A Disappointing Black Friday

0

I was a little disappointed in this year’s Black Friday. For me, there just weren’t any “must have” items that I felt compelled to stand in line for hours to get. In the past I had always looked forward to this date to add to my inventory, but this year I didn’t see any “must haves.”

I had 20 or so items on my shopping list that I had my eye on, but I was only able to nab a handful of them. Why was this year so disappointing for me?

Well, for starters, Toys “R” Us didn’t happen for me as planned Thursday night. I went to the store’s Thanksgiving Day sale to grab a few musical critters to resell later, but the line was way too long, so my daughter and I decided to skip it. It was way too cold to stand in a line that stretched down the side of the store, back up the parking lot and over to a gas station.

On Friday morning, I was out the door by 4:45 a.m. (I know, I slept in!) and decided to hit Kohl’s first, and then swing by JCPenney.

Unfortunately, Kohl’s was out of the big electric roasters I had been eyeing for my folks, so I headed across the mall’s parking lot to JCPenney. But by the time I made it there, the store was out of the free collectible snow globes it hands out every Black Friday. I don’t sell these, but it’s been my Black Friday tradition to pick one up every year for the past 10 years or so.

When I asked about these, a clerk told me I should have been there at 4 a.m. when they opened! I thought that was funny, considering that last year the store still had plenty of the snow globes left by 8:30 a.m.

So that was three disappointments for me right off the bat, and it wasn’t even 5:30 a.m. yet!

The lines at JCPenney were very short, so I did stay and shop a bit. I purchased a couple gifts and I treated myself to a new pillow! Woo hooo! Next stop: the dreaded Toys “R” Us I had tried to visit the night before. I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of parking and that the store wasn’t busy at all. Guess everyone who needed to buy toys did their shopping the previous night. I took my time and able to pick up a few things I’ll sell in the coming weeks. And the best part was, there were no lines.

After a few more stops, my dogs were barking. I hadn’t made a real dent in my shopping list, but it was fun trying. By 9:30 a.m. I was back home and ready for a nap. Next year, I will be sure to bring backup. Mom, are you reading this?

How was your Black Friday? Any disappointments? Any happy surprises?