. I bought one for my sone a couple of Christmases ago and the boys play it all the time. Your son will love it!
I didn't go "Black Friday Shopping" per se, but I did go out with my 12 year old son around 4:30 to Kohl's for a new pair of shoes. It seemed like everything was on sale, and there were tons of employees around. Win-win! Except the fact that the 12 year old shoes thought he was being tortured... Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good experience!
Pajamas and pie for me, too, although we did go on a date and did some Christmas browsing. There were no lines, no crowds, no need for caffeine. It was awesome. I love the idea of department checkout. I must remember this for the future...
ReplyDeletePajamas and pie for me, too, although we did go on a date and did some Christmas browsing. There were no lines, no crowds, no need for caffeine. It was awesome. I love the idea of department checkout. I must remember this for the future...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE shopping on Black Friday. I don't really care about the deals, I just love the excitement of the whole thing! This year, however, a combination of pregnancy, lack of sleep the night before, and plain disinterest kept me home. I'm glad. I will probably go next year and join the crazys out in the cold.
ReplyDeleteWe only ventured out in the afternoon to the mall on Black Friday because:
ReplyDeletea. We were out of pie
b. We like to mock frantic shoppers laden with packages like South American pack mules
c. We follow that church principle about being part of the world without being of the world
d. The walking calories burned ensured we could snarf down more food when we got home and not feel guilty
I didn't brave the stores this year, but you did it how I do it. I plan and don't deviate from that plan. And I attempt to pay at any counter other than the ones with looooong lines. Well done my friend!
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I brave Black Friday every year. This year was not as fun, though! We hit Target at 9pm and thought there would be a brawl because a bunch of people tried to rush the door and cut in front of all of us (600+) that were in line. Luckily, Target security was all over it and we were unharmed! I was SO impressed with Target this year. They handed out maps and went through the line outside to ask if we had questions on where things would be. This eliminated the sense of panic and we were out of Target by 9:17pm!
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