Black Eyes on Black Friday

November 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Who would ever think that Black Friday would be what it is today? Black Friday is
becoming a dangerous occasion for everyone. Several reports of fights andBlack Friday 300x200 Black Eyes on Black Friday
altercations are being talked about all over the internet, not to mention
random texts and phone calls from my friends telling me about their personal
accounts from yesterday’s events.

Great sales are bringing out the worst in people. Mothers have been arguing in the store aisles over Hello Kitty dolls and Elmo toys, Dads almost getting into
brawls over TVs and game systems. It seems we have all gone insane trying to
save a little change.

Wal-Mart seems to have been the scene for most of the chaos that has occurred in the last 24 hours, according to LA Times, there have been several incidents that have taken place in California Wal-Marts since last night. In Porter Ranch, a woman pepper sprayed customers at a Wal-Mart in a desperate attempt to gain an advantage over other shoppers.  In San Leandro, a Wal-Mart shopper walking to his car was shot and wounded in a robbery. There were a few other robberies in the United States leaving victims injured as well.

Black Friday is no longer a day to save money from the various sales in retail stores nationwide.  It has now become a day where people are showing their true competitive nature. There is no sale on any item worth getting pepper sprayed over and there is absolutely no reason for any person to get shot. When I think about all of the perceptions of Americans being consumed with materialistic values, Black Friday is becoming more and more of a reason to believe that accusation may be true. Just take a look around. Less kids are playing outside, climbing trees, and using their imaginations to make fun. Now, IPhones, IPads, and IPods are all you see in children’s hands. At the pace technology is progressing, next year’s Black Friday could be a retail massacre.

Here’s a video, courtesy of the Fox affiliate in Atlanta showing some of the chaos surrounding Black Friday yesterday:

VIDEO: Black Friday Chaos at Ellijay Walmart: MyFoxATLANTA.com

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Green Bean Casserole, Turkey, Stuffing: Prelude to Black Friday

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Green bean casserole is one of those treats we save for Thanksgiving.  We might have turkey and stuffing other times of the year, but that green bean casserole is the much-anticipated dish we save for Thanksgiving. Then, we develop our plan for Black Friday as carefully as carefully as a general planning a major battle and in about as much detail.

Of course, you don’t have to wait.  Amazon has daily deals leading up to Black Friday and some of them are really great deals.  (UPDATE  –   Holiday Deals are over, but Amazon has lots of other great products at great prices)

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays — I’m not sure why.  I think it’s the family all being together and the thought of Christmas around the corner.  We spend all day cooking and enjoy lingering around the table savoring the fruits of our labors.  Now, Thanksgiving almost gets lost in the preparations for Christmas, starting with Black Friday.

Planning our Black Friday shopping trip is also something we do while waiting — between basting the turkey and making side dishes.  Everyone has a job in preparing for and accomplishing our Black Friday shopping trip.  We share sections of advertising; each person making a list of things they want.  Someone is charged with gathering everyone’s list  and categorizing purchases by store. It’s a little easier now, since my mother died 2 years ago.  Now it’s just me and my daughters.  When Mom was alive we’d take her with us. My sister and her 3 kids would meet us at the first stop

Depending on how many different stores we plan to visit, we may either go together or split up so we get there early — while the best deals are still available.  We normally leave about 4 in the morning, although this year, I guess, we’ll have to start earlier since the stores open at midnight.

Arriving at the first store, someone is charged with standing in line, while the rest of us gather items required from that store.  When we get everything together, the line person is near the front.  See what I mean, it takes careful planning to maximize our time and get the best stuff before it’s all gone.

After the first couple of hours, we meet somewhere to get a nice breakfast.  Even though we promised we’d never eat again after the monstrous Thanksgiving dinner, we need sustenance to survive the strains of fighting the crowds.

So, what are your Thanksgiving’s like? Do you sit down with your family planning your Black Friday strategy?

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