11/25/11

Black Friday Bravery

 

It's here. It's official. The top sales day of the year. I must admit that the onset of more and more stores opening at midnight or even 10:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving takes some of the charm away from the day. Now you are not one of the brave who get up at 3:00 to be in line by 4:00 for a store that opens at 5:00. You are now the person in line who is behind the person bragging about all the great bargains they snagged at midnight.

But you know what, I don't really care. I just love being in the crowd. Jostling along, looking for treasures. I usually have a list of things I kinda might maybe want to get while the price is right. But I normally am not there for the big ticket items that everybody is pushing to get. The items I am after are usually the ones they hold back until 5:00 Friday anyway so it works out good.

Living in a tourist town, our Walmart is insane on Black Friday so obviously that is where I choose to start my trek. I have found that it is best to be patient as you go from area to area. If you are by yourself, you can stay under the radar and snake through the sea of humanity and capture some great buys if you are diligent and don't get impatient.

I have several items on my list this year that are going to be great deals, but I can't share them for fear of who may be on my list that reads my blog.

However, there are a few items I need or want for myself that I won't hesitate to pick up if I can find the right one. My birthday rolls around mid-December so I always get a little birthday cash in advance in case a Black Friday sale hits my fancy. Here are the things on my wish list:

I love watches. I love them with assorted types of bands, different styles, anything. I just love to change them out based on my outfit. I fell in love with this bangle one and for $5.00, what watch fanatic could resist. That is if it fits. I have such skinny wrists that I can't wear most bangle type jewelry.


I wear a lot of hoodies in the winter when I'm going to the store or shopping. I am not a heavy coat person, though I keep one in the car. I prefer warm sweaters, sweatshirts or fleece with a hoodie over it. I also love Mickey Mouse and my favorite color is red and "under $10" is one of my favorite phrases so I can't pass this up.


I keep checking out the memory foam bath mats every time I see them. They range anywhere from $12.97 to $19.97. I just can't seem to pay that much for a rug that is designed to get wet. But I keep dreaming of having one for my master bath. It's all part of my "pamper yourself" personality. Well, at this price, if I can find the right color, I'll be snatching one up for myself.


I looked all last year for warm fuzzy comfy boots for everyday wear. I wanted something with fur or sweater like material so they would be good and warm. I hate cold feet. These are hideous, but I have fallen in love with them. They are by Crocs. I didn't see them on sale anywhere, but I'm going to keep my eyesopen for a pair of these or some knock off that resembles them. Just fell in love with the fur/sweater/shoe look.


I have a long list of things to check out for the family and three things on my list for hubby are on sale today. One of the items I have been eyeballing for $29.99 for him at Kohl's for the past three weeks. Kohl's has it on sale for $19.99 Friday. But then I found a similar item that I liked even better that will be on sale at Kmart for $7.99 Friday. So I'm very excited about that. That will be my main goal on Friday is to get that one item for hubby at a reasonable price. If I do, my day will be a success.

I have quite a few items I want to look at for the kids and grandkids after listening to everyones comments last night when they looked over the Black Friday ads.

One of my favorite parts of the early morning rush is standing in the checkout line and socializing with those around me. I love learning where they are from, what brought them to our neck of the woods. I have been doing Black Friday for 7 years. And one thing that amazes me every year is that we don't seem to have the hateful, grabbing, "I gotta have that" type people around here. Everybody seems to be having a great time. Stopping complete strangers and asking if you no where an item is.

But the absolute most amazing thing that I adore when standing in those long lines is that at some point, at some moment, someone starts talking about God and blessings. So even amidst the hubbub and rush, even the craziest most insane Black Friday addicts still realize that this is a time for giving Thanks. It's so cool.

So if you head out today be cautious, stay safe and snag some great bargains!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


1 comment:

Jessica said...

I agree with just being patient and enjoying the day. I'm going with my mom, the first time in several years. I am so excited! We're going around 5 so we can still get some deals, and hopefully some of the crowd will be thinned out! Happy Black Friday! ;)