Black Friday

One of my favorite days of the year!! This year was especially nice, since it was the first time in 4 or 5 years that I haven't had to work, while the other shoppers were out there getting all the fabulous deals that I was missing out on!! The past two years, I was even motivated enough to get up early and go shop for a few hours before reporting to work. Let me just say that by closing time, I was really feeling it.

Here are a few of my personal secrets to success for a successful Black Friday shopping experience:

1. This morning we hit up the Walmart in Oakland at 5:05 a.m. and got almost every item that we were after! Last year, we went to the Walmart in Cordova at about the same time, and they were sold out of EVERY item we were after. So, all in all, it was worth the 20 minute drive!
2. We also went to Target, and it was CRAZY! Most of the day the line extended to the back of the store. We weren't really buying any big ticket items, so it wouldn't have been worth it to wait in line for 2 hours for what we had. However, I decided to go see if they would check us out in Jewelry. There were about 6 people in front of us, and we ended up waiting in line for about 2 minutes.... 3 tops. If you were one of the ones who stood in line for 2 hours... well, I'm sure you're not thinking kind thoughts of me right now, but I'll bet you'll try my trick next time!
3. If you go somewhere like Walmart, Target, or BestBuy where you have to pick up the "big ticket" items from behind the counter, ask for several. I asked for 3 of everything, and ended up finding out that friends needed some of those things.
4. Remember your phone! My mother-in-law accidentally left her phone at home, and this is definitely one of those days when you need it! It's crazy out there, and you're likely to get split up or have to split up out of necessity. She ended up resorting to asking strangers to use their phones. People were surprisingly nice.

All in all, if you're up for it, willing to push through crowds, and not afraid what people think of you as you're sprinting through the store (yes, if you saw someone doing this today, it may have been me), it is more than worth it! When else could you get a $100 digital picture frame for $30 or 13 black wooden frames for $1 each? No other day, my friends, than my beloved Black Friday.

As a side note, I saw an amazing camera today that is my DREAM camera, and I purchased it. The bad thing is, I already have a REALLY nice camera that I just got for Christmas last year. It's a 10 megapixel Kodak, with a lithium ion battery, and carrying case. I really can't justify buying a new camera, unless I can sell that one. So, I'm saving the receipt in case I have to return it, but I am REALLY hoping that one of you may be in the market for an ALMOST new 10 megapixel NICE camera for $60 OBO! It is in PERFECT working condition, and is normally sold for $139.99! For those of you who don't care to fight the madness on Black Friday, this would be an AMAZING deal! Please spread the word and let me know if anyone is interested. I would be more excited than you could even know!

Did you get out and go shopping this morning? What was your best deal?