The Morning After

Well, I finally did it. With the stores moving up Black Friday from 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. to finally midnight, I can actually go. And I did.

I skipped WalMart. It was my first year. I didn't need to be trampled. Plus, I didn't do this right. I was just going to see what I could see. I didn't have any pamphlets, or a schedule, or a store map. I was just looking. Hah.

So, I went to Target. And, you know, it wasn't bad. Okay, first I had to park a million miles away. I got there at midnight exactly, but apparently people don't celebrate Thanksgiving anymore. They just line up and camp outside of stores. How American.

Then I stood in what I thought was the line. About fifty of us did this for about 20 minutes. Surely, we thought, Target would not have us line up around the building standing in a dark alley. But, that's exactly what they were doing. I decided to go check it out, and took my place in the murky depths of the unlit alleyway.

The line was moving fast. Know why? Apparently they were selling TVs for, like, a penny. Everyone who was in there early was coming out with a 42" TV, and only that. I saw only one brand. Then that one sold out and I saw only another brand. These people are pros. They know what they're doing. When I made it into the store, Target had signs saying "TVs this way." Swear to God.

I sighed as I thought of the small Toshiba I paid $500 for a few years ago. Good thing I'm not in the market for a new one. I can only imagine the girls would break a bigger TV. I don't like them too big anyway.

So, I made my way to the toy section and got a few gifts for the girls. Drums for half price, Magnadoodles for half price, Cooties and Match for $3 a piece. I got my husband a...oh wait, he reads this blog. Well suffice to say it was, like, 70 percent off. I saved $120. Win.

I did not go into the electronics section. At all. I didn't even stray within 20 feet of it. One of the benefits of buying for toddlers. I got to skip that madness.

And I got some Christmas stuff. A new tree! Right now we have a tiny, tiny fake one. Perfect for little babies who would knock a tree down. Now that the girls are the sage old age of three, I went for it. I bought a 7-foot Christmas tree with lights attached. For $30. Score!

Then I waited in the checkout line that wound through every aisle of the store for about an hour. Store attendants flagged us through.

"Continue to B31. You in line? B 31."

"Okay, you're halfway through now. Continue to A 12."

Wow. But, still it wasn't bad.

I mean, we used to stand in line for rollercoasters for more time than that.

And a great perk of Black Friday is how alive everyone is. It might be 2 in the morning, but it feels like 3 in the afternoon.

All in all, I enjoyed myself. I've got more shopping to do, but I'm glad I went out.

It was my first time. If they keep the midnight thing (meaning I'm still up instead of having to wake up) I'll do it again.