I don't know about you, but I feel that this is an absolute horrible time to have a sale. You and your family should be sharing those important moments together, without the stresses of having to get to a sale. Now I am no better off financially than the majority of you, and I could certainly use a deal on Christmas gifts. But I have to say, it's a Nay for me on Black Friday.
I will admit, I am guilty of attending one Black Friday Sale. This was a few years back when I wanted to purchase a laptop for my daughter. I didn't have much money and couldn't spend a whole lot. But nonetheless, I was going to get one for her that was half-way decent and reasonably priced. I noticed that Walmart had a super cheap deal on one and thought that it was the answer to my financial woes.
Also, this sale wasn't to start until around 6am I believe. So I thought that was great. I would be able to finish my Thanksgiving with the family and just stay up late or get up early to make it on time. Well, my excitement wouldn't allow me to sleep so I decided to stay up. I figured I'd get to the store around 2am-3am so that I would be there well before the start of the sale. Surely I would be able to get the item I was there for.
NOT!!! I arrived at Walmart a bit before 3am and fought my way through the massive crowds of people. No matter where you walked, someone was there. It was beyond pure madness. I had the map for the product in my hand and still felt confused about where it was and where I should be to get my hands on this deal. So, finally I walked up to an employee who was standing in front of an aisle that was blocked off with a chain. Behind that chain was several people lined up, either standing or sitting on the floor. I had asked about the laptop and where I should be to get one and the employee told me that they were already sold out.
I was in shock! I said to the employee "the sale didn't even start yet, I am here well before it!" In response the employee says "well there are tickets for the item and they were all given out hours ago." I said "Wow, this is ridiculous" and walked away. I was not willing to give up that easily though. I actually drove to 2 other local Walmart's to see if they had any left. Yup, you guessed it, they were all gone.
I was quite disappointed at the whole experience. Nowhere did it say that was how it worked at that time. At least I didn't catch the 'warning'. So needless to say, I had to opt for a slightly more expensive laptop for her. It wasn't too much more, but more than I was planning to spend.
From that point forward, I haven't been able to drag myself to another Black Friday Sale since. I didn't like the way it was run, and I didn't like the crowds of people you had to fight through. These people plan so far ahead it's not even funny. They also have friends and family helping them out on their quest. It truly is amazing what happens. People seem to turn into packs of wolves when these sales happen. It's not a pretty sight, nor is it fun to be in. Not to mention, since my experience, they have now backed up the time even earlier. Therefore, definitely cutting into people's holiday. It's really shameful if you ask me. But the almighty dollar strikes again and always wins.
~So, what will you be doing for Thanksgiving-Black Friday? Yup, that's right I hyphenated Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Because with the way the stores have got it now, that's exactly how it applies. But back to the question at hand. Will you be sitting down and enjoying every possible memorable moment with your family for Thanksgiving? Or will you cut your holiday short to save a buck?~
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