Is It Worth It?

I will make this clear at the beginning so in hope i won't have to state it again, i am NOT a Black Friday shopper. As a kid i remember many long days of 4 am shopping with my mom on the dreaded day after Thanksgiving. I hate it...no i despise it. I refuse to fight with someone over the last Elmo toy or knock over an old lady for the last blender. I know it is great to find these wonderful once a year deals but how much are you actually saving compared to how much you are giving up!

The reason i chose to blog about Black Friday when i didn't even go shopping is the pure chaos of it. I, as most probably have by now, watched on the news as they talked about the Wal-Mart shoppers in Long Island, New York who trampled a employee to death. They killed a person for the chance at a cheap deal! Excuse my use of language but what the fuck! Now i don't think these people intended to kill anyone but in the chaos of rushing to get that flat screen TV or toy for their child i have to wonder how many people say this person lying on the ground and just kept going to get their prize. And i wonder how they feel now knowing what happened. Was it worth it? Would your child have been sad if they didn't get that gift that you rushed in for? It makes me sad to know that this is how society is. We are so focused on the material items that we don't take account for helping another human being.

At a local Wal-Mart her in WV a old woman was pushed down and seriously injured by a man. Over what you may ask yourself? Well allow me to tell you...a blender! He pushed an old woman down with such force that she had to be taken to the hospital over a freaking blender! Now my brother and my dad both work in the meat department at Wal-Mart and they have seen their fair share of violence on Black Friday. Just last year my brother was called to the cooking section to help break up a fight where 2 women were fighting over a pasta pot. They both were holding on to the pot by both handles while beating each other (no this is not a joke) with a spatula and a whisk! Now i ask you was it really that good of a deal?

Since i have family who works at these stores i also get the low down on what is a good deal and what isn't. Did you know that a lot of these stores really are not giving you that much of a deal. For instance a store that i will not name advertised a special on a pan set for $49.99. Now this was only for Black Friday and no other day except for the fact that i was there 2 weeks ago and it was 49.99 then and i am pretty sure that has always been the price on it. I have noticed a lot of deals like this. They say "This item is on sale for one day and one day only" but in reality it is never marked down. It is left at its regular price but because we saw a piece of paper that said sale on it we had to have it. We jump at the chance to save a dollar even if it means we have to act like prehistoric humans hunting for the last Dino egg.

I for one stayed home today. I did some shopping online (which also offers these "Black Friday" sales) and got some nice gifts for my kids. I enjoyed cuddling with my babies and eating leftovers. I say if you want to go fight for a deal that might not be a deal more power to you but you will find me at home kicking off the Christmas season with a cup of hot cocoa and my kids. I prefer not to give or receive a black eye trying to save a buck.