Black Friday

Why do they call it Black Friday? Is it because of the color of the sky when you get your butt out of bed to make the deals? Perhaps it should be called White Friday as many headlights as I saw this morning.

I was one of those crazy people. I didn't think I would be. I had some ads in the back of my head from when I browsed through them during the Thanksgiving festivities yesterday. When Ben and I went to bed last night we said we'd decide in the morning if we'd do any shopping today (translation: yeah, right, like we're going to feel like getting up early after being up all night with kids most likely).

But at 5:10 a.m. in came my alarm clock - a 4 year old girl telling me there was a snake in her room. There was no going back to sleep after that, not when there were deals to be had! I planned on only going to Michael's to stock up on beading supplies with my 6-9am 25% off coupon. I figured Michael's wouldn't be too crazy.

Then last minute I decided I was up early enough to try for a computer deal Ben and I had seen in the ads at Office Depot. (I decided Ben should use his year-end performance bonus in the way that he wanted, which was to update our 5 year old computers). I tried calling on my way there since it was a half hour drive from my house but they said too busy, no one could come to the phone. Since it was only 15 minutes past Michael's I went anyway. I drove past the crazy line of people way out the door at Circuit City and thought "what fools." 6:15 I walked in Office Depot, they had opened at 6, and the laptops were gone. I called another Office Depot and this time they answered my question; said they were sold out there too.

On to Michaels I thought, and there was one right next door! But wait a minute, the line out the door to Circuit City was dying down... I remembered Ben had said there was a similar computer deal here. I thought I might as well try since I drove all the way here! I entered the zoo and checked the ad for a comparable computer. There it was, a $900 computer marked down to $550. My heart sank as I couldn't find it in the computer section and I heard other people asking employees about computers and being told "that one's gone." I heard one specify another model number though, so I kept looking. I found only one free employee to ask and he had no idea where to find one. That's when I started getting bounced around from one worker to the next for the next half hour.

I don't know why I didn't just leave. If I wasn't so tired and out of it I'm sure I would have! I felt like I was in this mad crowd for a reason, and so I started browsing the ad for other deals. But after they were out of the next thing I looked for, I still stayed and walked around, looking for a clue how to find out if they have this computer. A manager told me I had to wait in a checkout line and if the cashier said there was one in stock they would bring it to me. WAIT IN LINE? They were hour-long lines. FOR A COMPUTER THAT MIGHT NOT BE IN STOCK? I decided to do one more tour around the store looking for a short line. A girl at the front of one line (I thought I was going to the back of a line but they were so screwed up) told me where her line ended because she saw I was confused. I explained I would wait in line if I could buy the computer, but I was told to ask a cashier if my item was even in stock! She said, oh, you can ask! Josh won't mind! (Her brother in front of her, one of the many annoying customers I heard arguing with clerks today who didn't understand the concept of mail-in rebates.) I waited for the debate to end and darted in for my chance. "7 in stock" he said. But that doesn't mean they're not already in customers' hands in line some where! I pressed further, not accepting this answer. "How would I know?" He said to go back to the computer area and a cashier there would have a better idea. I interrupted the front of the line again to ask my question. "7 in stock" he said, and this guy was friendlier and more helpful. He explained to me again I could get in line and hope it was still there when I got to the front. His line happened to be one of the shorter ones, so there I stood for only a half hour.

The moment of truth: yes, they still had them, and yes, I could have two! It seemed to good to be true (how did he know other customers didn't have them in their arms)... And it almost was. I was sent on another maze through the store to find the pickup location. When I finally was at the right place a manager didn't seem to be able to find one and then entered a discussion with another group of managers for about ten minutes. What was going on?!

He came back and tried to upsell me to 2 "optimized" versions. Only $40 more a piece? He made it sound like a great deal but I was confused and asked to call Ben. Then he offered to give me both computers optimized for only $40 total, admitting they didn't have any of the others for me. The cashier was not supposed to sell me those! I didn't have a voucher! Basically I was not supposed to be able to get the computer I did since I wasn't there at 3 a.m. waiting for a ticket!
And I ended up with even faster, better ones for $20 a piece.

I was so excited to surprise Ben, but on to Michael's first. Where I found the opposite problem - I was overwhelmed with the vast selection to use my coupon towards! It was hard to keep the spending down. On the way home Ben called "WHERE ARE YOU?!" and I did not tell him my surprise but assured him I was on my way home. I hoped I'd gotten the right models, and I hoped he would be happy even though I was gone a lot longer than I warned the night before I might be, when my only plan was possibly Michael's.

5 minutes later my phone rang again. "Did you just spend x amount of dollars at Michael's? Our credit card company is on the phone alerting us of possible fraudulent activity!" Then, "hold on," as he went back to the phone... 'oh, shoot!' I thought! "DID YOU JUST MAKE 2 PURCHASES AT AN ELECTRONIC STORE?" "yes..." "for how much?" "a lot of money"
I did actually try to tell him how much but he hung up on me. Then I later found out he assured the credit card it was probably me, and he never did ask the amount, but said he'd call them back if it wasn't.

Ben was freaking out when I got home but also relieved it was me and not someone who stole our credit card. And he was SO happy I got the computers!

Later in the day we went to Target and finished a lot of our shopping with the kiddos, who were actually good in the store. Stopped in at walgreens too trying to get a $10 digital photo keychain, but those were sold out. All in all I'd say I had a GREAT black friday, enough to say it was worth it... but only because of the big ticket items. Can't say I'd go out in that craziness again next year.