Black Friday in my family is basically a Holiday. Since I can remember, my cousins and I would hold a place in line as our moms ran and got shopping items we needed for Christmas presents or new home items. We would start to yell their names as we got close to the checkout line. Slowly as we got older each one of us became more and more interested in this shopping event which meant getting a good deal and staying up all night. Black Friday was helpful when we were preparing to go off to college or live on our own for the first time. Now we are getting to the stage where we are starting to buy for the next generation. We are hunting for toys, and kids necessities that will help us in the years to come.
After our separate family thanksgivings traditions, socializing, eating and eating some more. I, my mom, aunts, and cousins get together and strategize for our night and day shopping extravaganza.
- What stores open first?
- Where do we all want to go?
- What does everyone want to get?
- Do we need to divide and conquer?
If you haven’t found this site yet, here are where Black Friday Ads are leaked for all to share.
There is also an app – iTunes
We usually hound this site so we know well in advance what we might want to save up some money for.
So usually our plan goes something like this…
A group goes to Walmart and a group goes to target because they both usually open around 9-10pm on Thanksgiving.
**NOTE: If you have to choose between going to Walmart or Target first (based on the stores I have gone to), I would generally say go to Walmart first. They seem to sell out of the hot items sooner. To me, Walmart always seems to be pure chaos and I’ve gotten to a point where it is just not worth the hassle. On the other hand, Target seems to have Black Friday figured it out. They have a system that works for everyone.**
Since we strategies together, a general rule of thumb, is if you see something everyone one wanted, grab enough for everyone (if you can). You can always put it back. At some point, while shopping in the store we find each other. Then lose each other. Then find each other again, and head for the checkout line. Once we find the end of the checkout line that is snaked halfway through the store. We take turns running and getting the additional items that we wanted until we get to the cashier. Then the time is up. Our first store on Black Friday is done.
Then we go home and sleep for about 3 hours.
Our next stop at the ass cracked of dawn is usually Menards. I used to be the person who drops people off and then goes back and picks everyone and their stuff up. That has changed in the last two years, now I stand in line outside with the best of them and freeze my butt, legs, hands …. everything, everything is frozen.
Menards is 9:10 a cluster. Although at this point, I should expect every store to be chaos, because of course, it is… Black Friday. Menards advertises really good deals, but you can never find all of what you want. Never the less, it’s still a fun adventure. We never seem to learn our lesson and we always end up getting a pressure washer…. someone always needs a pressure washer.
Then we spend hours in Kohls. The line is usually extremely long and slow. We get home items, Kitchen Aid mixer, bed sheets, clothes. Last year we got a drone for my Father-in-law. Kohls is sneaky and gives you Kohls cash for every $50 you spend. It’s a vicious cycle and if you are able to escape it, I applaud you.
** NOTE: The one store I would advise NOT going to is Lowe’s… I don’t think they understand Black Friday. Yes, I’m speaking from experience. My husband and I went there last year and they didn’t have any of their Black Friday deals labeled and when we asked for help, no one knew what we were talking about. They looked at us like we are crazy. We were in and out in about 30 minutes with no purchase.**
Once we exhausted the stores near home, we drive to Rosedale mall located in Roseville, MN. Parking is always crazy, so whenever we bring shopping bags out to the car, we have someone stand in an empty parking spot that is closer to the doors while the other moves the car. #Teamwork
At Rosedale, we usually start at Herbergers. They have really good deals on coats and shoes. Then we head into the mall and hit Bath and Body Works. The store is small, but they always have really good deals so it’s crowded. My mom usually buys the holiday bag filled with goodies.
– JcPenney’s is always on the list, they have good deals on shoes, clothes.
– Victoria Secret, though I never buy anything there on Black Friday.
– Ulta has a few good deals, but their 20% your entire purchase coupon is better.
After we hit the must-stop stores, we browse through the other stores. We shop until about 3:00 pm, if we are awake past 5:00 pm it is usually a miracle. The best part about the day though isn’t the deals, it’s the time we get to spend together.
#BlackFriday #Family #FamilyTraditions #Shopping #Thanksgiving #ShopTillYouDrop #ShoppingExtravaganza #TisTheSeason #Giving #Checklist
