the madness (and deals) that is Black Friday

I got into a minor scuffle at Walmart but Dad and I had fun though. I got into a shoving match with this incredible rude and pushy lady. Dad and I got to Walmart about 3:30. We looked at the other tvs and Hubby and I had a contingency plan in place. We had discussed other TVs the night before and checked stock online of the ones we were interested in.  I would have been #2 in line for the Sony TV but they only had 5 of the stands that we wanted. We liked an RCA tv that was a bit cheaper and same size so I decided to get the RCA (no waiting!!!) and wait by the stands until the sale started. Dad was after a tom tom for mom so I didn't want to ask him to wait for me. So I told mom which TV I wanted and she had someone get it out and on a cart for me and had them take it upfront so when we were ready to checkout it was there. (my mom works at the Walmart we were shopping at.

I got over to the TV stands just before 4 am and was alone until 4:30 when another guy joined me by the stands and then a younger guy and an older woman a short time after that. There were 5 stands and 4 of us. They all agreed that I was there first and waitng so long I should get the first one. Then at 1 minute to 5 this lady comes over and SHOVES me out of the way and then rams me with her cart. I shoved her back and rammed her with my cart and said look I have been waiting here I am getting one first. There are 5 of us and 5 stands no need to shove me. Then it was 5 and the older guy helped me get one in my cart and then he got one all the while this lady is shoving and ramming the 4 of us with her cart. I gave her one really good push with my cart and yelled wait your goddamned turn (insert a not nice name here). Then I put my knee on the other boxes while I helped the lady that had been waiting with me. Meanwhile this rude lady is trying to steal the stand from my cart so this young guy that had been waiting with us grabs ahold of my cart while the older guy and I put one in the younger guys cart. HA! teach her to mess with me. The reason the stand was such a big deal is because it is over $100 off the regular price.  Yeah.....normal price was $199 and this was $89.  Not worth fighting over really but worth it enough for me to get up early and make sure I got one!

I had already got the boots ($7 and I NEED winter boots.  I haven't had a pair since middle school!) I wanted before the sale started and on my way to wait for the TV stand. One of the pallets was unwrapped and my size was right on top so I grabbed them quick before I went to wait by the stands. Then after I got the stand I walked up front, grabbed mom's picture frames ($13 for a $13 piece set) she wanted and then called dad. He got what he wanted and we were out of Walmart by 5:15.

Then it was sears (I didn't go into that one with him) then here and we set up the TV. I went to our local usually overpriced (but suprising they were not this time) store and got the HDMI cables and brought them back to hubby. 

Then Dad, the girls and I went to the big Sears. I gave the girls some change to donate to the Salvation Army Bell ringers.  K thought that was neat and O wanted to keep the money but eventually she did drop it in the kettle after a little prodding from my dad.  I got my blanket and sheets (that I had wanted but wasn't something I was going to get to Sears that early for...$20 comforter and $10 sheet set).  I didn't get the color of blanket I wanted but it's ok.  I just wanted one and the sheets are not something I would have paid full price for (the pattern is flowers and not my thing but after I got them on my bed I do like them and we needed sheets badly!).

Then to Farm and Fleet for something dad wanted and I grabbed a couple good deals (a toy for our niece, a GOOD, working manual can opener-which is a rant that I need to type up soon!, super cheap bags of popcorn for our popcorn machine and some seasonal candies).

My oldest was such a sweetheart in that store.  She had gotten $20 in birthday money from various relatives on my hubby's side.  She wanted to spend the money on a toy for herself and said that she "couldn't spend all of the money on myself.  Livy needs a new toy too and I want to buy her one." awwwww how sweet is that from an almost 4 year old!?!?!  She wanted to get her sister a present too!  K can be such a little pistol sometimes but she really does have a great heart!  and she did that all with NO prompting from me!  She ended up getting herself a Polly Pocket play set and a disney princess activity book (I let her pick out whatever she wanted and just read the price to her and told her how much she would have left).  They she led the way to the toy aisle that her sister could get something from and picked out 4 things and then she said O could pick one of those 4. O picked a baby doll that was $4.  It turned out that K spent $2 more than her birthday money but I really didn't care.  I was just so happy that she was so nice to her sister.  K has been asking for a Precious Places Swan Palace for an eternity and they had a bunch of them on the shelf.  I told K she could get one of them and she said "no momma they are too much money.  If I buy one I can't get sissy a present too."  I had told her I would chip in some money if she wanted the palace but nope she wanted to get her sister a present and that was more important that getting that palace she has been asking for.  It totally melted my heart to see my daughter being so generous!

Then it was lunch and I came home to a cleaned up house (go Hubby!) and a very happy hubby who was loving his new TV.  That made all the craziness of Walmart disappear.  It was worth it to see him so happy!

So all in all I had a great day with only 5 hours of sleep.  I have to work tommorrow so I am off to bed now.  Hope everyone that ventured out had a great day and got the deals they wanted!