The Hunt

The words Black Friday get a reaction from most people. Either you want nothing to do with it and think people who venture out are crazy or you wake up Thanksgiving morning racing for the paper to peruse all the ads and map out your plan for shopping. My daughter and I have been Black Fridaying it for about five years. Each year has its own crazy stories and fun. This year, we left the house at 7pm and shopped the stores that were open on Thanksgiving while waiting for the midnight, 3am and 4am openings of others. We drove around a lot and had more laughs than I can count.

Those of you who tell me you can do all your Black Friday shopping online, while still in your jammies, are missing the point. I have a masters degree in online shopping with a minor in free shipping and discount coupons. You are only looking at the finish line, not the race itself. We decided it is not really the prices that draw us out among the masses, but the hunt itself. Amber will tell the story of how Kohl's didn't get in the supply of Barbies that were in the ad. There were only two in the entire store and we got both of them! Score! Yes, they were $17.99 originally and we only paid $5.99 each, unarguably a great price. However, in reality, we could afford to pay $17.99 if we had to, but somehow, that Barbie looks SO much more awesome knowing we got the only two for such a deal. See? It's the hunt.
I risked life and limb to get a couple of crock pots at Walmart for $2.97 each. Everywhere had crock pots in their ads and they were all around $8.00. Could I afford to pay that price? Yes, and it's probably a good deal at $8.00, but waiting until a minute before midnight and watching people racing to grab them off the shelf just as they ripped the black shrink wrap off of the pile is a memory I will have for many Christmases to come. It's the hunt.
I have a lot of admiration for the people who are after the electronics, TVs, computers, etc. These are usually offered in very limited quantities, but at fantastic savings. As I watch people leaving the store with their great electronics find, I always hope they are putting it to good use and not turning around and selling it on Ebay for a profit. I want to believe they are donating the computer to a child that otherwise wouldn't have one. I hope they have had the same TV for 15 years and are so excited to bring home that flat screen for their family to enjoy. Amber says Black Friday electronics are the "Holy Grail" of scores. As much as I enjoy the Black Friday craziness, I don't think I want anything enough to wait outside in a line in the cold for two days.

Whether you think we are crazy or not, the one thing I can say is that sitting in front of your computer shopping couldn't possibly be as memorable as driving around with your daughter in the middle of the night plotting our next score! It's the hunt.