Black Friday!

Yes, I am one of those crazies that LOVES going out shopping, as early as possible on Black Friday every year. I really don't mind the chaos, I think it's really fun actually.

I also LOVE to shop and get good deals, so this is heaven for me! I look forward to it every year!

This year, I looked up the Black Friday ads weeks before on bfads.net, so I kind of had in mind what I wanted to get, but I never make my game plan until Thanksgiving day when I can sit down and actually look at all the ads in front of me and make a list.

Toys R Us opened at Midnight this year, and they had Fisher Price Diapers on sale for $5 per pack when you buy 2 (regularly $10 per pack). I also had some $2 off coupons that would make them just $3 per pack, an awesome deal especially because I really like those diapers, just not enough to ever pay full price. There were also a few odds and ends that Toys R Us had, but my main reason for wanting to go there was the diapers.

Now, I'm not entirely dumb, I've done Black Friday before and the stores are always busy and packed but you can still get around, especially if you know exactly what you are looking for. I figured I could get in there quickly after they opened, go right for the diapers, grab 3 packages and head straight for checking out and be home by 1 am, sleep for a bit, then head out to Shopko before 5.

Uh, well apparently I've never done Toys R Us on Black Friday before or any other store that is the first of many to open. I've made up a little picture to show you just how insane this was (And yes, I can't believe I actually stayed!)

The entire parking lot areas for Toys R Us, Old Navy, Office Max (Or whatever office store is there), AND Target were full! Still thinking "wow, tons of people, but I bet I can still get in relatively quickly, the longest part will be the check out" I parked my car by Radio Shack (not noted on the map, but I did mark "CAR".

I began walking up to Toys R Us to see where the end of the line was, thinking that the majority of the line I was seeing was for Old Navy (By the way, it was about 11:40 pm when I got there). There were some cops and employees outside directing people where to go, and one guy told me "Clear over there by the office store". WOW, that's a long line, but I had no other stores to go to until 5, and I figured it might be easier to just stay up the whole time than to try to go to bed for an hour or two before leaving again. What else did I have to do? So I went and got in line. I started the pink line on the map at the point I got in line. It grew TONS behind me as well.

I chatted with the people in line with me while we inched along. It was actually pretty fun, that's one of the things I like about Black Friday are the conversations you can have with random strangers as you join in craziness together waiting in lines at ridiculous hours. We talked about the deals we came for, Black Fridays past, our kids, etc. It's hard to explain, but it's almost like you become a little family in that time you stand in line together. (yes, very cheesy!)

So all this time, I thought once we got in front of Roberts and turned towards Toys R Us, that the line was straight there. As we got closer, we realized it curved around a huge field and was about twice as long as we thought! At that point, I'd been in line for an hour and figured, I might as well stay since I've been here this long already, plus like before, what else do I have to do right now, can't go to Shopko just yet.

During all this waiting, there were several people selling hot chocolate, that's pretty clever! But the most clever was this guy and his wife who worked for some insurance place, giving FREE hot chocolate if you signed up your name to get a free insurance quote from him. The lady I was standing in line with offered to get me some, so I didn't even have to give him my info! He ran out and came back about 30 minutes later with more. He was giving it out at the back of his SUV and he was playing music, it was pretty fun!

Around 2:20 am, I finally got in the store. Employees were saying there was a 2 hour wait to check out. Yikes! I found the diapers and they had every size but the size 3 I needed. So I left. Now I could have told you about my Black Friday shopping without including all that, but I think that's a lot of what makes it fun, the chaos, crazy lines, sharing crazy stories of where you've waited in line before and how long, etc.

At 2:30, I swung by the Shopko parking lot to make sure I was safe if I didn't go get in line yet. There were only 2 people there so far. So I came home to get my ads I left, get some food, and I got online for a minute. Someone on a message board I frequent said that some of the Walmart stuff was online already! I checked it out because there was a coat I really wanted, but I couldn't be at Walmart AND Shopko both at 5 am! I picked going to Shopko because I REALLY wanted to get the girls the 25 year anniversary limited edition Cabbage Patch Dolls that were $10 marked down from $40! Brad and I also found a down alternative comforter for only $20.

Anyway, yes, I was able to get the Walmart coat too, had it sent to the house for only $.97 and got to bypass trying to go to Walmart after Shopko. It was 3:20 am at this point, and I decided I better head out to wait in front of Shopko if I wanted to be one of the first in the store and guarantee I'd get what I wanted. Quick stop at Burger King on the way (I'm surprised Mcdonalds wasn't open!) and I got in line with my food at 3:45. I was one of the first 20 people in line!

That crowd was fun to talk to as well, and MORE people were there handing out free hot chocolate with marshmallows! Who are these people? Where did they get this idea? Even store employees were running out handing out free hot chocolate and doughnuts! It was pretty cold out, but I was warm in a down coat I was wearing. My hands got cold only when they came out of my pockets. The hardest part was just that my legs were tired of standing.

Store finally opened and I got right in there, got a cart, the items I came for and checked out after about 10 minutes of waiting in line. At 5:35 am I was happily driving home with my loot! I thought about checking out Walmart for a minute but then decided I didn't want any more of waiting in line, so I just went home to sleep. Went to bed at 6 am (Luckily Brad didn't have to work until 4, and he let me sleep). I got up at 1:15 and went to Walmart shortly after that. I was able to get Brad and I a pair a snow boots for $7 each and the kids a Dr kit price matched for $6 from the Toys R Us ad. No movies left, but they were the lowest priority on the list so we didn't care.

So, at the end of all this Madness, I have 1 new comforter, 2 cabbage patch dolls, 2 pairs of boots, and a dr kit. And more crazy stories to add to my "Black Friday Tales". I call this a very successful day and I can't wait to do it again next year! I know you all must think I'm nuts, but I really enjoy this a lot! One messed up night's sleep per year is really no big deal to me at all, especially when I actually do get great deals!