Thursday afternoon Courtney and I walked to the gas station by Lisa and Mike's apartment and bought a newspaper. We all spent the day/evening going though and making lists of things we wanted to buy. After we put the kids to bed, Lisa and I decided that we wanted to run to Modbe because they had a deal for $5 shirts. The sale began at 11 p.m. and then Toys-R-Us started their sale at midnight. Since those stores are close to each other, we decided to his Modbe and then get in the Toys-R-Us line.
We QUICKLY changed our minds. We decided to show up at the store around 10:30 p.m. When we got close to the stores all we saw was a mass of people! We parked across the street and while we were getting out of the van, a car came screaming through the parking lot loaded with women who all jumped out and ran for the line. Lisa and I were floored. We walked over to investigate the line and realized that the line was probably 2 blocks long (estimate) and that the line for Toys-R-Us was at least that long. We walked it, took a photo as proof and then loaded back in the van. We decided that if those women needed a $5 shirt bad enough to stand in a line in the freezing cold that they deserved it!
So we drove back to the apartment, did some rethinking of lists and made a plan with Bryan's mom to wake up the next morning and leave at 4:30. Bryan's words when I told him that: "You're crazy!"
I didn't sleep very well because I kept waking up nervous that I would miss it! ;) Finally, I got up at 4:15, dressed and met Lisa and Mom. We took our van (it had the most room) and were off. We first went to Walmart. There were cars everywhere and lines all over. Lisa wanted a couple of things that were 5 a.m. doorbusters so Mom took one and Lisa took the other while I walked around trying to find what I needed. Now, just to give you a little insider tip, at Walmart many times they have the toys on shrink wrapped pallots back by the Toys section. But...they also have the same type pallots, with the same shrink wrapped toys, at the front of the store hidden by the cosmetics. So while everyone in the back is fighting over toys, you can go to the front and get the same toys anytime you want after 5 a.m. So that's what I did. Lisa was a lifesaver/very smart woman because after she got her items, she ran to the front to get in a check-out line, then sent us a text to let us know where she was. I got everything (well, except for one thing that wasn't a doorbuster) I had on my list and we were in and out in about 20-25 minutes!
We then decided to move on to store #2, Best Buy. I dropped Lisa and Mom off while I went across the street to stand in the JoAnn's line (it didn't open until 6 a.m.). They went right in, got the printer Lisa wanted, and then had to wait a while in line to check-out. No problems even though we were there about 30 minutes after they opened their doors!
I, meanwhile, was freezing in the line at JoAnns. But this is the best time to glean information from other shoppers who have more experience doing this than I (i.e., old ladies who quilt all day long). At JoAnns you can buy flannel by the bolt and not have to stand in the 3 hour long cutting line! There are 8 yards per bolt and at $1.49 instead of $5.00 per yard, it is more worth your time to just buy the whole bolt. What I do is making Christmas pjs for all of us and the girls have the same fabric and the boys have the same fabric. I need about 5-6 yards per set of pjs so I have a couple yards left over from each to make rice bags or something else from the fabric.
When Lisa and Mom caught up with me I only had about 10-15 minutes before the store opened. We made a plan that I would run and get the 2 bolts I wanted and Mom would run and get something else that Bryan is giving Courtney. I had a 50% off coupon for the other item and the flannel was cheap. We were in and out in about 15 minutes with a savings of about $90!
Lisa, meanwhile, had gone next door to the infamous Modbe store to see how picked over it was. We joined her when we finished and were amazed to see how much was left. We had no problem finding shirts we wanted in the mostly-empty store! So much for standing in line for hours!!
Then we went to Shopko for more sales. I ended up pretty much finishing my Christmas shopping there. They had great sales and, by the time we got there (about 7:00 a.m. or so) there weren't lines and the items I wanted were still there...and then some ;)
One last stop at a music store that opened at 8:00 a.m. (I think, I was a bit tired by this point and things get fuzzier). We stood in line and then crowded in to overwhelm the one cashier they had on duty that day.
With everything but one item from my list loaded in the trunk and Lisa and Mom's purchases all over the back seat, we were headed home feeling a sense of satisfaction. I didn't have to push anyone and I wasn't pushed by anyone. People were very friendly. I think it helped that none of us were really getting any "high demand" items so they were still there after the door buster crowd went in.
It was a bit of a challenge getting it all loaded in the van and home before anyone could peek. But we all had a great experience!!!
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