Black Friday

Yesterday was Black Friday, the day that all the stores have their pre-Christmas sales. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go because I'm a bit of a rookie when it comes to crazy shopping. I have to admit, I haven't even been shopping on Boxing Day. But as the day came closer, I decided to be brave and foolish and go for it. Now, some of the stores were opening at midnight but I had no desire to buy electronics, but there were a few that were opening at 4 a.m. Had it not been for Asha needing to eat around 5 a.m. maybe I would have gone then....

Anyways, I left for the mall at 9 a.m. My goal, get an IPhone for my brother in law and then see if there were any great deals. The Apple Store wasn't crowded at all! So I didn't need to wear my cleats and helmet (okay I really didn't, but can you imagine someone doing that!?) I got the IPhone, and then wandered around a bit. I found a store called Cathy Jeans, but it doesn't sell jeans, the store has shoes. How silly is that!

Then The Children's Place fairies started calling my name. So I entered into the maddness and maneuvered my way through the hordes of people. I must say, I was pretty impressed by my shopping skills. Maybe it's my natural instinct. For some people, they were clearly out of their realm; wandering around aimlessly, blocking the racks, counting their coins at the register. C'mon people, there are deals to be had, so get out of the way!

I got some birthday presents for my cousins, a sweater for Joel, dresses for Asha and Kezia, and a few birthday tidbits for Kezia (like something purple, and of course a skirt and tights). The whole picking-up-what-I-wanted took about 12 minutes, tops. But then there was the dreaded line. I waited for almost an hour and was hoping with each passing minute that Asha wasn't home screaming to eat. My arm started to cramp up at about minute 42, but I kept on, I was almost at the end. When I got the the register, the lady apologized for the wait and asked if I wanted to apply for their discount card. I was feeling a bit bad because really I shouldn't prolong the agony of those behind me in line, but I was going to save an additional 10%. Say, yes, say no, say yes...oh who am I kidding! I'm going to save the 10%! Well, I filled
out the form as fast as I could and handed it back to the lady. She asked me for my S.S. number and I told her that since I was a Canadian here for school, I didn't qualify for one. By now the people behind me were getting annoyed by the extended wait, and I was feeling a bit pressured. The girl just wanted to get this cleared up, but she couldn't figure out how to override the 10% discount. So she just gave it me anyways. Score! I walked out with 20 pounds of clothes for a total of 30% off.

Whew! I was feeling pretty good about myself, but after all that mental and physical exertion I was feeling pretty pooped! I didn't think I would have enough time to go to another store, so I decided to head home.

I was proud of myself that I managed to get in and get out with some pretty decent threads, but that I also didn't go bonkers and shop at every store that looked appealing. I think half the time when there are so many deals, you end up buying things that you don't need. Though I love to shop, I have limited money and limited space in our tiny apartment. But I had the experience, the thrill of the hunt for deals on Black Friday.