The Dreaded Black Friday

Welcome to the Holiday Season.  Yes, now that we are passed Thanksgiving, it is officially, the season. 

Black Friday Shopping.  We all know those words.  I have never taken part of the black Friday madness, mainly because I have watched year after year of the absolute insanity that happens.  The news stories of the people crushing others to the ground in order to get the big screen tv or the veggie steamer at a low and obscene price!  Well, those news stories were always enough to keep my butt at home. 

The other side is I always felt very sorry for the people that had to work on that day.  Didn’t they want to spend time with their family?  Maybe they needed the sleep?  Maybe they just wanted a day off like the rest of us.  Maybe maybe maybe.

But then, this year two things happened. 

One, I spoke to several people in the consumer area that were going to be working on that dreaded Black Friday.  I was trying to tell them that I felt bad for them.  Give some support, you know?  Well, let me tell you that I was put right into my place and told to stop it!  Why you may ask?  Shock of shockers, they were excited to work on Black Friday, aside from the fact that it was fun in some regards, they also were getting triple pay!  Yes, you heard that correctly.  Triple pay for the night of madness.  They were not sad at all about having to work and in fact requested to.  Color me shocked and surprised and well, shocked.  With the holiday season here and all the upcoming expenses they would be making they were quite happy to be working and getting that bonus of a pay this time of year.  From now on, I will keep my big trap shut about all the poor people that have to work on Black Friday.  I have been schooled and will now just smile and wish them a Merry Christmas.  No, I am sure there is that one person that doesn’t want to work and doesn’t give a rat’s patooty about the extra holiday pay, but again, I have been advised that most think otherwise. 

And, two, I have a teen girl that asked me oh so sweetly if I would take her out Black Friday Shopping.  She has never asked me to go before and in fact, besides dance shoes and leos, doesn’t really ask me for anything at all.  So I contemplated how I felt about that.  I didn’t want to.  I didn’t.  She is too sweet though and I didn’t want to say no, just because I don’t do well in crowds or with strangers, or with people in general, so I said yes, but we would go around 4 a.m. and that we would go to the mall and not Walmart where a lot of the horror videos have been in the past.  She was thrilled and excited.  I was doomed and dreading.  4 a.m. Black Friday dawned dark and cool, with a bit of fog in the air to add to my gloom.  We left the house and headed over to the mall without much traffic.  We passed by the Cabela’s and saw to my dismay a HUGE line wrapped around the building all the way to the back.  We weren’t going there though so I tried not to dwell on it.  I entered the mall parking and saw…it was mostly empty.  WTH?  We got a prime parking spot right up front.  The morning was looking up just a little thanks to that spot.  We entered the mall through the food court, and saw…hardly anyone.  I looked at my tiny dancer and she at me and we smiled.  We walked through the food area and into the main shopping section and again, it was clear and hardly anyone was there.  There were people, but not many at all.  The night er…morning was looking up. We hit every store that was opened.  We browsed and laughed and enjoyed the morning without any people in our way.  We passed several teens sleeping it off in the main walk area, both on the floor and on the couches.  We saw several lines forming before a few stores that were not quite opened yet.  They were set for 6 a.m. apparently, but that was only a line of like 5 groups.  No big deal at all.  Everyone was cheery and nice and the working people were smiling and helpful.  We had a cinnabon, and we got most of our Christmas shopping done.  It was fun.  I wish shopping at the mall was like that all the time.  I might actually like to go. 

So what did I learn this weekend?  Black Friday shopping isn’t bad at all.  Will I go out next year?  Probably, but again no Walmart and no electronic places and now I also know not to hit the Cabela’s either based on that line we saw.

Did you partake of the Friday?  What do you think?  Do you love it?  Do you hate it? 

Welcome to the consumerism of the holidays.  Be safe out there everyone.