BFD Day

No Thanksgiving Holiday would be complete without at least some mention of Black Friday.  Even if we DID NOT go shopping on Black Friday, that would be newsworthy, too.  So, here's the story of my Black Friday Deal (BFD) Day.

First, we scanned all of the ads in the Thanksgiving newspaper three times.  We concluded there were few, if any, items worth fighting the crowds for.  However, as time passed, we decided there were two items that justified a trip into the early morning darkness mayhem of Black Friday.

We dutifully sallied forth a little after 5 am heading for a nearby Wal-Mart.  Naturally, the parking lot was packed and the innards of the store made WINCO look like Sunday School in Mayberry.  Interestingly, over 90 percent of the shoppers were Hispanic and almost each of them clutched a giant TV.  We were after only one item--a $20 HP inkjet printer.  Luckily, there were five of them still in stock when we arrived and we left with our first "score."  Astute LBR's know we don't have a computer printer here at the straw house.  Well, now we do for about the same price as an ink cartridge!  The security in that Wal-Mart was amazing--easily the heaviest security I've ever seen in a retail store.  It was good to get back out in the crisp night air.

Our next stop was a nearby Home Depot.  They were featuring $5 poinsettias for a mere buck--Limit 10.  I picked up ten of them and grabbed some LED Christmas lights, too.  After getting out to the truck, I realized I inadvertently took 11 flowers.  Dang.  So, I had to go back in and pay an extra dollar for the extra plant.

Next up was Harbor Freight.  They wouldn't let me in the store.  Some beefy guy blocked the door and said only members of the Inside Track Club could get in.  So, I went next door to a Big 5, looked around without buying anything and formulated a plan.  I went back to Harbor Freight and walked right in like I owned the place and went straight to the beefy guy and said, "Look, I live two hours away from here, I couldn't care less about your Black Friday Specials--I need a hatchet and that's all I want so let me buy it, OK?"  He rolled his beefy eyes and reluctantly said, "OK."  I paid my $7.49 and skee-daddled.

After a short break back at Roger and Nancy's place, I ventured over to the famous Bass Pro Shops.  If ever there was a human zoo on earth, Bass Pro Shops on Black Friday easily qualifies.  It's quite surreal in there on a normal day what with all the live fish and stuffed animals and strange murals and the giant, cavernous building with its eerie light.  Fill it with frenzied shoppers the the surreality takes on a whole new dimension.

I was there for two specific items--two ten dollar wrist watches.  I bought one of their cheap watches two years ago and it's been bombproof.  Best cheap watch I ever bought.  So, I was delighted to see the cheap watches on sale yet again this year.  I snagged two sweet watches and split.

My final stop of the day was a nearby Radio Shack.  I'm gonna change prepaid cell phone service within the next 30 days from Wal-Mart Straight Talk to T-Mobile's 1500 plan.  I snagged a Samsung t139 for $15 at The Shack and somehow conned the sales dude into selling it to me without any service.  That was a fitting coup to finish my Black Friday.

We enjoy mixing it up with mass crowds on Black Friday, it's a uniquely American experience.  Susun loves the flowers scattered about the straw house and I'm looking forward to fiddling with the printer soon.  All-in-all, it was a real good BFD Day.