Midnight Shopping Adventure

I've never been a "Black Friday" shopper. I'm all about finding deals, but the thought of getting out of bed at 3:00 am, or shopping all night long has never appealed to me. Maybe it has something to do with memories of working night shift when I had to be awake while most people were sleeping. Truth be told, I prefer to find deals on other days that don't involve large ridiculous crowds, standing in line for hours to check-out, or giving up a night of sleep. In fact I've never actually been shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

Well...make that, before this year.

It began as a typical Thanksgiving day. (Well, except for the fact that I had gone online at an insane hour of the morning to try to snag an online deal). It's all my cousin Miriam's fault. During lunch she proceeded to tell me that her friends and sister were going shopping that night at midnight and shopping all night long. She lured me in with promises of exceptional sales, small crowds, and no lines.

Right. Clearly, she had blocked last year out of her memory. That or she was sipping wine instead of water at lunch.

Now, normally this conversation wouldn't have broken my resolve of no black Friday shopping. But, see, the outlet malls opened at 11:00 pm. I wouldn't have to get out of bed, because I never would have gone to bed. I could take an afternoon nap, my babysitter (hubby) would be home sleeping the night away anyway, the kids would be in bed, and let's not forget the sales. Oh, the sales! According to my cousin, they were EXCEPTIONAL. Let's not forget the part about no lines and small crowds also. I could shop for a few hours and be home and back in bed by 3:00 am? This was sounding more and more fabulous by the minute.

It wasn't hard to recruit people ready for a midnight adventure. My mom, sister, and friend Jeanne readily agreed to join me. Craig, meanwhile, kept sighing dramatically and rolling his eyes. He may have mumbled something about sleep being more important than shopping, but I really wasn't listening.

My friend Jeanne and I, ready to go!

I should have known this adventure was going to be a little different that my cousin Miriam remembered when we got to the outlet mall. It opened at 11:00, and we arrived at approximately 11:02, but there were very few parking spaces left. Hello? Are you kidding? Why are all these people not home sleeping in their beds? Why am I not home sleeping? (I know after my last post about how exhausted I was Wed, I am a hypocrite). But, I was giddy with visions of cheap children's pajamas and exceptional prices. For the record, going shopping at midnight is a whole lot different than going to work at midnight. I don't recall ever being in such a good mood while driving to my shift at the hospital.

But I digress.

The first thing we did, obviously, is get something to drink. I mean, come on, it was freezing. We couldn't be expected to shop in those conditions, could we?

My mom and sis sipping hot chocolate.

The food court and outlet mall were packed! I did find several deals (work shirts for the hubby, how boring), but most of the stores were just too crowded. I really can't won't stand in line for an hour to pay, especially not in the middle of the night. The store I really wanted to visit (Carter's) had a checkout line that went around the store. Let's not forget Bath and Body Works. You couldn't even get in the door due to the crowd.

So, because we are die-hard shoppers, we stopped at 12:30 and went back to the food court, this time for pizza. Because, seriously, it's just not a midnight shopping adventure without greasy pizza at midnight.

We left the mall shortly after that, and I was home in my bed by 2:30.

Would I go again? Not for the deals, no. For the company, laughter and memories? Absolutely!

Thanks, girls, for making this night so much fun. Even if it involved long lines and crowds. I'll join you guys for greasy pizza at midnight next year on Black Friday.

Now that I think about it, why don't you just come over? I can wear my pajamas, my bed is close by, and we can shop for deals online, laughing and making memories.

I'll even supply the hot chocolate.