Black Friday Fun

Every year, for about the past ten years, my aunt, my sister, and I go shopping on Black Friday. I know it sounds crazy, but it's not as bad as people think. We normally get to the stores around 10:00, when everyone is leaving. The crowds are never that bad and the sales are phenomenal. This year, my cousins' wives joined us and we went to Cherry Hill Mall. I have to say, the absolute worst part of Black Friday is trying to park. I really think malls would make a KILLING if they had valet parking. I would definitely do it. It would be worth not having to deal with maniacal drivers whose only goal is to beat you to every open spot. I swear, the normal rules of parking lot etiquette go right out the window on Black Friday, and really, the rules are few to begin with: if someone has their turn signal on while another is pulling out of a spot, they have the right to that spot, etc. Parking lots on Black Friday are a complete free for all. I think next year, I'm starting a valet parking company just for Black Friday. Let me know if you want in.

This year, the deals were even better than those in the past. I'm assuming companies are desperate to get themselves out of the red by the end of the year, and just want people in the stores and buying. The five of us trekked through the mall, heavily laden with our many purchases, and by the end of the day, were utterly exhausted. The absolute best part of the day was not getting 40% off at Ann Taylor, or my sister getting 40% off on her scratch-off ticket at Steve Madden. It actually had nothing to do with a purchase at all. While at H&M, my cousin's wife was trying on sweaters in front of the mirror. The line for the changing rooms was long and she was wearing a tank top under her shirt, so thinking nothing of it, she took off her top shirt and placed it on the rack next to her in order to try on the clothes she had. Five minutes later, she calls me over, "Have you seen my shirt??" Someone had taken her shirt off the rack! We spent the next 10 minutes searching for that shirt on other racks, in people's arms in line for the dressing rooms, in line to buy. I even yelled to everyone in line to check their items for a striped shirt from Old Navy. They just looked at me like I was crazy and checked nothing. Finally, I saw a girl in line for the register with the "stolen" shirt. I went over to her. "Excuse me, but is that shirt from Old Navy?" Naturally, being at H&M, she gave me a strange look and said, "Um, no." I took it from her and looked at the tag. Sure enough, it said Old Navy and I explained the situation. She apologized and gave it back, still looking completely confused. I would have loved to have seen her face when she got up to the register and was told it was not an H&M shirt! The moral of the story is to always keep your stuff with you. If you're trying on things throughout the store, put your shirt in your bag, so no one mistakes it as merchandise.

I'm still reading The Geography of Love. Haven't gotten too far since I've been crazy busy for the past five days, but I do have another recommendation. Last night, I went to see The Nutcracker with some friends from work. One of the hostesses at the restaurant was in it (she was amazing, by the way) and the owners bought us tickets. I haven't been to the ballet since I was a little girl and I was so excited to go. It definitely lived up to my expectations and got me in the Christmas spirit. It is absolutely amazing to me the way these people can dance and move their bodies. The time and dedication that goes into something like that is incredible. So this holiday season, get in the Christmas spirit and go out and support the arts.