Midnight Shopping
I volunteered to go with one of my friend's family to do some midnight shopping after Thanksgiving dinner. There was suppose to be some great sales, amazing sales, sales breaking records. We left for the mall about an hour early. I thought that we'd be the only ones waiting at the doors. I was wrong. As soon as we neared the exit, traffic started to slow down. Ahead of us, I saw a stream of red lights on our side of the exit and white lights on the opposite sides. People were already lined up.
We found a parking space pretty quickly. My friend was smart enough to try the back parking lot first. Everyone else was still hoping to find that one lone spot at the front of the mall. Why is it that people seem to think that there will be one space left? Me? I don't really care where I park. I'd rather just park towards the back and walk, rather than circle, hover and hope that someone will pull out somewhere in the front.
So I get to a store that I want to go in--and the lines to the door is long. Not only is it long, but they have organized the eager shoppers into rows of four. I'm not that needy. I can wait and really, I don't mind if I don't have it here and now. It is something that I want, but I don't feel like fighting a crowd or standing motionless to get it.
What surprised me what the number of families who brought their toddlers with them to this fiasco. These half asleep, somewhat cranky cherubs were shushed when they voiced their distraught from sitting in a stroller at 1 a.m. Some were wired from the cookies and lollipops shoved their way in order to pacify them--and wide eyed they stared at the grown-ups riffling through racks of clothes, which were now in disarray because of others who had already pilfered through them.
Never again. I'll just wait till it all quiets down again to buy the stuff I want. As for Christmas shopping, I can go when I have some time off...Christmas is still more than a month away. Today, I'm still in a haze from extremely early this morning. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!
We found a parking space pretty quickly. My friend was smart enough to try the back parking lot first. Everyone else was still hoping to find that one lone spot at the front of the mall. Why is it that people seem to think that there will be one space left? Me? I don't really care where I park. I'd rather just park towards the back and walk, rather than circle, hover and hope that someone will pull out somewhere in the front.
So I get to a store that I want to go in--and the lines to the door is long. Not only is it long, but they have organized the eager shoppers into rows of four. I'm not that needy. I can wait and really, I don't mind if I don't have it here and now. It is something that I want, but I don't feel like fighting a crowd or standing motionless to get it.
What surprised me what the number of families who brought their toddlers with them to this fiasco. These half asleep, somewhat cranky cherubs were shushed when they voiced their distraught from sitting in a stroller at 1 a.m. Some were wired from the cookies and lollipops shoved their way in order to pacify them--and wide eyed they stared at the grown-ups riffling through racks of clothes, which were now in disarray because of others who had already pilfered through them.
Never again. I'll just wait till it all quiets down again to buy the stuff I want. As for Christmas shopping, I can go when I have some time off...Christmas is still more than a month away. Today, I'm still in a haze from extremely early this morning. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!
posted by JM at
3:41 PM
10 Comments:
I've never done the Black Friday madness and this just put the nail in that coffin. I don't enjoy shopping to begin with.
By
Rocketstar, at 4:41 PM
I'd rahter eat a head of lettuce than go shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and my personal motto is "Lettuce is the Devil."
By
Travis Erwin, at 2:25 PM
Oh wow!! We don't have anything like this in Canada...but I have heard "tales" of the black friday shop-down in the U.S. Incredible!! I admire your courage to undertake this...
By
Sherry, at 6:37 PM
I used to do the Friday afer Thanksgiving shopping with my Mom when I was younger but never again! I do the online thing until things quiet down!
By
Anonymous, at 11:02 AM
oooo I'm glad I didn't go shopping this year. It was nice to sleep in after eating all that turkey. People are nuts I say, nuts. I can't, well I can believe they would bring their kids out shopping that late.
By
Anonymous, at 8:31 AM
Why do American shoppers get caught up in that line up frenzy?
And, it has always bothered me to hear babys and toddlers crying while impatient parents scold them. Please find a good babysitter
the end
By
TK Kerouac, at 10:38 AM
I wanted to get a digital camera from Kmart on Thanksgiving day. It was a one day deal without any rainchecks. Turns out that the cameras sold out within 30 min. I headed to Walmart where I found a better brand and spent 10 dollars more...No way in hell was I going at 5am for the early bird specials. So, finally I got a digital camera! Slightly slow for this clueless techie:) Hope you had an awesome holiday..phone tag again!
By
The Egg, at 12:52 PM
ok, that sounds plain awful. i hate shopping anyway, but this would have been a nightmare for me. especially because i would have had to park in the back and walk.
By
cher, at 2:55 PM
I always wondered who went to these early sales. Now I know! And I also appreciate your lesson to never do this again.
-- david
By
David Amulet, at 7:21 AM
You're a brave soul.
I went out on Black Friday once, nearly 10 years ago. NEVER again.
By
Aaron, at 10:56 AM
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