November 28, 2008
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A Very Black Friday
I completed most my Christmas shopping this morning between 5 and 5:20 a.m. at the Walmart SuperCenter on Eubank in Albuquerque.
I’m shocked and saddened by the news from Long Island of the crowd who trampled the security guard to death. I don’t understand how anyone could consider a new television to be worth a man’s life. (Or a new digital camera/blue-ray player/game system).
So I want to tell you about my experience. The Walmart I visited is open 24 hours, so people arrived very early. I got there about 4. We calmly strolled through the store and located the pallets holding items from our lists. I really wanted a digital camera for Tucker, and that was the only area where people were gathering, so I joined the line, three people back from the front.
We chatted about our families with strangers. We exchanged information about sales items. We talked about other area stores and what would be on sale there. At regular intervals while we waited there were announcements overhead about the orderly processes that would enable us to purchase the items we came for.
At 5 a.m. the Walmart Associates used their box cutters to open the boxes on the pallets. Excitement was palpable. So I picked up my camera and then I picked up 5 more. As I made my way back from the pallet, I handed cameras to the five people in line behind me. They were grateful, and the six of us stepped to the side and the next group stepped up. From there I made my way through the store to the second item on my list, and then the third. At 5:20 I was in the check-out line with a loaded basket.
People were jovial, seemed happy, seemed courteous.
I wonder if the crowd here would have been any different than the crowd in Long Island if the circumstances had been different. Are we that desperate to have “stuff” that we don’t care about the people around us? What if the people in Albuquerque had been locked out in the cold pre-dawn air with visions of disappointment?
Apparently there was a news report this morning saying that most of the people shopping today weren’t shopping for gifts. They were shopping for themselves. The visions of disappointment had nothing to do with little Vicky’s face as she unwraps the wrong present. No, it was visions of sitting back in the Lazyboy pointing the remote at the brand new … nothing.
It’s not our kids who think that they aren’t loved unless they get the biggest and shiniest. It’s us.
What do you hope to have for Christmas? Is it something you can fit in a box?
I’m a bit hypocritical here. I have my new toy. In fact, I’m writing this blog using it. After I got Tucker’s camera, Michael’s iPod, a digital photo frame for Tucker to display the pictures he’ll take, and a pink vacuum cleaner (since Tucker has a habit of vacuuming up toothpicks which poke holes in the hose which causes it to whistle in a way that sets every dog in the apartment complex howling and got us reported for harboring banshees) I got something I’ve been wanting. I’m kind of freaked out by how incredibly cool this new computer is because relatively speaking, it was dirt cheap. I’ve been asking myself all day long whether I’d have shoved past a fellow human being to get it. I don’t think so. I sure hope not. I’m glad I didn’t have to.
Comments (18)
I SO don’t ‘get’ shopping on ‘black friday.’ I can’t tell you what I’m getting others this holiday because BoureeMusique is my daughter! (pics on the 26th?!?) What do I want?!? Well, I picked up a Kitchec-Aid kickass mixer a few months ago and told Companion it was my BD and Christmas present. Siding for the house, 1×6′s and organic compost, weird stuff like that. I’m still mulling over the Christmas feast – I guess that’s what I do, food.
i hadn’t heard about the security guard yet. that sickens me to no end. commercialism and consumerism has gotten so out of hand it’s not even remotely amusing. it’s sad and pathetic.
on the other hand, i would like a laptop. very much. very very much.
when poolboy took sarah out to purchase hers he said, “you know your mother’s going to want one of these…” but i didn’t want one badly enough to get up at the crack of butt and freeze in line. i’d rather know ahead what i want.
i’d also like some macro lenses for my camera. the camera’s not as fancy as some and certainly not professional grade but since i love close ups, i’d like them to be a little more clear. found some on amazon.com that’ll do fine. for less than 25. sweet.
i’d like one of those organizers for my front passenger seat to store my current read-at-lunch-book along with my drinks [water and coke, yo] and some note paper so things that cross my mind can be quickly jotted down.
nothing fancy. just functional.
i’d also like to lose about 60 pounds. not sure santa can do that. that will take self-motivation on my part.
and? i’d like a year of relatively good health and happiness for family and friends. this year’s been too filled with sorrow and pain.
not all of those could be purchased on black friday and, those that could be? were not purchased by me. i chose to go to two stores, neither of which involved a mall or a mauling. got what i wanted and left. that easy. no fuss, no parking lot hell. nothing. i love out of the way stores. they make me stupid happy.
then came home, jammied back up, made chili and finally got two weeks of clothes put away.
the only store i went to today was the liquor store.
i never even left my house. a lot of my family is here–some from out of town. why would i want to leave? i am glad that you have gotten so far along on your shopping. we haven’t decided if we will be doing what we usually do or scale back some so i haven’t actually purchased any gifts yet. i have had a tough time just gathering my thoughts to compile a list of suggestions for those who might want to purchase something for me…
i completely ignored black friday …
There’s no Thanksgiving or Black Friday tradition in my country, so
I cannot imagine how crazy it must have been during Black Friday in the
US (even though Thanksgiving is a great holiday to observe). But I did
watch CNN today and I heard how the guy was killed. I was asking my
beau, who is American, about whether it is really THAT crazy during
Black Friday… and he said that he has encountered two grown women
fighting over a toy in Wal-Mart.
