black friday frenzie

It’s been five years since I’ve had a Thanksgiving in America.

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) – and I helped a friend snatch up the best of the best deals for her kids’ Christmas gifts.

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. But I think that’s possibly a good thing. For now, I’ll just consider it a rare treat that I can come home every five years to get a too-good-to-pass-up bargain… and save myself the sleepless nights tossing and turning over $4.00 pajama bottoms.

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