BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING

I LOVE BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING. It started many years ago as a teenager and I would get up early with my mom and go shopping. Then we would have breakfast and spend some fun quality time together. Well I never stopped. She has stopped in the past few years but I still call her early in the AM to help me find the deals in Arizona if I missed them here in Rock Island. She is a good sport about it and I can tell she still loves it. About 4 years ago I had a reporter follow me during my BLACK FRIDAY madness. He met me at 4:45 in the AM at Walmart in Moline and he couldn't believe his eyes as he had never done this before in his life but was required to report about it. I am including the article that was in the QC TIMES on the next day here for you to read. Most of you who are following my blog didn't know me then.

Bargains draw early shoppers in a hurry

David Heitz reporter

There's the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Final Four and the day after Thanksgiving.Every sport has its big event. And Friday was the day when Quad-Citians made malls, business districts and department stores their arenas for the venerable sport of shopping.People like Lisa Wymer of Rock Island and her bubbly group of friends are sale-seeking MVPs. The women were coached by their mothers during the heyday of the blue light special. They tote color-coded shopping lists, store maps, cell phones and walkie-talkies. They are department store divas.One would never guess the clock reads 5:30 a.m. as the bright-eyed group arrives at the Moline Wal-Mart and reports to their posts. One guards the front door, cell phone at her cheek, ready to direct the others as they arrive for the big blitz. Another assumes the bag-a-bargain position, ready to maneuver a 20-inch television with built-in DVD player into a cart."Go, go, go!" Wymer cheered as store employees pulled the tarp off a pallet of televisions at 6 a.m. sharp and dozens of shoppers moved in to devour the display."Come on, grab it, let's go," Heather Gray of Rock Island urged her sister-in-law, Sue Scudder, as she became pinned against a cart in the madness."I'm trying, but I'm stuck," Scudder replied as she dumped the $139.92 bargain in the basket.Wymer said Friday's chaotic shopping season kickoff paled in comparison with other years."It's not as bad because everybody has opened at the same time, so everybody's everywhere. They used to stagger their opening times," she said of the big retailers. Indeed, these serious shoppers carefully planned their day for that very reason. Wymer and her friends pored over store advertisements Thursday after stuffing themselves with turkey. They prioritized which stores to mob first and tried to stick to their shopping lists."I grab and go," Wymer said.The group of about a half-dozen women ran into several friends as they scoured the aisles for Barbies, laser tag and other best buys. Always good team players, they assisted other shoppers in their quests, doling out directions, pointing out the best sales and literally lending a hand when needed."Can somebody help me?" asked a woman who had her entire torso inside a bin filled with Winnie the Pooh plush toys and Tigger, too. She couldn't reach one of the lovable bears, which shoppers quickly bagged for $10.There were some disappointments along the way. "I'm out of luck," a defeated Wymer said upon learning the store had sold out of Leap Pad books."Me, too," said Scudder, unwilling to wait an hour for an inexpensive portable DVD player to go on sale.After about a half-hour, the group headed for the checkouts, which moved briskly. Wymer, who makes extra money by selling rocks that she decorates, spent $157.57. Scudder said she plans to spend about $1,000 total on holiday gifts this year.As Wymer wheeled her TV/DVD player out to the car, she began to wonder how she'd get the big box in her trunk. "Oh, crap," she said. "I can't fit it in the car."Like a seasoned professional, she calmly took the unit out of the box. "It's OK," she said. "This is coming from Santa and Santa doesn't wrap." It was still dark outside as the group headed down John Deere Road. Upon approaching a four-car pileup outside Target on 7th Street in Moline, Wymer began to fret that other shoppers would gobble up her bargains if she lost time in a traffic jam. As if painting the grin on the Wal-Mart smiley face, she made a U-turn and hit the gas in search of a detour."It's a science, I tell ya," said Rebecca Brown of Silvis, Ill. "We have to get there for the Hot Wheels. My daughter likes Hot Wheels better than Barbies."Wymer defended her lead foot. "People think store traffic the day after Thanksgiving is such a scary thing, but it's not. It's fun!" she said.She waited near the front door at Target as Brown ran off in search of a box of miniature playground balls for $3. An unsuspecting woman wheeled up with her cart and asked, "I have to go to the restroom, can you watch this for me?" "Bleep-bleep!" came the signal from the walkie-talkie. It was Brown, unable to find the playground balls. "Well, there's a lady who just dropped her cart off and asked me to watch it while she goes to the bathroom," Wymer reported. "And she's got some in there."Brown managed to find a set of the balls on her own without asking the stranger for help. Still, Wymer noted that modern devices such as cell phones can be useful when shopping. "Back in the day, we had to stick together. We couldn't split up," she said.As she gawked at the sea of shoppers, Wymer took note of mistakes some others were making. "You shouldn't wear a coat when shopping," she said. "You do it without coats and purses. Those things weigh you down."She also mused about the number of male customers. "I'm seeing more men than I normally do. And they're not, like, angry. They're doing OK," she added.Next stop: Menard's, where there seemed to be a sales clerk offering help in every aisle. Wymer and Brown picked through bins of blankets and stuck their noses in $1.97 scented candles before quickly heading to Gordman's."Oh, my gosh, look at this spot!" Brown exclaimed as Wymer pulled into the second parking space from the door.Wymer lauded Gordman's while meandering the aisles. "They do Tommy (Hilfiger), they do Polo, they do everything here. It's name-brand, but $5 to $10 cheaper than most places," she said.After a quick zip through Toys "R" Us, the original group from Wal-Mart met for breakfast at the jam-packed International House of Pancakes in Moline. They whipped out their cell phones and used the calculators on them to tally their totals and double-check their receipts.Gray had index cards with each of her children's names on them. On the cards, she kept a running total of how many presents she had purchased and how much money she had spent on each child.As the group polished off their plates, reloaded with fuel for shopping, someone suggested that a nap sounded good."Not me," Gray said. "I'm going to SouthPark.""Me neither," Wymer said. "Kmart's next on my list."

Needless to say the TV that was bought that year is still in Kylie's playroom and works perfect. So the reason I am writing is because it is that time of year again. Are you heading out on the Day After Thanksgiving?? I will be up and ready by 4am...want to join me??