If I am honest I will admit that for me, Black Friday is a very new phenomenon. I am one of those people who start Christmas shopping the day after Christmas. For years, all of my friends hated me because my shopping was complete by September. Not that I didn’t buy a few last minute gifts, I usually did but the rest were purchased and wrapped and ready to go before the first leaves of fall ever fell. It is just the way I am, I hate having tasks unfinished and hanging over me. Shopping for Christmas while enjoyable and something I put a great deal of thought into, was a burden and I wanted it done and over with.
Fast forward 30 years and my daughter is a mother of five boys and has a huge shopping list for Christmas. The two of us have started a tradition of tackling Black Friday together. We have also started the tradition of leaving home after all the clean-up is done on Thanksgiving Day and either heading for Cape Cod or to our lake home in Pennsylvania. We have spent many years at a resort on the Cape where the boys can enjoy the indoor pool with their father and grandfather and my daughter Kasey and I can head off to the Mall or to downtown Falmouth for some serious shopping.
At the lake house, there is a mall about 12 miles away and that is the only time we ever did anything crazy. We decided that it sounded like a good idea to get up at 4 a.m. and head to Kohl’s. This was one of the first years that stores decided to open this early. By the time we got there the entire parking lot was already filled with cars and we had to park someplace else. When we got into the store we could not find a cart but we still walked around for an hour or so looking for the bargains. We had our arms full and decided it was time to check-out. The line to pay was ¾ of the way around the interior of the store. It would have taken an hour standing in line just to purchase a few well priced items.
We looked at each other and walked over to a convenient spot, dropped the items in our arms and walked out the door. We found the car and decided to head over to Panera to come up with a new plan. Over a cup of coffee and a bagel we decided to relax and wait until Marshall’s and TJMaxx opened and take a look around those stores.
We ended up going there at 7 a.m. and we were practically the only ones in the store. We had shopping carts which we proceeded to fill with well-priced items. There are no special sales at these stores just the usual good buys that they always have. We left with a vehicle filled with Christmas present and a great deal of new knowledge. Since that day, we have never been so crazy as to get up at 4 a.m. We have breakfast at home and then mosey up to the mall for leisurely shopping and lunch. Another year, we just strolled through the streets of Falmouth with all five boys in tow and enjoyed shopping for everyone but the kids. Much more enjoyable I have to say.
For me, Black Friday is a day to spend with my daughter and to relax and enjoy the holiday season. We decided to let others do the crazy middle of the night thing. If there are electronics we want to buy, we elect to shop on cyber Monday and have the gifts delivered. It has ended up allowing us to not only find good buys but to enjoy the kickoff of the holiday season a lot more.
No comments:
Post a Comment