'Never Again'

This year I was somehow motivated to actually try this Black Friday gig. After crawling into bed I senselessly answered a call from my sister who was panting (see 3+ months preggo post) and raving about all of the 'great deals she was finding'. I rolled over and said to Blair 'you know what, I have nothing to do tomorrow in the morning, maybe I'll give it a go if the deals are THAT great'. He wished me luck & I rolled out, put on a zip up and met my Mom at Target. It took us 20 mins to park, we stood for 30 mins in a line as long as a football field surrounded by insane people in utter excitement about leaving their kids/husbands at home to spend the entire night/morning shopping. <Insert me, wide eyed, puzzled & inquisitive> I asked the women in front of me, as my Mom was chatting it up with the two gals behind me, what was it about standing in a line for hours, being bumped around and stepped on inside a store you MIGHT find something you like, only to then stand in line for another 2+ hours to checkout & do it allover again at the next spot excited them? I mentioned that I was a virgin shopper that day (one who hates shopping any day of the year for that matter) and was interested to see what the hype was all about. They proceeded to tell me that the #1 reason that they do this is to 'people watch' and get out of the house for a few hours with family. They kept stating 'its tradition' over & over to me. I kept looking at them in awe, hearing them out, all the while standing there thinking of 100 other ways I'd rather people watch (airports, the fair, while sitting on my warm couch watching tv, the list goes on) & another 100 other ways I could 'enjoy getting out of the house or forming family traditions'.

FINALLY, the doors open (we were standing in the wrong line & had to then re-line up at the other door, of course) and into Target we sped!!! I must say, walking through those doors and picking up my cart was the highlight of the 1:03 evening of Black Friday for me. Well, there also was a woman dressed up in red valuer sweat suit, heels and pearls like the woman on the commercials that had I gotten a picture with would have made it really worth it, but from the point of entrance, it was all downhill thereafter. Women were literally stepping over me, pushing their carts onto my heels, backing up the aisles with their bodies & elbows flying as they dug into stacks of whatever-they-were-there-to-buy. I'm not kidding when I say I stood with my empty cart as my Mom & the other shoppers stomped like a heard of elephants through the store in horror. I pulled a 360, text my sister who was en route to tell her to pedal to the metal so I could see her before I bailed. Her & her MIL had already been to Jefferson Outlets for hours before heading on to Columbus for more of the 'festivities' GASP.

Within minutes of her arrival I was strapped soundly in the car en route home. When I think of Black Friday moving forward, I can appreciate that difference is what makes the world go round in this human race, but for me, the song 'Never Again' by Kelly Clarkson wont stop ringing throughout my ears.....

Xoxo,
Andi