Sunday, November 29, 2009

Back for Black Friday



MUSINGS FROM JOAN

I’m back. A month and a few weeks older and not much wiser. Please note, I’ve gone “green” in my decorative efforts. . .but back to my “Musings”

Dateline: Charlotte, NC, the morning after Thanksgiving. It’s Black Friday!
5am weather report: Snow in the mountains, 37 degrees in the city

In eight decades I have managed to ignore this ridiculous day, but grandson Adam’s wife, Amy, has convinced Andrea and me to accompany her to the Mall which opens at 6am. Thank God she doesn’t want to go to Best Buy. . that opened at midnite and people have been lining up for hours out in the cold

Adam’s posting on his Facebook page last evening is worth quoting: “ I think my wife, my mother and my grandmother have been smoking some really good sh*t while I was out of the room, because they are planning to be at the Mall at 6 in the morning.”

Actually, we didn’t get there until 6:30. I am wearing three layers of clothing and wondering how I got talked into this..You have to understand. . I’m a catalog shopper and rarely go to a mall. Even my sister, the professional shopper in the family, would think this was nuts. Amy, if you ever wondered whether we love you, now you know for sure.

A big shout-out to Andrea’s sainted friend Sandy who invites us to park our car at her house and then drives us right up to Macy’s front door to avoid having to find a parking space. Got to admit, the bargains were pretty damned good, especially when Amy and I found out we got an extra 11% off for being “foreigners” from Florida. You had to be a mathematician to figure out all your discounts, including the coupons that Andrea had printed out for us the night before.

I won’t bore you with the details but I can tell you we made our way from one end of the mall to the other, stopping only for sustenance in the form of cinnamon & sugar pretzel sticks at a handy kiosk. One needs a sugar high to keep expending that much energy that early in the morning. Andrea whined a lot about finding herself constantly in the “petite” section of every store. . .that’s what you get for shopping with your height challenged mother and not exactly towering daughter-in-law.

We emerged from the mall 4 hours later to gratefully accept Sandy’s ride back to our car. Today’s photo was taken outside her house before we headed for home and Adam who was watching his 104th football game of the weekend and barely acknowledged our arrival.

It was definitely an experience. The crowds at this mall were not as bad as we expected. . . . only a scattering of dazed looking husbands, with the longest line in front of the Apple store where obviously they were giving huge discounts.

It was a wonderful weekend, just being with the kids. I’ll go shopping with you at 6am anytime Amy. . .just give me a head start to put on a full face of makeup and several layers of clothing. I may be 80, but I’m still game.

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Photo caption: Three generations survive Black Friday!

4 comments:

  1. Joan,
    Happy Holidaze to you! :-)

    You are a better person then I am. Regarding shopping on Black Friday. be well

    love,
    b

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  2. Well, being electroniclly proficient...and still being a graduate shopper, I did it all on line!!!!!

    The shopoholic sister to whom you made reference in your blog...

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  3. correct the spelling on electronically please

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  4. Joan, you are a sport! Didn't you want to stay home with Adam and watch football? Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. love, Sharon

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