Green Friday IV

As I have done in the past, and have put here for your reading pleasure, (Green Friday, Green Friday II, Green Friday III) I usually chronicle my Black Friday forays for your reading pleasure and to satisfy everyone's inquisitive nature and quest for knowledge. First, I study, catalogue, map and file all the flyers that come in. (Lovey even gave me a special Black Friday folder to keep everything in this year!). then I begin what is the only day of the year I actually like to shop.


My day started as usual at Walmart. For reasons that were covered in previous years, the had a significant crowd control. I arrived at seven and had to walk 500 feet from the entrance due to barriers set up. Additionally, within the barriers they had additional barriers so that you had to walk serpentine towards the door. This may have been a good idea at 5, but at 7 THERE WAS NOT A PERSON ON THE LINE. I mentioned this to the day laborers hired by Walmart and slapped with a vest for authority, but I am not sure they even spoke English. Once inside , they continued this idiocy by having certain aisles closed off for crowd control, even though there were no significant crowds anymore.


Well, I got some good deals, and have learned to check the wagons for items people decide they dont want at checkout and scored a really good item that was long sold out for my smiling cousin. I then went in search of a waffle iron.


The product du jour this year was the $10.00 Belgian flip waffle maker. A whole bunch of stores had then listed as door busters, and I just NEEDED to have one.


Well, I got to the aisle, and they seemed out of them. I asked a salesperson if there were any more left, and she didn't think so. However, about five minutes later she found one and handed it to someone she claimed asked before me. Not wishing to spoil the good feeling we were all having shopping early in the morning, I figured I would find one during the rest of my forays.


However, I did get the 2 quart crock pot. This was a secondary goal of mine, to purchase as many crock pots in different sizes for no more than $10. The 2 quart was listed at $3. however, when I found a wall of them and went to check out, it rang up at $9.88. As I was on line, a rather forceful woman saw I had them, exclaimed she had wanted one as well, and she and her friend got on line behind me with them. I should note here that I walked right up to the cashier, there wasn't really a line. When it rang up 9.88 i told the cashier it should be $3. the manager said to get a flyer, which I did, only to be told the black boxes of the product was $3. the purple boxes of the EXACT SAME same product was 9.88. This did not sit well with the rather vociferous women behind me so the manager gave them to all of us for $3.


Then on to Staples for the annual bluetooth ( one for me and one for Bug, who was with me) then Sears for the annual radar detector, and a second 4 quart crock pot for $10.


After that We moseyed over to the mall, ostensibly for a waffle iron. ( we had reached the minimum quota for crock pots). JC Penney had all the other doorbusters, but alas, i was not the only one who suddenly realized that he just HAD to HAVE a waffle iron. They were available online, but that defeats the purpose of shopping, which I was already doing. Target was also out of them, so we deemed the mall a bust and headed to Kohl's. Before we left the mall, I checked the Kohl's flyer, and there on the back, was an ad for a waffle iron! i was so happy, thinking that I was out of luck, that I practically floated from the mall to Kohl's. As we pulled in to the parking lot, I informed Bug that was going to stand at the front of the store and refuse to move or leave until i got my waffle iron. despite the very real threat of imminent embarrassment, Bug accompanied me into the store and towards housewares, where I asked, expecting the answer "No." if he had any more waffle irons. He told me "yes, they are right over there". I raced to where he pointed, grabbed one to my chest, then lifted it to the sky and danced a bit ( alas, Bug could not avoid the embarrassment in the end). We then decided to pay. So we went to the registers in the front, and started following the line that eventually reached all the way to the back of the store where we had been in the first place. As i was standing on line, Bug went in search of some refreshment, as we had been going for six hours and hadn't eaten or drank anything.


He then called me and told me that the line on the other side of the store had about 15 people on it instead of 150, and I should go over to that side. I surreptitiously slipped out of my spot and with great care, so as not to cause a stampede to the other side of the store, meandered over int hat direction. As the line quickly moved towards a register, Bug informed me " THIS is the best find of the day" a sentiment I had to agree with.


We then left and arrived home, seven hours later and several dollars shorter than when we began, tired but happy. With a stack of stuff for Lovey to once again return the following week.


Then my cousin called and told me she picked up a waffle iron for me at 3 AM.