Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Pitch-dark Friday

This year I decided to venture into the crazy shopping world on Black Friday. My mom had stayed the night at our house and she and I woke up at 4am to let the fun begin. We were out the door in 15 mintues flat (hello ponytail!) and made it to the shopping center by 4:30am. The line around Circuit City, which was my destination of choice, was at least 300 people long and it twisted around the building and ended in the loading area behind the building. People had coolers, sleeping bags, chairs and blankets. There was even a RV or two in the parking lot. These folks are hard core. I decided to settle for Target. I had gone a few days before and scoped out the location of said item (which will remain unnamed because it is Rob's Christmas gift) so I knew exactly where to go. We waited in line for an hour and a half before the store opened. We had a great time, talking and eavesdropping; straining to hear if there were people ahead of me vying for the same thing. We heard all sorts of crazy Black Friday stories of years past. Last year at the same Target store, people had cut in line when all of the doors opened and the police were called to settle the crowd. This year, the management had things much better organized and only opened one door to allow us to enter single file. I was pleasantly surprised at the calmness and kindness of everyone that morning. Despite the fact that my Mom and I were standing behind a group of 5 chain smokers, we had a great time and got great deals. I truly believe that the management at Target helped to calm the crowd by answering questions while we were still waiting in line and by having carts and flyers ready when we went in.

My Mom and I hit a few more stores and ended our morning at Cracker Barrell. I was bone tired but our trip was definitely worth the effort. My Mom, Ms. Ray-of-Sunshine, reminded me that if we got at least one item we were hoping for, it was a success. Also that she and I were making memories. I will remember this one for a long time.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very sweet story. I'm glad you two had fun together. It's amazing how much more we learn to appreciate our moms as we've become mothers ourselves now. I just hope our kids enjoy the bonding time with us when they are our age as well. Memories certainly last a lifetime and no one is ever able to take those away from you. Hugs my dear!