Surviving Black Friday

I'm a glutton for punishment. Or so one might think when I tell them I got up at 5am this morning, got ready and stood in a line outside Target with a thousand other idiots... I mean shoppers... all hoping to get a good deal. Oh, did I mention that I had Jax with me?

The little dude was actually quite the trooper. He just hung out in his stroller and watched all the freaks...uh, I mean shoppers (again)... scurrying through Target, their arms full of presents. He was actually likely the most comfortable person in the store, decked out in his jammies and bundled in a snuggly blanket, chilling in the reclined position while someone else did the work. Not too shabby. I was sure he would fall asleep at some point, but he was just so interested in the hustle and bustle.

I went to Target with a list, a plan, and a map of the store in my head. When I arrived, the line wrapped around the outside of the store and back to the street... where I stood. Of course, I wasn't the only person needing to go to electronics, so when the doors opened the mad dash began. I felt like a cow. We were a giant herd of desperate Christmas shoppers. I thought that people might take it easy when they saw me with a stroller, but apparently, that just ticked them off more. One person in the herd actually took an empty cart and stuck it in front of me so I couldn't get through the crowd. I had to wait five minutes in one spot for some nice kid to let me through. Here's the thing too, you would think the elderly women in the herd would have seen me, remembered what it's like and had a little compassion. No way! They're the most vicious of all. They come donning their jogging suits and orthopedics tennies, ready to rumble if necessary. So, to say the least, the thing at the top of my list was gone by the time I made it over to the shelf. Fortunately, other people who had been hoarding several of this particular item, began shedding boxes as the hour went on and I found one tucked away in the men's clothing department. SCORE!

Never in my life have I wanted to leave Target! I love Target, but had it not been for the miraculous discovery in the men't department, I just may have. That's almost blasphemy for me.

I used to get excited about Black Friday shopping. Maybe I'm getting too old for it. I dunno, but I think next year I'll just shop online.