Thanksgiving is approaching and the holiday season is on fast forward this year. With so much going on in the world, I think people are trying to find joy wherever they can. If the holiday season doesn’t bring anything else; it brings joy! Once again, Black Friday is a mere week away, and retailers are gearing up for you to spend your hard earned coins.
Black Friday became a tradition in my family twenty years ago when my mom had twins. At the time, I was 21; we would stand in line at the toy store at 4 am to get our hands on whatever robot or doll was popular at that time. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about shopping on Black Friday. If you do plan to shop, here are a few helpful tips:
1) Establish a plan of attack– Never go to Wal-Mart, Target, or any store without a clue as to what you want. Both stores release their ads early so sign up on a site such as black-friday.net so you can know in advance what it is you want. Don’t go in there and wander around aimlessly Black Friday is not the day for that.
2) Dress Warm and be Prepared to Stand In a Line– With so many stores opening at 6 pm on Thanksgiving, standing outside is becoming a thing of the past. Retailers have started handing out tickets that guarantee you a certain item while you’re standing in line.
3) Don’t go shopping alone – You need at least three people, the fast one to get the stuff you want, one person to watch your cart so no one takes the stuff from you, and a third person to stand in the long ass line to pay for the stuff you got. Leave your toddlers and babies at home, no baby should be out there in line with you.
4) Never leave your cart unattended– I don’t care what happens, don’t leave your cart. People will steal your items, and you will come back to an empty cart. People simply lose all restraint on this day, especially if it’s a popular item.
5) Shop outside the city– I can guarantee you city stores will be jammed packed with lines around the corner. I shop in the suburban areas during Black Friday. To be more specific, I shop in wealthy suburban areas. These stores have fewer crowds and are more organized.
Thanksgiving is a time for family! Although I don’t have an opinion about stores opening at 6 pm, I know that I would want to spend that time with family. The same family I see every day is the same family I see on Thanksgiving; I would feel differently if I had family that traveled to see me that I didn’t get a chance to see often.
This year, I’m not shopping for Black Friday. My family decided to change up our tradition of a big extravagant celebration to a family vacation. Instead of exchanging gifts for Christmas, we’ve decided to travel instead. Which in my opinion; is the best gift ever!
Are you shopping on Black Friday? And if so, what’s on your list this year?
