Black Friday sales have already started this year and I am so excited. This is the time that I wait for all year long. Some look forward to the turkey on Thanksgiving but not me I can’t wait for the dinner to be over so I can go shopping. My motto is “Eat early so I can go get in line.”
What Black Friday Means to Me
The excitement of waiting in line with all of the other shoppers to start off the holiday season. It’s not just about the deals it’s about the tradition and the kickoff to the Christmas season.
As I wait in line waiting for the doors to open talking to people around me about what they are there to shop for. Looking around at everyone realizing the line ahead of you is starting to move and then you start to move. Oh, the anticipation is building. Wondering if the Ipad is still going to be there or that video game?
The doors are getting closer and closer. All of us that have been there for 2 hours waiting and notice that others are trying to cut in line. We make sure they know they have to go to the end. Then I arrive and walk through those glorious doors. Then the biggest decision needs to be made ” Do I Need A Cart?”
Having a cart means being a lot slower and missing out on the deals but not having one is not being able to carry as much. Making the wrong decision can cost me big time. In the end, I always choose no cart and usually get the deals.
Taking off running hopefully in the right direction and grabbing what is needed and heading to the next item. Carefully not pushing anyone or getting in another’s way. There is a lot of I’m sorry or excuse me’s out there. Juggling all items until I find a cart close to where I need to be. Oh but be careful if that cart is left to get another item you might or should I say you will lose that treasured item that you really wanted. Your cart will be raided.
Oh, Black Friday you are a day I look forward to all year long.
Until this year!!!
Unfortunately, changes do happen and this year is going to be the biggest change in Black Friday history.
Black Friday Fun
Black Friday the way I know and love has been around since the 1980s. The term Black Friday comes from stores being in the black but I’m not going to get into that boring stuff. Changes have been implemented throughout the years.
When I first started shopping on the big day it was actually on the Friday after Thanksgiving. My sister and I would look forward to looking at all of the ads in the newspaper on Thanksgiving day. We wouldn’t know what was for sale until then.
Really what we were checking out were the free giveaways that the stores were giving out. JCPenney would always have a Disney ornament and a coupon with a percent off. Target handed out bags with goodies inside. I’m not sure where from but one year we got a wooden tv dinner tray. The key to getting these items was to be in line before they open to get them before they ran out. This meant being out on the road by 4:00 AM. Stores opened up between 5:00 AM and 6:00 AM. Our family wouldn’t see us until late Friday night.
This carried on even after my children were born. When they were babies they would come along with us until someone woke up to watch them. My daughter once she got old enough to handle the crowds on her own started going out with us all day and we still carry on that tradition. What good fun memories.
Go with the changes
Since Black Friday became so popular a lot of the giveaways have gone away. There are some still out there but not many. Stores knew that shoppers would come no matter what. That being said some stores still offered the percent off coupons with a chance of winning some actual cash. I didn’t believe there really was that chance of winning cash until two years ago my daughter and I were at Target waiting in line and to our surprise, they handed out goody bags. They were unadvertised ones. looking inside there were some snacks and flyers and also a scratch-off card with a percent off. I got 10 percent off and to our delight, my daughter got a $50.00 gift card. But since then there hasn’t been much in giveaways.
Another change
The one change I really haven’t enjoyed is the change of it being on Thanksgiving night. In the beginning paragraph, I say I can’t wait until dinner is over so I can go shopping. It has caused Thanksgiving to be put kind of on the back burner for me. There are some of you that probably say just wait until Friday to go out. What I have to say is I could but it just wouldn’t be the same the sale items and the rush of the crowds just isn’t there. Black Friday just isn’t about what is for sale it’s about it being the kickoff to the “Most wonderful time of the year!” If I wasn’t out there for it the season wouldn’t be the same.
Happy About This One
Another change in the past ten years is the ads coming out online a couple of weeks before the big day. This I can accept not having to map out the route we are going on Thanksgiving Day. Really thinking about what gifts to get everyone and the best deals out there. Here in the past 3 years, the sales have been going live the morning of Turkey Day. This is met with different emotions for me.
When this first started out not many knew this and I was able to get a couple of items that the store was out of while waiting in the long line to check out, this worked out to my benefit. But now with it being known, you have to be online as soon as they go live to get some of the deals and checkout real quick. Just be careful and make sure you got it before you celebrate sometimes they disappear out of your cart because someone was faster at putting their credit card in. Walmart even sent me an email a couple of days later saying they were out of the item. So not a big fan of this. Hopefully, technology has gotten a bit better so this won’t happen again.
Black Friday wont be the same.
All of these changes over the years do not compare to what is happening this year. With the Covid virus, stores have changed it up. Here it is the beginning of November and there is all kinds of Black Friday sales happening. A lot of them are online which I think is great. I haven’t gone out shopping for leisure since March. You would gasp right now if you knew how much shopping is a part of my life.
Some items are still only available at the stores at a certain time, hopefully, that won’t cause too much of a crowd.
What most stores are doing is splitting their deals up throughout the weeks. The ads are usually released at least 3 days in advance so you know what to look for online. I’ve already found some deals.
One thing that you need to know is if you really want an item get it as soon as the sale starts. Watch the times that they go live online. Remember time differences. If it is 5:00 p.m. Eastern and you live in California it will be earlier than that.
Since I started writing this some sales have started and I have done quite of bit of shopping. So far I have gotten everything that I went online for. Hopefully, this will be the case for you also.
The only thing that I haven’t liked is that Walmart does offer things that you can’t have shipped to you. You have a window of time that you need to be at the store to pick your items up. The saving grace on this is they bring it out to your car so you don’t have to go into the store.
In store Shopping
I am not sure if there will be any Black Friday shopping in-store sales the day after Thanksgiving this year but there is one thing for sure for me is: If there are any I will be staying home.
Stay safe and Merry Christmas!!
