Get ready, here comes Black Friday shopping!
Stage One: The Pre-Planning
The week leading up to Black Friday may be the most exciting. You are planning what stores you are going to, along with making a list of what you need or maybe just want/convinced yourself you need. The stores and the deals are endless, your alarm is set and you are ready to go.
Stage Two: The Day Before the Big Day
You start psyching yourself out by realizing how crazy the crowds are going to be and how long the lines will be because everyone is trying to get that plasma television from Best Buy at 3 a.m.
Stage Three: The Pre-Game
The nap before waking up at the crack of dawn is essential. You text your best friend to make sure you have your alarms in sync and lists on the nightstands for a successful Black Friday. You think of all the money you will be saving and are extremely optimistic about this shopping venture. You realize how smart you actually are for taking advantage of all these sales.
Stage Four: The Alarm Goes Off
Your alarm goes off and reality kicks in. You text your friend and hope she’s awake but subconsciously want to run back in bed because of how early it is. You see those three grey dots and you know she’s up and take a sigh of relief that you are both on board for this crazy shopping day.
Stage Five: The Ride There
The ride there you blast music with your best friend to wake each other up and remind yourself why you are even doing this. The parking is insane but that doesn’t stop you. Finally, you find a parking spot and you are ready to tackle Black Friday–sweatpants, hair up, no makeup and all.
Stage Six: The Madness Begins
Walking into the mall you think to yourself, “What have I done?” It is packed lines to get in every store and you contemplate getting back in your car. However, the madness has started and you are ready to be a part of it. You make it into one store and slowly realize why you dreaded coming to Black Friday in the first place.
Stage Seven: Buyer’s Remorse
Three hours later, several shopping bags later and with sore feet, you come home and evaluate the damage. You realize how much you bought and get stuck between the guilt of how much money you spent, but you just keep telling yourself how much money you saved. You think about how torturous waking up was, how tired you were and all the people and lines you had to deal with. In the end, you know you will probably do it again next year.
Happy Black Friday shopping!