In defense of Black Friday

Last Friday I accomplished something that many view as a brave feat. I purchased Christmas gifts at a department store on Black Friday.


I shop Black Friday deals every year, but I’ve noticed the annual sales have gotten more and more intense over the years, to say the least. People camp out to get the best doorbusters and some stores even open Thanksgiving night.

I have heard tales of pepper spray being used by a shopper to deter other shoppers from snagging her deal. And one woman told me she saw a man punch a 10-year-old girl in order to get the toy she had. Greed, insanity and overindulgence are what many people think of when they hear the phrase “Black Friday.”

I’m here to give voice to the moderate Black Friday shoppers. We are not the intense shoppers who wait hours in parking lots for doorbuster deals. We are the mellow, casual shoppers who don’t mind crowds and have patience for long lines. We come home with good deals but mostly boring stories.

My Black Friday experience went like this: My alarm went off at 8 a.m. I decided that I needed some more sleep so went back to bed for an hour or so. I spent some time with my husband before he went to work and headed out the door around 11:30 a.m. I stopped by Dunkin' Donuts to get a Latte Light before heading to Kohl’s.

As long as I purchased the boots I wanted by 1 p.m. I would get the “bonus buy” special, $19.99 for a pair of $65 boots. Should I have made an effort to get to the store earlier? Probably. But lo and behold, the boots were still there. With four sisters, deals like this make Christmas shopping much easier on my checkbook. I also snagged some toys for my nephew and a nice frame with a cleverly placed cliche saying. I purchased all of these items for $57, that’s less than the original price of the boots.

I shop on Black Friday because of the deals, but I also enter the stores because I enjoy the experience. Yes, you heard me correctly, I enjoy the experience.

I don’t arrive at stores before or when they open. And I find the noon crowd to be quite friendly in line. This year I stood behind a nursing student who will graduate this May. She had luggage in her hand, a gift for her boyfriend. Which, she added, also will serve as a not-so-subtle hint that she wants to travel during spring break.

We chatted about her nursing rotations and the most interesting cases she has seen in the emergency department. I love to hear people’s stories. Maybe it’s the reporter in me or maybe it’s just because I’m an extravert.

After my trip to Kohl’s I grabbed some wrapping paper and gift bags at Michael’s and headed home to wrap these gifts, and the others I have stored in my special gift closet.

I understand the need to buy local, and I do. This year I have purchased gifts from local artists and trendy boutiques. But I also enjoy my department store deals, which I purchase free of greed, insanity and overindulgence.

*Read my blogs, stories and more at herkansascity.com.

Maintaining the magic

My standard fall/winter outfit includes a basic cardigan with a cute scarf. The other day I tossed pink scarf on my bed and scrambled to find the pair of jeans and cardigan I wanted to wear so I could get dressed and out the door. Somehow in the process the pink scarf disappeared. I seriously think I have a special knack for misplacing things.

I am also skilled at running late. So, with my pink scarf nowhere in sight I grabbed the first scarf I could find on the shelf and headed out.

As I drove to my appointment in Kansas City I looked at the vibrant, multi-colored scarf around my neck and smiled. My friend Tamra got me the scarf in Turkey, where she worked as a teacher for a couple of years. Every time I wear the scarf I think of Tamra, which makes me smile.

Gifts have a magical way of connecting the recipient with the giver. I love the sentimentality of gifts. Whenever I where a piece of jewelry or accessory I got as a gift in some mystical way if feels as though the person who gave me the gift is with me.

I’m firm believer that gifts should be given with thought and without obligation. Yet, even as I write this I realize that I’ve been a hypocrite when it comes to this standard. I’ve given gifts out of obligation countless times and it has recently came to my attention that I have rather high standards on the gifts I expect my husband to give to me.

Logan’s always been a good gift giver. But after a 65-hour work week Logan realized Friday that he still hadn’t gotten me a birthday gift. So, he ran to the most reasonable place to get a gift for your wife, Orscheln Farm and Home.

Logan came back from Orscheln’s and surprised me with a wind chime. I don’t know if it was the unexpectedness of the wind chime (I had hinted that I wanted a camera) or the fact it was a last minute gift, but when I looked at the bird-shaped chime my feelings felt slightly hurt. (Translation I turned into one of those 12-year-old spoiled brats outside of Hollister’s whining because they didn’t get the $70 jeans that they wanted)

A wind chime? Really? Logan usually gets me a unique piece of fair-trade jewelry that he spends hours, or at least tens of minutes, picking out. This hastily purchased wind chime left a sour taste in my mouth. We’ve only been married sixth months. Are we already one of those couples who forgets to get each other birthday gifts?

When Logan and I got married we swore we would never become one of those boring couples. We would be fun. If we had children we would not lose the ability to have adult conversations. We would not become our parents.

And I had hoped that we would not lose the spark and passion in our relationship. I didn’t want to lose the magic.

In my six months of marriage I’ve learned that everyday can’t be magical, but what sustains the relationship is remembering the moments that are.

I’ll never forget the first gift Logan gave me. It was a couple weeks into our relationship. On our second date we went on a picnic and I mentioned that I didn’t have corn cob holders. It was an item I never remembered to get for myself at the store but I always wished I had when I cooked corn on the cob.

A few days later I went to Logan’s house and he presented me with two packages of corn cob holders.

“I saw these at the store and thought of you,” he said with a smile.

I still have those corn cob holders. They still make me smile.

And now when I see my newest wind chime, I’ll remember the year when Logan worked a crazy busy week at the pharmacy and still managed to come home with gift for me from Orshlen Farm and Home. When I hear that strange looking bird chime, I’ll remember how much my husband loves me.

Need great gift ideas? Check out these tips

With the major gift giving holidays less than few months away (I’m including my birthday among those holidays), I thought now would be a good time to share my best holiday shopping tips. Enjoy!

1. For the hardest to shop for on your list pay attention year round to things that say they like, new hobbies or trends, ect. If you are really ambitious, and/or forgetful you can write these notes in a cute notebook or type them into your phone. When you see items that fit these people’s wishes on sale snag them.

2. Take advantage of online deals. This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s easy to overlook e-mails that look like spam. Sites like shopittome.com and groupon.com are amazing resources for creative gift ideas at great prices.

3. Remember gifts don’t have to be tangible. Tickets to a concert or theater event can make great gifts. Let’s face it, some people already have enough stuff.
Don’t forget to support local artists around the holidays. There are tons of art events this time of year. It’s easy to get deals on original art work at silent auctions. But deal or no deal art is a great gift on which to splurge. When you give the gift of original art your loved one has something no one else has. Unless, it’s a reprint, but even then it’s sure to beat anything you’ll find at a big box store.

4. Get crafty. From baked goods, to jewelry to knitted hats, if you can make it, now is the time to do so. People love homemade gifts. And even if they don’t, trust me they will pretend like they do. :)

5. If all else fails have something delivered from Harry and David or Omaha Steaks. I mean who doesn’t love fancy fruit or frozen meat.