Black Friday, the good, the bad, and the ugly

So, I admit it. I am one of those people that lives for Black Friday every year. I get a huge thrill out of the planning the day before, the early morning crowds and racing through the stores to get the best deal you can as quickly as you can so you can get to the next store. I do most of my Christmas shopping this way.

This year, I had to work the night before and didn't get off until 0700, so my wonderful husband started for me, and then I joined in when I got off work. I had done all the planning and sent him a list of items, stores, and priorities. I have to admit that despite all the news reports about how good the sales were supposed to be, I was rather disappointed. Of course, my kids are of an age where I don't buy a lot of toys and that seemed to be what had the best deals. I also found myself a lot more reluctant to spend money than in past years. I guess I hadn't realized until then that my spending habits have indeed been affected by the economy. Also, as excited as I was to get out and shop this year, once I got there, my heart wasn't really in it. It all seemed wrong.

It got me thinking about how my kids get so much for Christmas every year that they need to clean out their rooms to make room for new stuff. This year, I want to give them less, but have it mean more. I will have to think of ways to make that happen. Suggestions are welcome.

Also, it seems that I am not alone in my Black Friday addiction. I read an article last night about how an employee at a Walmart store in New York was trampled to death after opening the doors for the sale. People were then asked to leave the store because of it and many would not because they felt that they had waited in line to get in and shop and that was more important than a life. That is so very wrong on so many levels. Reading this really takes the thrill of the entire shopping experience away. I really wish more stores were more like Sears. I was able to get all of their Black Friday deals online and free shipping to boot. If more stores were like this, they would get the sales without the hassle. And then we could all get more sleep, but that is a campaign for another day.