Black Friday or is it Black Thursday?

Well, this year, I became one of those people. Two friends and I set out to start our Christmas shopping on Thanksgiving night. We met at one house at 7:30 pm to get to Target. My one friend was looking for a good deal on a television and Target had one. It was a 50" television for a great price. We got to Target and the parking lot was already full and the line was long outside the building. We packed our coats and gloves and patience and waited in line till they opened. 

I think out of all of the stores we visited, Target was by far the best and most organized. They had employees walking the line and letting us know the 50" television was gone(they passed out tickets to the first people in line) and handed out store maps and Cliff and Luna bars. They were all polite and helpful answering questions and making us happy. Once it was 8:00, they opened the door and it was single file line into the store. There were barricades up so no one could cut in line and there was only one way into the store. Employees passed out carts to us once we entered and then it was every man for himself. Since there were three of us, we were able to grab items for each other. The DVDs and CDs were plentiful and I was even able to snag a couple of pajama sets for $5. In other years past, these items are the first to go. I found everything on my list and then headed to check out. They had us snaked around the aisles and directed us to which register. In and out in 30 minutes! Way to go, Target! 

Next stop was JC Penney right next door. I was also able to find everything on my list and the sales were awesome! I love shopping at JC Penney because they also offer rewards program while using my own cards(debit or credit). See website for details. 

JC Penney had wonderful sales on apparel and coats as well as various other items. I also love that they carry Joe Fresh and all of that was 50% off as well. The only negative was the checkout line was longer due to a slower cashier( we even helped to bag our items to speed up the process). 

Next was Kohls and I will say "hot mess" continues to describe this store. Upon entering the store, you couldn't find a cart anywhere and I was one of the lucky ones who actually got a bag. I was buying a larger item and needed a cart but instead had to shuffle itthrough the store on the ground. When I asked if there was a cart, the employee told me I was out of luck. The lines were so long and wrapped around the store. It took me about ten minutes to find what I wanted and who knows how long in line. The nice thing was the people in line shared deals with us and saved places in line with each other. Overall, the draw in this store was the Kohls cash( $15 for every $50 spent) and I will admit it was what brought me in as well. Well, that and the coupons if you are a Kohls charge customer. 

Time to head out to the mall! It was 11pm by the time we got there and my friend was smart and valet parked. Awesome idea at Twelve Oaks Mall! While some stores were closed, it was apparent that everyone had the same idea as us and were at the mall. The parking lot was crowded and there were so many people there! At some point, we looked around and realized that we felt we were some of the oldest people there! I was surprised at how many young people were there but shocked and kind of appalled to be honest that people brought their young children with them. I mean, shouldn't your toddler be in bed at midnight? Don't even get me started about the family with the kids in Old Navy at 2am...Annoying! 

Anyways, there were great sales at a lot of the stores! I found some great deals at Gymboree where everything was 50% off plus my friend gave me a 20% off coupon plus I got gymbucks! Loft and The Limited were offering 50% off everything in the store but I did not succumb and buy anything for myself! The Gap was also offering 50% off and I bought a coat that my husband will give me for Christmas. We got everything we were looking for at the mall and then headed to the next store. 

Michaels was next as it was already 1:15 am and the extra 30% off coupon ended at 2 am. We timed it perfectly and found the Rainbow Loom and refills and everything else we wanted. We went over to Best Buy for a couple of items and then headed to Old Navy. 

Old Navy was great with a greeter at the front door passing out bags and letting us know that the whole store was 50% off. We were in there for a while shopping and then the line was incredibly long and wrapped around several times. We were very surprised at the number of people there in the middle of the night! 

We made a quick trip to Toys R Us where the other girls had items on their lists and were pleasantly surprised as there was no one in the store and plenty of cashiers waiting to assist us. Everyone was in great spirits and helped the girls find what they needed. 

Okay we were wiped out at this point but it was only two hours until Home Dept opened! My friend really wanted to find a Christmas tree that was on the front page of the ad. We found a Bigby Coffee opened! Hallelujah!! We literally screamed " they're opened!" The girls in the coffee shop were great and our drinks never tasted better. On to Home Depot! 

The interstate was much clearer now than it was when we were headed to the mall. We made it to the store and then got out and waited in line. They were nice and opened the door so we could wait inside instead of out in the cold. They opened and we bolted to find what we needed. We were out of there in about 10-15 minutes. 

Last stop was Meijer for a Kindle that was being passed out at 6 am. We dropped my friend off to wait in line for the Kindle and then we headed back over to Target for a couple of items that I missed the first time. I smiled when the cashier asked me if I was just getting started. I told her I was here last night when they opened and shopped all night. I'm pretty sure she thought I was crazy.

We headed back to Meijer to stand in line with my friend. I'm pretty sure Meijer lost a lot of business going forward as there was a mixup in how many Kindles they actually had available. There was a lot of screaming and yelling and threatening and going home without the item they stood in line for all of that time. My friend had a pretty good attitude considering she had been waiting and they had been scammed. Meijer will be hearing from all of those people I am sure! 

Now on to breakfast! I enjoyed coffee with my omelet and then we headed home. My friends dropped me off and all of my bags. This was such a great time and I am pretty sure most of our shopping is done now! Setting up the tree and putting up lights is next on our list this weekend. Overall it was a great experience and I'm pretty sure we will do it again! As long as you have Friday to recover like we did, you'll be fine! 

Here's a picture of the back of the car after we already dropped off one load earlier! 

Success! Now to enjoy the rest of the season! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying your weekend! 

Thanks for reading and following along! 

Sandae