Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday Shopping

After we’d eaten our fill of turkey, dressing and potatoes, it was time to relax.  I did not participate in the Black Friday madness on Thanksgiving evening.  I actually had to get to sleep early so that I could get up and go to work.  But apparently at midnight the Herald Square flagship store of Macy’s opened and had a crowd of 11,000 people waiting outside.  Really?  I cannot imagine being in this crowd.  How do you even move in the store with that many people.  It seems like a good place for a pickpocket to hang out. 
With so many people out of work and the economy suffering I just worry about those individuals that went out on Black Friday, shopped local on Small Business Saturday and who are sitting at their computers today clicking for Cyber Monday.  It is too easy to be caught up in the “good deals” and holiday excitement. 
However, I am not immune as my daughter and I did get to J C Penney at 6:00 a.m on Friday morning.  We had a little bit of time to shop before I had to get to work.  My daughter had looked through the ads and wanted to go here to check out some of the specials in clothing.  I thought I’d check out the $8 Toaster Oven, but I wasn’t desperate for it.  We walked in, checked out what we needed with purpose and walked right up to the checkout.  It was 6:15 when we walked out of the store. I didn’t get the toaster oven, but that’s okay as it might have ended up on the shelf with my crock pot trio from last year.  But we did score some nice scarves and a purse my daughter wanted.  We put our purchase into the car and went back in and watched the other shoppers.  People were standing around trying to figure out how to get their stack of 20 small appliances to the front of the store.  People were back in the shoe department with no place to sit and try on the specials, but many walked away with three or four pairs of boots.  I had to wonder if these shoppers had that many gifts to buy or if they were planning to sell the items on EBay or at a flea market.
By the time we left 20 to 30 minutes later the lines were to the back of the store. But we still had time to go to Nike and make a purchase in the empty store and then a trip to the donut shop.  Here is where we got the best deal of our time together.  We spent some time alone together sharing breakfast and discussion before I had to be at work at 8:00 a.m.  My daughter is growing up. She’ll be in her last semester of her undergraduate career in January and I love spending time with her and seeing the woman she is becoming.
So we had a few purchases that my daughter was thrilled about, spent some quality time together, didn’t lose any sleep, nor did we have to wrestle anyone to the ground. And because we were not caught up in overzealous purchases, we don’t have to worry about a bill next month that we can’t afford to pay.  So have fun shopping over the next month, but remember, if you don’t have the money to spend opt for simple pleasures like time alone together which forms memories and bonds you together more than a DVD player or cheap television.