A Veteran’s Black Friday Extravaganza

Black Friday. A shopping lover’s dream. A day where unbelievably low sales are around every corner, and people rush – and, at times, bite, claw, and kick – to claim what they desire before it’s gone.

Black Friday was first practiced by stores that were experiencing extreme deficits. The stores held major sells in hopes to attract holiday shoppers who might bring their revenue soaring back to the top. Black Friday has grown from an ordinary day to the single busiest shopping day of the year, and has transformed worldwide culture.

To this day, Black Friday is practiced by all who dare to endure the chaos. People scramble from their turkey dinners in hopes of finding the best sales from the best stores.

I Kausha LeBeau, the shopping veteran, dared to participate in the madness of Black Friday. My family and I make battle plans, selects targets, divide, and we conquer every year. We want the deals and will sacrifice sleep and personal safety to grab any of those spectacular savings.

The tale begins on Thanksgiving Day, with a plate filled with food but a mind filled with bargains.

2:00 p.m. — I sat at the dinner table a little antsy and I kept checking the clock. My family and I had a plan. We had a list of stores that we wanted to hit for the perfect sales. I tried to enjoy every minute of the exquisite turkey dinner but yet I found myself counting down the minutes, as I do every year.

4:00 p.m. — We jumped up out of our seats and raced to Old Navy where we hoped to be some of the first 100 customers that could win $1,000,000! We stood in a line that seemed to stretch on for miles. We did it!  We were some of the first 100 customers! I swung open the doors and found red shimmering signs at every turn that read, “50 % off everything in store!” Score! I loaded up our carts and was surprisingly surrounded by people who took the time to be nice.

6:00 p.m. — Next on the list was South Towne Mall. People were at every turn with bags upon bags in hand. Stores had lines reaching, twisting and turning. The police were on high alert, with muggy faces that seemed to analyze every shopper.

8:00 p.m. — Bath and Body Works had sales galore with buy three candles and get three free, which of course I participated in. Candles were missing from every shelf and the aroma of thousands of different candles engulfed the air.

10:00 p.m. — It seemed that the darker the sky become, the more shoppers appeared with their money disappearing faster than ever. I peaked outside the mall windows and noticed every parking space was occupied and even overflowing unto the streets.

1:00 a.m. — I finally retired to my bed in hopes to get a couple of hours of sleep for the next day’s adventures.

Black Friday

4:30 a.m. — I was awoken by my family excitedly rushing to get into the car before the first store opening.

5:00 a.m. — Home Depot had a line that stretched from the front of the building all the way along the side and on around to the back. I didn’t dare engage, even though I needed a couple of items.

5:30 a.m. — Black Friday is all about the Smith’s socks, which were all 50 percent off. I hustled to get the perfect set of socks for the most perfect price. Every turn I bumped into a shoulder. People were everywhere.  I examined a set of socks in one hand with a donut and hot cider in the other.

8:00 a.m. — Everywhere I turned there was hustle and bustle. At Target, the parking lot overflowed with cars occupying any and every space available.

A lady turned to my family and I and screamed, “I just got a 50-inch TV for $26!”

“Here?” I asked.

“Yes! Here!” the lady said.

Boy did she hit the jackpot because when we tried to do the same, luck was not on our side.

1:00 p.m. — Nordstrom Rack was a little calmer than the other stores but all the more snotty. The customers did not care for one another like they had earlier in the day or even the night before. Black Friday is all about good sales and Nordstrom Rack didn’t have any so I walked right back out the door.

6:00 p.m. — We hit up one of my favorite stores for the cherry on top of a good day – Jolley’s. I always find cute clothes and fun home items at Jolley’s. This time, the store definitely lived up to my expectations as well as Black Friday itself.

I was among the 133 million consumers who participated in Black Friday this season. Whether you started during the day in the initial blitz of shoppers and made it a whole day spectacle (like me!) or just went out for a single item, you feel the obsession that Americans have over this “shopping holiday”.

Until next year, I’m happy with my new cozy socks.