I just hope I never will be that materialistic in my life.
It was good to read about a pleasant shopping experience after reading about that tragedy today. Thanks for posting this. That story was horrifying and baffling to the mind, wasn’t it? Wow….so sad. There isn’t anything I want for Christmas. The best things don’t come in boxes, do they? Still…some pretty fun things do come in boxes and I’m excited for you and your new computer. That’s awesome! I’m psyched this year because Mr. Incredible said his employer is giving out iPods as part of a bonus so we have a free gift for Little Teen Girl this Christmas. The rest of his bonus is in cash and we’ll be using that for a Wii for the family. When you have older kids, it’s all about the electronics, isn’t it?
I read about that guy in Long Island this morning…he was a Temp, not even a regular employee. That’s what saddens me the most, he was probably so stoked about getting the job, thinking that maybe he could buy some stuff for his family when his shift was done…
(Then there was the shooting at a Toys R Us here in Cali)
I used that tragedy to explain to my 10 year old about self control, about concern for others. How can you NOT tell you’re stepping on someone?
We went out later in the day, not for gifts, just to enjoy the “Black Friday Crowds”. Yeah, I’m odd.
Got a few necessities, went to look at the decorations at a Christmas Store, came home.
What do I want for Christmas?
Enough water-proofed wood to built a really nice chicken coop that will keep their nest boxes out of the mud when it rains…can that fit in a box?
Depends on the size of the box : D
-M
What makes this sadder still is that Walmart is one of the worst employers out there. The family of the trampled security guard will probably recieve minimal if any compensation. This human being employee may have been a new hirer with not enough time worked to even have compensation available. A complete tragedy and I am ashamed of everything we stand for.
Horrifying on so many levels. It makes me ashamed. We are no better than cattle.
I wasn’t out shopping but I heard of one store giving out to people in line prior to the door opening tickets to the items they wanted. Sounds like a good idea to me. Also, you are on the fringe of the midwest there so people are not coastal crazy.
The security guard wasn’t the only “Black Friday” death. I posted about some that were featured on our local news. It’s SO very sad. But, I am glad that you had a pleasant experience! Congrats on the new computer and great gift bargains as well. <3 SuZ
I live in upstate NY and although I’ve never traveled in your neck of the woods, I have been to WalMart in other parts (not Northeast) of the United States. I can tell you that the ambiance is WAY different. I’m embarrassed and horrified to know that such a thing can happen over stuff. How indescribably inhuman.
My husband and I are traveling so much this holiday season – England and Nashville – to visit family, we have decided that our Christmas gifts to each other were covered. I can’t really think of any thing I want that I wouldn’t just go buy for myself. I guess Christmas is more about buying gifts for my kids and grandchild at this point.
I keep threatening everyone that I’m going to declare a “handmade, homemade gift Christmas”, where all the gifts have to be more time spent than money spent. It feels more in line with the spirit of the holiday to me.
I was also shocked at the way those people acted that caused the death of some person who was just trying to do his job and support himself. His family will never again be able to enjoy their holidays without this tragedy looming in their minds and hearts. But what disgusts me so much is that these “murderers” probably don’t care that they were a part of it all. Most will justify it by saying they weren’t actually one of the tramplers. Excuse me, but you didn’t feel something underfoot as you charged through the doors? All to save 30 bucks on a GPS?
I don’t think they would ever file charges on anyone, after all shopping is suppose to be a harmless activity….
Good contrast on how nice your area was. In Los Angeles the people are more jaded and some groups of people are more greedy. I suppose more horror stories will come out about los Angeles stores’ black friday….
I participated in my first “black Friday” shopping this year, and man was it crazy!!! I ran into a few people that were EXTREMELY RUDE, and a few that were really nice. Thankfully nothing drastic happened. and I was really sad when i heard about the gentleman that was killed from customers. And shortly there after I heard about the two gentleman that shot eachother in a toy store.. are these items really worth another persons life?? I wouldnt think so… its saddening =[ poor families..
I noticed that a lot of people do shop for themselves on Black Friday, and hey with bargains like that I have to admit, it is kind of hard to steer away from purchasing something you really want, but much like what you did, I purchased for everyone on my list prior to myself. Sadly I was short on money for my Laptop =[ lol. but thats ok, I’ll get it later. Hope you enjoy your new computer!!!!!
I love reading your posts!!
I didn’t leave the house yesterday. I can’t think of a thing I would want to buy that would get me up and out of the house at that hour. I can buy chocolate anytime and that is about all I ever crave.
@dingdongdingbat - you’re smart. As far as I saw, there weren’t any spectacular deals on chocolate. More’s the pity.