Black Friday

I braved Walmart at 4 a.m. on Black Friday.

Gretchen and I thought it would be fun to shop early on Black Friday. She hadn't ever shopped on the day after Thanksgiving and I had only gone later in the day the last several years if I went at all. So, we decided to do it.

We thought the store opened at 4 a.m. for the doorbuster sales. Turns out that this Wal-mart was a 24 hour store so it was already open. We arrived just before 4 in the morning and went to the toy department. There were pallets of shrink wrapped toys all lined up down the aisle. People were milling about finding the toys they had to have. At 4:01 a.m. we were still waiting for someone to come open the shrink wrap so we could get the goods. It was then we realized that the doorbuster sales didn't start until 5. So, we had to wait.

About 20 minutes later there were so many people there. We were glad we had arrived early afterall. Gretchen took a spot with the cart near two toys she needed. I headed down the aisle to wait in front of the playdoh. Gretchen and I passed the time while talking on our cell phones to each other. The mood was light as we laughed about getting up early and how we needed breakfast after this and such. We got off the phone and were just waiting. It was about 20 minutes til 5. There were two ladies standing close to me right in front of the display of toddler pianos. They began removing the shrink wrap from the stack. Another lady asked them if they were told to do that or what. The women responded that they were just trying to be ready for when it was time. All of a sudden, a woman stepped forward, reached over those women's heads and grabbed a box. The next thing I know everyone around is pushing forward grabbing boxes. I just stood there two feet away from the playdoh display not sure what to do. By this point, everyone was ripping the shrink wrap off all the displays and just grabbing what they wanted. We weren't supposed to be able to get the stuff until 5 a.m. which was still 15 minutes away. A man reached over me and grabbed a canister of playdoh, others followed. I stepped forward, grabbed two cans and just stood there. I wasn't sure what was happening. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. People were just crazy.

I called Gretchen and said, "I'm scared!!" I was laughing when I said it, but I was honestly a little shaken up by what I had seen. She laughed, too, and said the same thing had happened down on her end so she got the two toys she was waiting for and stepped out over into the health and beauty section. I pushed through the crowd, thankful for the decision not to have a cart, and found Gretchen. We were just in disbelief. We laughed about it, but we both knew that there was something dark about what we saw. We got out of the store quickly after that and pressed on for more craziness.

The only other store that really was crazy was Target. And it wasn't crazy in that people were pushing or doing anything dangerous, but people were just rude. We were pushed with carts, people wouldn't let other people through, and just a basic lack of decency. It wasn't across the board. There were plenty of nice people who reached to get an item and pass it back for someone and things like that. So, not all hope is lost in humanity!

Despite the craziness, Gretchen and I came out of Target and said we'd do it again next year. Although we agreed that we would not be the first ones to the store next time. We'll just come later and get what we can get.

When I got home yesterday I turned the news on to find out that a Walmart employee had been trampled and killed when the store opened. Other employees tried to help the man and they were knocked down, too. I can't even express how sick this makes me feel. These are toys people! Or some tv's. The fact that someone was killed over such insignificant things just boggles my mind and hurts my heart.

I talked to Mark about witnessing the crazy, mob mentality this morning and then about that poor man dying. Mark's response was chilling. He simply said, "Can you imagine if that was about getting food?" *shiver* I shudder to think about what could happen in this country if there were ever a food shortage again.

So, thus ends Black Friday 2008.