This time I have the confession of confessions to make, so listen up. I have probably never shared this with anyone. Though, that is probably because no one ever asked, but that is beside the point. Apparently, I am a rarity amongst Americans. According to some, I should hide my head in shame. Okay, here it goes:
I don’t do Black Friday.
There, so now you know. I can even go further with this confession and honestly say that I have never done an actual “Black Friday” because the last time I did go out on that day more than 20 years ago, it wasn’t called Black Friday where I lived. It was just called “The After-Thanksgiving Day Sale”.
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But wait...before you shun me as a true American, maybe you can see the pattern that was set up and we can blame it on some sort of trauma from my past experiences. It all began in the early 1970’s as I went out with my mom and grandma to the annual After Thanksgiving Day Sale at Kmart. Some of you probably remember the cart that was wheeled through the store with the “Blue Light Special” siren on top of it and the crowds of people chasing it around as the announcer told of the new location in the store of the latest and greatest sale.
I watched from my vantage point of being only eye height to the sale table and had a front row spot where I could see the herd of people reaching in with both arms, grabbing all they could get without even looking at what they were choosing. I saw up close, and a little too personal, as two women reached into the bin of women’s underwear and pulled out the same pair. They began playing tug of war and shouting until I heard a loud “Rrrrriiiiiipppppp!” and the underwear actually tore in two.
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Did I mention underwear? They were fighting at this After Thanksgiving Day Sale over…underwear? I am sure my eyes were as wide as saucers as my mom pulled me out of the store, security still trying to break up the fight. The thought of grownups fighting over underwear would haunt me for a lifetime. Would underwear be something I’d be fighting over as an adult? Is this what the fights with my brothers and sister over the last pieces of cake or the best spots on the couch were preparing me for? But even more so, I thought of all those ill-fated people who would be getting underwear for holiday gifts. Those poor souls. Adulthood was not pretty.
This trauma was reinforced when I was a teen in the 1980’s with the arrival of the oddest toy grab ever. Who would have ever thought this would be the one thing that people would fight over? Yes, those infamous and now legendary Cabbage Patch Kids. Think about that logically for one second. Really? My exact thought at that time was that if people would fight to the end over these dolls, there was no saving mankind, and indeed, adulthood was not pretty.
Then there are the Walmart and Best Buy mosh pits of doom. Now why on earth would anybody willingly do that? Folks, I don’t care how much you need that TV, our time is much more valuable than camping out in front of a store for days.
So, for the last 20 years I have found other things to do. But then something happened.
As I was blasting Black Friday to some of my friends, one of them put a bug in my ear. Thankfully, not a real bug, or this blog would be about something totally different. But, it was the notion that maybe Black Friday can be a lot of fun AND be a positive and joyful experience. Hmmmm, I thought about that for 1.3 seconds and came to the conclusion that in the realm of notions, this one leaned deeply towards the insane side of notions. I think I even said “That’s crazy!” so loud that I scared my dog.
But then, something happened very suddenly. I realized my friend, Erica, was much like “Cindy Lou Who” that day, and I was the Grinch. Upon hearing those words of hope; my jaded, ice-bound heart began to melt, and I felt a certain feeling of joy as I thought of early morning hot gingerbread latte’s, festive Christmas carols, laughing shoppers, and even smiling store clerks. Yes, she assured me that many of the store employees would be smiling and excited too. I had to say it again…Really? I always felt that they, too, would be traumatized by the chaos. Nothing will change my thoughts that they deserve medals of bravery for dealing with the public on that day, though.
Apparently, I wasn’t thinking of it with the right attitude. I was assured there is a way to do it, and to do it right. Don’t wait in lines for days for that one TV. Don’t have your heart set on anything like that newest game console for which they only have a token few, and don’t fall for the dangling carrot of king’s gold. That is the stuff that will drive you crazy. If you don’t participate in the frenzy that some of the stores try to whip up that turns the calmest of humans into crazy lunatics, you can relax and enjoy the fun and get some great deals too. Other friends also began to share links to websites with deals, and lots of advice.
I actually began to look forward to this day, hoping that if I do the research and make a plan, I might have some fun, get some great deals on not only on holiday gifts, but also on things I actually need. Maybe the holiday spirit is just putting me in a state of full denial with my visions of sugar plums and gingerbread lattes, but I won’t know until I try, right?
Okay, I will give it a whirl. It will be Black Friday Lite because I don’t want to throw myself to the wolves. I am not doing the Walmart or Best Buy opening time craziness, but I am going to do Black Friday and I am going to share my experienced with all of you. I am already starting my research and found some good leads. I am making a binder containing my strategies, coupons, flyers and deals. I can do this!
I am officially calling my adventure “The Black Friday Experiment 2013” and I will do this as a series and report back several times between now and Black Friday and Cyber Monday with progress, and also any good deals, advice, websites, coupons, etc. that I find. I will wrap it up after it is over with the results of my experiment.
If all of you experienced Black Friday shoppers would like to share advice, offers or deals, please post them in the comments. I am sure readers will appreciate it, but honestly, I need all the help I can get.
Stay tuned! In the meantime, here are a few really good sites. Also, check your smart phone for apps, there are some good ones out there. The Black Friday apps, pages and websites are already running some great info so check them out.
So, are you with me? Wish me luck and I will see you next week!
Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/blackfridaydeals
https://www.facebook.com/BFAds
https://www.facebook.com/blackfridayonlongisland
Websites:
