And that also makes five years since I’ve been shopping on a Black Friday.
Black Friday.
The name even sounds a bit daunting, doesn’t it?
Last Thursday night (after an incredible Thanksgiving meal and celebration) I lay awake in my bed at midnight, completely exhausted and jetlagged… and yet unable to sleep. I was a ball of nerves and excitement about the next day.
I was to wake at 2:15am and head out the door with some girlfriends for a 2:30am breakfast at Dennys and an early start to get the best deals.
Even though I had nothing I really hoped or needed to get, just the thrill of a deal and the ridiculously fun cultural experience was enough to keep me up like a child before Christmas.
I finally fell asleep for what seemed like a few minutes before—PING —my eyes sprung open at 2:10am before my alarm even had a chance to sound.
It was a fun morning shopping, but I confess, I probably enjoyed the cultural experience more than the actual shopping and deals.
I bought a few little things ($2.00 DVDs make great stocking stuffers!) but I had even more fun checking out the people sleeping in the aisles at Walmart while they waited for the electronics to go on sale. (I desperately wanted to take a photo but didn’t for fear they would wake up mid-snap and take their shoppers rage out on an unsuspecting displaced American in… America
I also enjoyed a fresh Starbucks delight at 5:00am – an hour that I rarely ever see (even if there was Starbucks incentive in Australia
By 9:00am I was ready to collapse; my two hours sleep weren't stretching very far.
There is nothing that comes remotely close to Black Friday in Australia
Dear friends, how about you? Did you shop on Black Friday? Was it a success?
for the love of a bargain,
adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010
do not reproduce without written permission
I stayed as far away from the stores as I could on Black Friday! Seriously, all the crowds and the lines and the lack of parking alone is enough to make anyone crazy. But then you add in the mad rush for all sorts of items and that makes me prone to impulse buys that I usually regret later. No - Jeremy, Georgia and I curled up on the couch and watched Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if we could get any more similar :) I often think that when I read most of your posts (or realize that we've written similar posts).
ReplyDeleteI had the exact same jittery/excited/can't sleep/woke up before my alarm went off feeling. I LOVE Black Friday. My favorite is when I don't "need" anything and I just go out and try to score all the free stuff that I can. This year happened to be a great year for free things. But my favorite part is getting to spend the day with my friends, mother in-law, and mom.
that sounds like an absolutely perfect black Friday! I'm a little jealous being an American now living in Aus for 3 years, so I will vicariously live my Thanksgiving moments through you!
ReplyDeleteI also belong to SITS and am stopping in from Viviene's blog. I've done Black Friday in the past and loved it! All the folks in the lines with us were talkative and friendly. We struck up acquaintances and helped each other find deals. Guess we were just in the right stores at the right time. Love your blog! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteWe're big Black Friday shoppers. We always go with a list and a plan though, because all those great deals end up being "little things for us" and we blow our whole Christmas budget on ourselves! This year, we got almost all our Christmas shopping done! Yeah! It was pretty fun, and if you go VERY early, the people are all pretty nice. Head out after 10AM, and buyer beware!!! It's a land of sharks out there!
ReplyDeleteLindsey @ GrowingKidsMinistry.com
Oh there is no way i'm waking up at that ungodly hour to buy crap. I'm a partisan of sleep and of staying in bed until I can before it's considered late for work. But it sounds like people have quite the fun.
ReplyDeleteYou couldn't pay me enough to participate in black Friday. I don't care how much money I would save, it just seems like more stress than it's worth. I'm scared of being stampeded!
ReplyDeleteTy and I drove to Old Navy with hot chocolates in hand, glimpsed a line that wrapped around their building...laughed...and drove home! :D We are Black Friday party poopers, but it was fun to have a midnight date with my hubs (my parents watched the slumbering little dudes).
ReplyDeleteOh, you have an award too!
http://tippycupanonymous.blogspot.com/2010/12/cherries-on-top.html
I know you're on vacation, but I think you deserve it :)
The shopping went crazy but fun. Lots of people went for shopping.
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