Black Frid-off

Last weekend was thanksgiving weekend in the states. The festivities started on the last Thursday of November (the actual holiday). But what I think is the main hip about t.g. is black Friday. This is when the stores in the spirit of giving (ya right) just drop prices on their goods.

So after stuffing yourselves with turkeys and watching hours of football, people exercise by going shopping.

Black Friday really started at 06:00 PM on Thursday. I seen on TV, lineup waiting for store to open for their sale. In the back of my mind, I always thought that it was just a show, the people in those lineup were actors.

So Thursday at 6 PM, I shut off Netflix for a few hours and went shopping.

First stop... Kohl! When I got to the parking lot at 5:50 PM, there was a lineup going around the building. I couldn't see the end of those actors. It looked like when I was still in the military and did parade. But it was not in ranks of 3, it was in ranks of 5, and no one was moving, the doors were lock and everyone was standing still.

At 6 the door opened and people just kept walking in the store. I was still sitting in my car expecting at any moment someone to shout “CUT” and then the actors to just walk off... didn't happen. Maybe the back door was open and people just kept getting in by the front door, go out by the backdoor and come around the building in a loop.

After 5 minutes of this parade, suddenly, the end of the line was reach. Knowing what I want to buy and at the price it was going for, I got out of my car and walk into the store's abyss.

First thing I noticed, no one were smiling, if stress could be touch, I would have been touch a lot!

I picked up a crockpot and a griddle plate. Got to the lineup for the cash register. When I got to the register... grrrr the sale was all about mail in rebate. I didn't care much for that so I didn't take the items, I left the store and didn't looked back.

Next stopped was Walmart. I'm never disappointed with Wally! Now my list of things to buy had a crockpot, a griddle plate and a printer. Easy enough, right? NOT! None of those items on sale were available to the first Wally and stocks were all over the stores, so you had to really search for your items. The store was packed of people going like me around and around praying that the next aisle would be the right one. I kid you not, there was people so stressed that they were yelling at other customers. Several times I saw people on the phone talking to other patron in the store asking where they were.

I came back home with my list of things to buy intact.

Saturday morning, very early, I went to another Wally. I found the griddle. I drove further to one more Wally, no luck there. Drove to one more Wally (yes it will be the fourth in less than 18 hours) and it hit me, I was spending more in gas to buy something cheap than what I would have save.

Next year, I'll stay home with all-I-can-watch on Netflix.