I am so blue about Black Friday. I started 9 years ago getting up early and being at Walmart at 5:00 to catch the early bird deals. I wish they would invoke a Federal Blue Law for Thanksgiving.
Why put myself through such a mad house? There was just something special about roaming around in the crowd, finding the perfect bargain and then waiting in the long lines to check out. I met some pretty neat people from all over the country while standing in check out lines. There is just something fun about seeing people smiling that time of the morning.
It was always a great kick-off to the Christmas season for me. I just couldn't wait to see the ads on Thanksgiving Day. I would sit down in the afternoon and glance through them before the kids come over for Thanksgiving dinner.
Then that night after everyone returns home, I grab a big old slab of graham cracker pie, a glass of milk, my ads and a pen and paper. I go through the ads of the places I plan to shop and make a list of what to look for.
Do I buy everything I go after? No, I don't. These are just my "starting point" on Christmas ideas. I do manage to get some good bargains. There is just something fun about being out in the mix of things the day after Thanksgiving. Then they had to go and ruin it. First, they started several years ago by "leaking" the ads early online. By the time I would get my Thanksgiving paper, I had already seen most of the ads so many times on line that I was sick of looking at them.
Then they started having the Black Friday sales starting on Thanksgiving evening. Now many stores are opening at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving day. What part of the word FRIDAY do they not understand? Isn't Black FRIDAY called that because it starts on FRIDAY! Last year Walmart had items that were available at 8:00 on Thursday night, different items went on sale at 5:00 Friday morning, and yet again even more different items went on sale Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.
They have turned Black Friday into just another shopping day. But I will still make my lists. I will still go. And I will still enjoy it because it is officially my first shopping day of the Christmas season. I am just looking at it as the day I start really looking for bargains and getting my shopping started.
Why put myself through such a mad house? There was just something special about roaming around in the crowd, finding the perfect bargain and then waiting in the long lines to check out. I met some pretty neat people from all over the country while standing in check out lines. There is just something fun about seeing people smiling that time of the morning.
It was always a great kick-off to the Christmas season for me. I just couldn't wait to see the ads on Thanksgiving Day. I would sit down in the afternoon and glance through them before the kids come over for Thanksgiving dinner.
Then that night after everyone returns home, I grab a big old slab of graham cracker pie, a glass of milk, my ads and a pen and paper. I go through the ads of the places I plan to shop and make a list of what to look for.
Do I buy everything I go after? No, I don't. These are just my "starting point" on Christmas ideas. I do manage to get some good bargains. There is just something fun about being out in the mix of things the day after Thanksgiving. Then they had to go and ruin it. First, they started several years ago by "leaking" the ads early online. By the time I would get my Thanksgiving paper, I had already seen most of the ads so many times on line that I was sick of looking at them.
Then they started having the Black Friday sales starting on Thanksgiving evening. Now many stores are opening at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving day. What part of the word FRIDAY do they not understand? Isn't Black FRIDAY called that because it starts on FRIDAY! Last year Walmart had items that were available at 8:00 on Thursday night, different items went on sale at 5:00 Friday morning, and yet again even more different items went on sale Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.
They have turned Black Friday into just another shopping day. But I will still make my lists. I will still go. And I will still enjoy it because it is officially my first shopping day of the Christmas season. I am just looking at it as the day I start really looking for bargains and getting my shopping started.
