A Shopping Must Have

I have all of these witty ideas floating around in my mind to give readers a visual of our black Friday shopping experience. And yet the words are failing me. Just know, it was awesome.

We burnt the candle at both ends this year. Our turkey engorged bellies didn't even have the night off. Not when the doorbusters, sales, and specials started at eight on Thursday. After dinner all of us girls, mother and all, squished into our stretchy pants and hopped in the car.

Anyone who has ever shopped for more than ten minutes understands the importance of a shopping cart. If for no other reason, you need something to carry your purse. Nobody wants to lug around that fifteen pounder for hours on end. Having said that, you will understand the great desire to have a cart on Black Friday.

Kohls was our first stop. We didn't let the car filled parking lot scare us, nor the hundreds of people crowding the doors.

But then it came to the issue of a cart...

While the rest of us girls were feeling confused, wondering how we would function in the Kohls madhouse without a cart, Emily was taking action. She took care of that by taking a cart right out from under a little old ladies nose (okay, it wasn't exactly like that, but it seemed like it, and those of us who observed were laughing hysterically). Emi just looked at us girls with a face that said, "I got this" and grabbed herself a cart. Great moment.

With renewed energy due to our cart victory, we continued to peruse the aisles, not even feeling deterred when the two lines went all the way to the back of the store. No, not even when we realized that the two lines went to the back of the HUGE store, bent, and then almost met each other in the middle. Its all part of the experience. No exaggeration, the jolliness of the season abounds in these crazy shopping outings.

After a brief reprieve in our beds, we hit the mall dark and early. Little sleep and lots of laughter

In all the years we have been shopping in malls, us girls have felt the inconvenience of not having a shopping cart to load our packages throughout the spree. Not this year. A miracle happened that provided the most comfortable and certainly the most humorous mall experience.

Just when I was making my first purchases of the morning at JCPennys, I happened to see a Sears shopping cart outside the door in the corner. Nobody was touching it, though I could have sworn it was glowing and angels were singing around it. I looked at it and then at Danielle, she seemed unsure of the next move.

Not me, I was already heavily encumbered and it was only seven. I didn't hesitate, but loaded my purchases on that sucker and wheeled it through the mall the rest of the day. We got a few looks.... but I think they were mostly of jealousy. That cart accompanied us in Pennys, Macys, Sears (apropos), Barns and Noble, you name it.

It did provide a little difficulty going from one level to the next when elevators are scarce. I am not saying we took the cart up the escalator. But if we did... it was a funny, funny moment....

Yes, shopping on black Friday is an experience. And a pretty awesome one at that.
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