Black Thursday

I love a good deal. Who doesn't? In today's economy people need to do what they have to do to stretch a dollar. Since I am no longer working, strategizing ways to do that is something that I spend a modest amount of time doing. I research the internet for the best deal on what it is I need to buy and I use sites like Ebates.com to get cash back on internet purchases. I cut coupons and combine them with sales to get the best deals. I cook almost all of our meals at home and avoid pricey fast food. I map out my errands for the day to use my gas most efficiently. This is all something absolutely new to our family. When I was working we were eating fast food at least 2-3 times a week and shopping for convenience. Now you can often catch me saying things to my family like, "Now do you think you really NEED that or is it something that you WANT?" or "Let me see if I have a coupon for that" when they request something from the store. My husband often refers to me as a "cheapo" but I prefer to think of it as being smart. Hello? Money does not grow on trees. Money comes from a paycheck and we are one paycheck shorter than we used to be!

I have never been a "Black Friday" shopper. The Friday after Thanksgiving has typically always been a day of rest, relaxation, hanging with the family and putting up the Christmas tree. Needless to say that when the Black Friday ads began to surface and I saw the deals that were going to be out there I was tempted. There were a couple of items that were on my list that had some great deals. Being a Black Friday "virgin" I was terrified of the thought of going out alone in that mess and dealing with all the crazy and possibly not even getting what it was I was going for. Then there was the time the madness was to begin: 10:00 pm. What? I thought the event was referred to as Black Friday not Black Thursday! I am usually at least 3/4 into a bottle of wine by then and enjoying a good game of Left Right Center with my family.  Was I willing to sacrifice part of my Thanksgiving for a good deal? No way! Also turns out that I found a BETTER deal on the same product I wanted before Thanksgiving! Score!

All day today I read posts on Facebook about the good, bad and the ugly of people's Black Friday experience. Some got exactly what they went out for, some didn't. Overall the trend was that most were not satisfied in some way, either the store was unprepared or the people were downright crazy, rude and sometimes violent. What struck me the most were the stories on the news of people camping out at stores since Wednesday to get TV's, video games, computers and toys. They skipped Thanksgiving to buy 'stuff'!! What? I am all for stretching a dollar and don't judge those who choose to Black Friday shop but people skipped Thanksgiving to wait in line for TV's and such! It is a gross display of consumerism and an ugly look into what our American culture has evolved to. Who knows how the mega corporations of America will ante up in the future years to compete with one another.  I have learned to never say never but I hope I never get sucked into the madness.