Celebrate Thanksgiving. . .And The Day After!

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. I love the colors of autumn and the crisp fresh air that comes with Thanksgiving. I love a house full of family, the food, the smells and the mixed drinks. I love what family members start to say after a few of those mixed drinks. I love the tradition of going around the table with each person expressing what he or she is so thankful for. Sometimes I even get teary eyed.

I must admit, however, that the real reason Thanksgiving is so enjoyable is because I know the day after Thanksgiving is just mere hours away.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have two words for you: Black Friday.

If you work at a retail store on Black Friday, you probably groan at the mention of it. Waking up at around 5 a.m. after a full and hearty dinner to get the store ready for customers does put a downer on the event.

However, if you are a shopper and are thinking about buying that flat screen TV this weekend, stop. I was at Fry’s last weekend, shopping for my entertainment center when I came upon only the most gorgeous flat screen ever—50 inches, LCD and two HDMI. You can almost hear the angels singing “Hallelujah!” (I think I did in my head.)

To my chagrin, the TV was over my budget.

“Can I help you, miss?” asked the salesperson.

“Do you have anything like this that’s about $500 cheaper?” I asked hopefully.

He smiled. “We do, but it’s a 42 inch,” he said.

Then, he looked around quickly and said, “Wait for Black Friday.”

Black Friday has blow-out sales at just about any store you go to. The mall is the best. Last year Express, a clothing store in the mall, gave me a free purse when I purchased something there. Not to mention, all their clothes were ridiculously cheap that day.
According to RetailIndustry, “The origin of Black Friday comes from the shift to profitability during the holiday season.”

In retail charts, black once indicated profit while red indicated loss thus the name Black Friday.

The best time to do Christmas shopping is on Black Friday. This is usually known to be when most people start doing their Christmas shopping. Wal-Mart’s prices, which are already pretty affordable, get even lower. Wal-Mart has great gifts at incredible prices for just about anyone on your Christmas list. Start early in the day because Wal-Mart is known to have people who camp outside waiting for the doors to open.

Okay, so I have to be honest now. Black Friday isn’t as simple as it sounds. It’s not just about buy, buy, buy. Well, okay, it is. But, of course, it includes you being a smart shopper because there are thousands of others who want to buy, buy and buy as well. This is called competitive shopping.

Yes, “competitive shopping” is something I created, but it works remarkably well. You just have to know what you want and go get it. Don’t stop and chat. Don’t go look at other things and think what you want will still be there—especially if it’s a popular item. Just head straight for it and get it before anyone else does.

If you really want something, like that flat screen TV, head out before the sun is even up. You will definitely have a better chance of getting exactly what you want. Plus, you will be able to find a parking spot. You will be thankful afterwards.

I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’ve shopped enough to where I actually know where items will be in certain stores without having to look at the aisle numbers. As a matter of fact, if “shop-a-holic” was a real word, my name would probably be somewhere in its definition. So, beware of me.

I know that Black Friday is more than a month from now, but patience is a virtue and you’ll be rewarded by the cash you save.

Isn’t Thanksgiving just the most wonderful time of the year? Ask me again what I’m thankful for after Black Friday. . .