Black Friday

So, for the 1st time ever, I started my Black Friday shopping as soon as it technically became Black Friday! Toys R Us opened at midnight and I was there! She's crazy, is probably what you're thinking right now...you are soooooooo correct! NEVER AGAIN will I shop Toys R Us on Black Friday. This was the 1st time I had ever shopped Toys R Us on BF...it will for sure be the last. It was horrific! They had the main aisles spit in two with stacks of toys down the middle. The major issue with that logic was once you were on a side, you couldn't get to the other side. Plus, you couldn't actually move at all! I found almost everything I wanted right in the main area when you 1st come in the door. As I headed back into the store I got stuck - literally! I couldn't move. It SUCKED! I was sweating in my "waiting-in-line" clothes, but didn't have enough room to take my coat off. I managed to move about 3 feet into what I thought was the check-out line....wrong. I stood in that line (with a bunch of other sweating parents) for 45 minutes when a (super crabby) employee announced that we were NOT in the check-out line. I was so ticked! I had to go to the end of the actual check-out line, thus negating the 45 minutes I was just hanging out! Thankfully, the WONDERFUL couple in front of me let me add my items to their cart. I didn't have one & my arms were literally about to fall off. My hands were going numb and my arms were shaking from holding everything. I am so thankful that I got in line behind them. They saved me! So by this time it is about 1 a.m. (So, if you are paying attention, you will notice that it only took me 15 minutes to find what I wanted. I spent the next 45 in the wrong line.) So now it's 1 am and I am FINALLY in the correct line. So what happened next? I waited and waited and moved 2 feet at a time for the next 2 hours...yes that is TWO hours. I finally checked out at 3:15 a.m.! I was in pain (my back, feet and arms were killing me), hot and STARVING! I may have neglected to mention that I had been up since 7:20 a.m. and was running on fumes that this point. So those of you who know me best will know what I did next...I loaded up my purchases, downed a DDP and headed to the next store! :)
It was a Black Friday full of firsts for me. I had also never been to Walmart on BF. There were a couple of items in the ad that I really wanted so I decided to head over. The best part was the store was already open so I didn't have to freeze my butt off! I got there at 3:30 a.m. and the sale didn't start until 5. I wandered around a bit to find out where the items I wanted were...in opposite corners of the store - of course! I decided to wait by the bike I wanted (I mean Santa wanted) to get for Noah. Holy crap. The second it hit 5 a.m. the store became total chaos! It was way crazier than Target & Shopko put together (my usual BF spots)! I managed to get the items I wanted and make it to a line...where, again, I waited and waited and waited! Not as long as Toys R Us, but only by a smidge! I finally checked out at 6:30 a.m. By this time, I am beyond exhausted and totally starving. I still have to stop at Walgreens to pick up some milk and Comet (an odd combo I know!). When I finally got home I downed a bowl of cereal and crashed on the sofa for about an hour until Coop woke up. Thankfully, my hubby was SUPER awesome and wrangled the boys so I could nap. I got in a good 2 hours before Cooper decided I should get up. ;)
I wasn't able to do all my shopping today like I normally try to do on Black Friday, but I did make a pretty good dent. You can be sure that I will head out again next year - just not to Toys R Us! :)