". . . little shall I grace my cause

In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver . . ."

(William Shakespeare's Othello, I.iii.88-90)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

We're Really Gonna Do It

For the first time ever in our married life, my husband and I are going to shop on Black Friday.

Here's why:



A few months ago our television fell off its stand (I know you're wondering how that happened, but let's not go there). The picture has looked like this ever since. We don't watch a lot of television, so we weren't motivated to replace it right away. But several times over the past few months we have considered watching a movie only to reconsider after remembering our unit's current resemblance to a bowl of Fruit Loops. We also use the TV for educational purposes--instructional videos for French and history--and we have continued to watch those in spite of the decidedly hallucinogenic element. But I have been procrastinating showing several historical movies I would like the kids to see. The Salem witchcraft trials are disturbing enough in realistic hues--I don't think I'm ready to see Giles Corey under a pile of pink, blue, and yellow rocks.

Ultimately, though, we might go on like this indefinitely if not for the premiere of the final season of Lost, which will take place on February 2. We have very few things that we do for pure recreation, but this is one, and we have waited almost a year for it. Of course February is several months away, but we have seen ads for 32-inch LCD HD television sets for as low as $248 on Black Friday. We're not picky--that will do for our needs--and we're thinking the deals may not get much better, so a little before 5:00 a.m. Friday morning the hubby and I will drag ourselves out of bed, throw back some coffee, and join the ranks of the Desperately Seeking Bargains. With any luck we'll be home with our new acquisition in time to go back to bed for a few hours before breakfast.

So . . . any Black Friday pros out there who want to offer some shopping advice to us inexperienced newbies? Things to do and not do? Ways of increasing the likelihood of success? Pitfalls to avoid? We're all ears!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cheryl - I did the same thing last year. I wanted a new kitchen table and waited until Black Friday to purchase it at 5AM. Little did I know that people line up sometimes an hour in advance to get the big bargains. And, when I say line, I don't mean 10 people. I mean, the line is wrapped around the store. So, if the store is REALLY advertising this item as one of their biggies, you may want to join the ranks 30-60 minutes before doors open. Good luck! ~Holli

Elephantschild said...

1) Dress comfortably.
2) Do NOT take anyone under the age of 16 with you.
3) Pack snacks
4) Expect to see horrible behavior
5) Take notes, so you can blog about such behavior later on.
6) Do NOT take anyone under the age of 16 with you.
7) Enjoy people watching.
8) Enjoy the sense of community and be willing to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
2) Do NOT take anyone under the age of 16 with you.

Karen said...

In our area, it's necessary to arrive at the store 1 to 1 1/2 hours early to get the great deals. If it's a big box store or Walmart, you will need to be standing next to the display stack when the wrapping is removed because the deals are gone in the first 5 minutes. Good Luck. I will NOT be shopping on Black Friday for the first time in 22 years!!!!!

Ewe said...

How did it go?