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.
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