Where were you last night at midnight? We debated where we would be last night at midnight and between my daughter Kaysie and myself, we couldn't think of one single "hot ticket" item that would get us out of our cozy PJ's and out into the cold rain, risking life and limb, to purchase. We decided at 11:30 that it wasn't worth it. We had our first PJ Thanksgiving and it was soo nice. The weather was rotten outside, but we were cozy inside snacking, watching movies, cooking and just relaxing. The turkey coma set in about six last night and I was hard pressed to do much after the dinner dishes were cleaned up. The thought of putting on real clothes and heading out into the rain and wind was not something I was psyched up for. I could tell that Kaysie really wanted to go, and I would have gladly taken her to experience the midnight madness, but she surprised me and at 11:30 she decided she'd rather crawl into bed and head out this morning.
As I settled down into my bed last night I could hear the traffic on Scholl's Ferry Road. It was a constant hum all night long. As I laid there I thought, what could be so precious or sought after that you couldn't buy it today or even over the weekend? Now if you have small children at home that still believe in Santa and there was a special toy that was going on sale at midnight or would sell out fast, then that's a great reason to be out in all that craziness. There were a couple of years that I was standing outside Target in the cold and drizzle at 4:30am with a warm Starbucks in my hands waiting for the doors to open. Those years I understood the intensity of Black Friday. But this year I have to say I just don't.
There is another reason why I didn't really want to be out last night. I understand that the last few years have been difficult economically, but have things been so bad that companies need to require their employees to give up time with their families and friends so that the shopping season can begin 5 hours early? Somehow that doesn't seem right. I know there were some stores that refused to do that to their employees and I admire them for standing up and saying "No sorry. The Thanksgiving Holiday isn't over yet. Our employees mean more than that and they deserve to have a good holiday and a little rest before the madness of the holidays begin. " This from the girl who has been listening to Holiday music for three weeks. That's right. I don't mind contributing to the economy by shopping on Friday, but not at midnight or even 5 am. My daughter sadly, no longer believes in Santa, and her gifts no longer require me to stand outside in the early hours of Black Friday with no guarantees and a fist full of cash.
Today we began our morning by taking a 2.5 mile walk - up and down hills, and past the last of the glorious autumn leaves in our neighborhood. The sun was making an appearance for the first time in a week and in the chilly air we could see our breath. After a light breakfast we headed out to a couple of stores and found some good deals. We had a nice lunch and then it was pedicure time. I nearly fell asleep in the chair. Now here I am writing to you. Later we are going to venture out to the mall down the street. While the crowds are at dinner we will leisurely shop and then head home for a light dinner and movies by the fireplace. That's as wild as I want to get this year. A friend of mine is visiting her family in Atlanta and she tells the tale of pepper spray being used in a Wal-Mart down there to control the out of control shoppers. Twenty-five people were injured. I would rather do what we did today. Nothing is worth pepper spray.
I hope if you were out today in the fray of Black Friday that you made it through without incident. Happy Shopping and remember tomorrow is "Small Business Saturday," so maybe stop in to the locally owned coffee shop, book store or pet shop and give those folks a look. Our local merchants are trying hard this time of year too. Lets give them some love by shopping with them. Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment