2003-11-28 - 1:54 p.m.
For as much as I love to shop, I've never been one to go out at 6 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving or the day after Christmas. I like to sleep. And I generally figure there's no bargain so wonderful that I need to give up some of my precious sleep to be at a store at 6 a.m. However, one of my neighbors goes and I decided to go with her this year, not because there was anything in particular I wanted, but to see what it really was like.
So last night, I set the alarm on my cell phone for 5:10, I put out some clothing, and went to bed around 10. At 2:30, I woke up and grumbled about having to get up in another three hours, then went back to sleep. Woke up again at 3:45. Dozed on and off for the next 45 minutes. At some point, Kate decided she needed be under the covers to lay on my belly. Then Abby decided she needed to be on top of the covers and on my legs. Finally, at 4:45, I decided there was no use in laying in bed anymore. (I think Kate and Abby disagreed, but oh well.) So I got up, got dressed, and headed to my E's house at 5:20.
None of her lights were on. It was about 45 degrees outside and I was in a light jacket and light long-sleeve shirt, so I was pretty cold. I knocked and, while I was waiting, started to be convinced she was going to answer the door in her nightshirt and tell me that she'd overslept and didn't feel like going after all. While I was pondering the bodily harm I would then inflict, she answered the door, dressed and ready to go.
First stop: Wal-Mart. We pulled into the lot around 5:45. I assume it's one of those Wal-Marts that's open 24 hours, because it was already open and the parking lot was already packed. E wanted a Game Cube for her daughter and a DVD player for her sister. She headed off to the electronics department, along with a LOT of other people, and I didn't see her again for another 45 minutes. Meanwhile, I watched what was going on, since there was nothing I wanted or needed there.
People heading to the electronics department would abandon their carts in the aisles near the department, so that was blocking traffic. What really surprised me was that they kept announcing that there was no waiting at several of the registers up front. I realized that that was because almost at least half the people in the store were in the electronics area.
After E got her stuff, we headed to Kohl's. I'd not been to it yet and wasn't sure what to expect. It was better than I expected, but I left being rather unimpressed, but not by the merchandise. There were no carts and no shopping baskets when we arrived around 6:45. None. All the carts and bags they had were being used and people were hovering at the front of the store, hoping to snag one from somebody checking out. If I'd had a cart, I'm willing to bet I would have spent more than I did, because I couldn't carry much. The lines here were long and slow and we had to wait nearly half an hour in line. At one point, some neighbors from across the street offered us their cart (they were ahead of us in the checkout line) and Erin said, "Sure! Then we can go do more shopping!" I said, "No way am I getting out of this line and then getting in a longer one." We'd already been in line 10 minutes and had barely moved. She said, "But we didn't get to the shoe department!" I said, "There could be a pair of Pradas over there in my size for $20 and I still wouldn't get out of line." The best part of being in Kohl's: that song from the Charlie Brown Christmas episode came on and Erin and I both started doing the little dance. :)
Swung by Whataburger for breakfast burritos, then went to Target. By this point, it was 9:45. We'd somehow managed to spend over 2.5 hours at Kohl's. Target was plenty busy, but there was absolutely no waiting in line. I'm sure there were longer lines earlier in the day, but I had no problems.
*shrug* I've done it. And now I know that I don't need to do it again. There really weren't any bargains I needed that required getting up that early. I didn't even get to see any pushing or shoving, no fights, no hair-pulling. I could have picked up most of what I bought at the prices I paid, if I'd slept till 7:30 and gone to the stores at 9. If that makes me any less of a shopper, so be it.
