Bail Money Would Cost More

I braved the stores beginning at 10 PM on Thanksgiving night.  I know I've said to various people (including my own mother) that I wouldn't go out on actual Thanksgiving, but I did - Legos were on sale, and I was trying to get a Blu-Ray.

I learned a couple of things:

1) There are great deals out there.
2) People are crazy.
3) The deals aren't great enough to deal with the crazy people.
4) I wish I had taken a camera.

I wandered into my Wal-Mart at 10:20 or so Thursday evening.  I had easily found a parking spot in the mobbed parking lot (yes... LUCKY!!).

I found the 1,600 piece Lego set that was only $30 and carried it around for awhile.  There were no carts, and I was actually glad about this, because I couldn't have pushed it through the crazy aisles anyways.  Anyway, I also needed some sourdough bread and lettuce to go with my leftover turkey dinner, so I wandered that way and found the only section of the store empty.  I balanced my Legos, my bread, and my lettuce and headed to the checkout.  (I figured when the Blu-Ray player went on sale at midnight, it was best for me not to balancing bread!)  Anyways, I'm standing in line and the girls behind me have 2 frozen dinners and some beer.  That's it... I can understand the frozen dinners - one of the girls was very pregnant - and when you want chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes at midnight, that's a good fix.  The beer - well, maybe that was the other girl's way of cooping with the pregnant girl's rants and ravings.  (Shocking, I've digressed, let me get back to my story...) I check out my 3 items, then head to the car to put them in.  I've got to be mysterious in my walking to the car, so that nobody thinks they can have my spot.  I don't want to get in a fight in the Wal-Mart parking lot at 11:30 on Thanksgiving night.

I head back into the store and stand near the electronics waiting for the Blu-Rays to come out.  (They are bringing out wrapped pallets of things that they plan to unwrap at midnight for people to grab from - good idea?  I think not.)  There is a fight that breaks out in men's wear (I only know that because I can hear yelling, and then Wal-Mart people running and yelling out "Men's Wear".)  Pretty soon that is dissipated ("Oh no you didn't take the last pair of men's 32x34 corduroy pants!")

So while waiting, I text my husband to let him know about my score on the Legos, and he says, "you should have got two."  (Seriously, I think, I am the one out in the middle of the night while you hang at home watching movies?  I suppose someone had to stay home with the kids, and I'm totally the better shopper, so I guess okay.)  So I wonder around, and I found another abandoned Lego box that I'm now holding (guess that blew my take-it-to-the-car theory).

Then, 11:45 comes.  People are pushing towards the plastic covered pallet.  I admit, I'm almost touching it myself.  Two police officers and 4 associates also surround the thing and it got me thinking maybe I was in over my head.  Midnight comes and the plastic is torn.  I think people were flying in from the ceiling and mission impossible jumping.  Kids were lifted over and above me.  Elbows flew.  People yelled... and I backed away.  Seriously: 1) bail money would be more than I saved or 2) my dental bill would be more than I saved.

Suddenly the cops were yelling, "STOP everyone!" and we were just staring at the remaining 20 boxes or so.  We stood there several minutes while the police/associates tried to figure how they could solve this problem peacefully.  I stood looking my sweetest in the background hoping they would pull me from the crowd and hand me one.  (It's my "best student" philosophy - she who is quietest gets to line up first.)

Then a girl tapped me on the shoulder and told me there was an entire other pallet of Blu-Rays 15 feet from where I stood that nobody was around.  I walked over, grabbed one, quietly thanked her, and turned back to laugh at the mob that stood crowded around the 20 remaining Blu-Rays on the original pallet.  HA... there were at least 100 on the one I took from.

After a 45 minute line to check out, I went to Kohl's.  I love Kohl's.  It was peaceful and quiet dispite the hundreds of women walking around.  I could hear the Christmas music playing and not once did my teeth feel threatened.

So again, why the long tale for the organizing site?  I got some stealer deals, and I don't necessarily have some one to give these things to right now.  However, it's certain that my five and three year old children will have upcoming birthday parties and I will be able to give AWESOME deals of gifts.

I buy fairly generic - Barbie's, Legos, board games, etc. and never anything trendy or after a certain movie.  Then I store them in two desigated tubs.  One is for Legos and one for everything else (the Legos just stack easily together.)  ONLY do this if you have the room!  :-)