Blog Friend Feature: Black Friday Edition

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Or at least got through it okay. With the holiday weekend, I wasn't sure if I should have a Blog Friend Feature today. So, I asked the ultimate authority on anything important: Twitter. And  I even asked if there was anyone who would like to be featured today.

Kimberly AKA Not Blessed Mama replied that she wanted to. Love people who just jump right in like that. And her post today is very timely since it's about Black Friday. Some of you might already be back from hours of shopping by the time this posts early in the morning since the stores are open insanely early.

Autumn- it’s such a magical time of year. Thanksgiving. Sharing a special meal with loved ones. Family traditions. The beginning of the holiday season. And, what I hold dearest to my heart-

BLACK FRIDAY!

My name is Not Blessed Mama, and I am an addict. I am hopelessly, hopelessly addicted to bargain shopping. Whenever I walk into a store, my eyes immediately begin sweeping the aisles searching for those telltale orange clearance stickers and 75% off signs. So to have a whole day devoted to sales of epic proportions- be still, my beating heart! It is the one day a year I allow myself to be a rampant consumer without remorse- and I full well take advantage of it!


Now, before you go thinking I am one of those crazy nutcases- well, I’m not (really). Pushing, shoving, grabbing, fighting- all big no-no’s in my book. While I do love a good bargain, I am definitely not willing to fight someone over a Furby (’member those?) or trample someone for a Nerf gun. Last year I did yell at some “gentlemen”, though- as they were shoving an older man to get to some video games. I mean, video games or breaking some old guys bones? It’s obvious what the choice would be!


I am a serious shopper though. I begin planning my trip as soon as the ads start leaking. With three adorable (greedy) Spawn, my Christmas list is a mile long. I have to compare prices, compare opening times, see who is price matching and see how good the bargains actually are. Because come on now Target, if I am dragging my butt out of bed at 3 am, this had better be a darn good price.


Come Thanksgiving day, I stuff my face with turkey and get those ads in my hot little hands. Which is rather unnecessary, because at this point I have them memorized- but I may need to show them to the clerk to price match. Before I go to bed , I stay up late to see what deals will go live on-line. You knew Black Friday went on in the virtual world too, right? (*Note: There is that Cyber Monday nonsense, but that’s what it is- nonsense.) After anxiously refreshing websites over and over to see what I can get on-line, I grab a couple hours of sleep and wake in the wee hours of the morning. Grab an apple, jump in the car and I’m off!


Having a friend tag along is definitely a major bonus. Having a friend who doesn’t have much shopping to do tag along- priceless! Last year I had a side-kick helping me out. I was so grateful, I offered to buy her a bottle of wine from a nearby display as a token of my undying gratitude and appreciation. Do you have any idea how mortifying it is to get turned down when you try and buy a bottle of wine at Wal-Mart at 5:50 am? Extremely, let me tell you. Apparently you can’t buy alcohol before 6 am here- pshaw.


I wish I could give you some advice for what to do when you are in the store shopping, but pretty much all I can say is eat or be eaten. Seriously! Watch your back, move fast and get in and out as quickly as possible- after all, the next store is waiting!


To my fellow Black Friday lovers out there, I hope you had great luck this year and snagged everything you were looking for, while avoiding bodily harm. And to the newbies, I hope I have given you a little encouragement to check out the sales. Happy Hunting!

I'm a little scared of Black Friday shopping. We'll see if I head out or not. Please leave Not Blessed Mama some comment love here and go follow her blog if you don't already!