Sale Away on Gray Thursday

I'll be the first to admit, I love a great sale as much as the next person. Who doesn't love getting something they want, or need, at a lower price than what they'd normally pay?

Granted, stores are still making a profit, even at sale prices, but hey, *I'm* paying less than retail, so it's a good feeling knowing that.

No matter the type of store, or where it's located, all of them have sales on a regular basis, whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly; there's always someone offering something for less than retail price.

Then there are the special sales, in addition to the regular ones.  The special ones usually revolve around holidays, or special events.  President's Day, Memorial Day, the Super Bowl, etc.; all are cause for retailers to have blowout prices on items consumers are wanting, or needing.

One of the biggest special sale days is the Friday after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as "Black Friday".

Ah yes, "Black Friday", the day people are up before the sun, and out standing in endless lines for a chance at getting that great bargain.  When did all this craziness become the norm?

Actually, upon research, "Black Friday" was a term used in Philadelphia in the early sixties to describe the throngs of people out and about the day after Thanksgiving.  By 1975, the term had been adopted across the country, and adapted to describe shoppers.

For nearly three decades stores catered to shoppers on this infamous Friday, opening their stores as early as 6:00 am, allowing those early birds an opportunity at big savings.  Then after a few years, the times got earlier.  Some stores began opening at 5 am, in hopes of garnering more customers eager to start their holiday shopping.

The beginning of a new century though, brought a new tradition: stores not opening early on Friday morning, but instead, late on Thanksgiving evening.  At first stores, like Wal-Mart, and Best Buy, advertised they'd be opening at 10 pm Thanksgiving for "Black Friday" savings.

At the time, I didn't see a problem with this.  Yes, there were employees that probably weren't happy about having to work on a holiday, I understand that.  For the most part though, the "traditions" of Thanksgiving usually wrap up in the early evening.  Friends and family have spent time together, then gone their separate ways, so why not go stand in a line for a store to open at 10 pm, especially if there's something you want, at a great price?

More recently however, things have been getting out of hand.  No longer are shoppers getting in the "holiday spirit".  Instead, they're trying to one up other shoppers to get what they want.  Every year there are stories from across the nation of fights, shootings, stabbings, you name it, all because people just have to have something others want also.  This makes one wonder if it really is worth standing in line for any kind of a deal.  After all, is it really worth the possibility of getting hurt, or possibly even killed, just for a bargain?

One would also think that retailers would be concerned about these incidences, and want to curtail them if possible.  Yet, every year, the retailers seem to start their sales just that much earlier than the year before.  Anymore, it's really not a "Black Friday" sale, as much as it's become a "Gray Thursday" sale.

This year, there are stores that are actually opening early on Thanksgiving morning, then again Thanksgiving evening. Instead of opening at 5 am on Friday, some stores will be opening at 5pm Thursday evening, to get a jump on the holiday rush.

As I stated earlier, I understand that there are those who don't celebrate the holidays, so for them, it's nice to have stores open, especially if they're offering exceptional savings.  Really though, are retailers actually gaining that much more by opening so early?  If they're so concerned about sales, why don't they just stay open their normal hours, and still offer the great savings?

Several stores have bypassed the actual Black Friday sale completely, opting instead to offer sales for a week, or more, before Thanksgiving. I've heard commercials describing "Blue Friday", "White Wednesday", and other names, that are really just different ways to get around having a sale for only one day.

You've probably noticed that I'm not a big fan of all these crazy hours and days that are being set for after, (and nowadays before), Thanksgiving sales; it's true.  While the bargains may be good, the whole idea of Black Friday has become so diluted, and so competitive, for me at least, it just isn't fun anymore. What I like even less however are the policies some stores have adopted in conjunction with their Black Friday sales.

We've all seen signs at stores stating, "no loitering", "no parking", etc.; as an attempt to keep people from just hanging out at the store and not buying anything.  Yet, there are retailers, most notably Best Buy, who, despite not allowing this behavior normally, have no problem with letting people camp out in front of their stores, sometimes as early as before Halloween, just for their Black Friday sale.  Why?!

Not only does that seem very extreme, it questions whether these people actually have lives. One man in Florida, his wife, and a friend are currently camped out at a Best Buy, and have been for at least a couple weeks now.  They work, so they've been taking turns camping out at the Best Buy, so they can go to their jobs.

I think what bothers me the most about this however, is the double standard tone this sets.  Obviously if someone is just hanging around a store, or if someone is homeless, and tries to camp out even in the parking lot, they're told it's not allowed, and there's signs posted to prove it.  But someone does the same thing, because they want to spend money at the store, it's okay for them to camp out for days and days.  In other words, spend money, you can stay, don't, you can't be there.

Yes, as much as I like great sales and bargains, I have my limits. It seems weird to say that commercialism is getting even more commercialized, but it's true.  Black Friday is a great example of this.  What started as a one day event, has been blown into something that's dragged out for days on end, before and after Thanksgiving.  In some cases it seems Black Friday has become more of an anticipated "holiday" than Thanksgiving itself.

Just my opinion, but it would be nice to just get back to the basics of Black Friday.  It happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and only that day.  If retailers want to get crazy with their sales, why not open your doors from midnight that Friday, to 11:59 pm that same day?  And with today's technology, these same retailers can do the same thing on the internet, for those who can't, or don't want to actually go to a store.  Seems logical to me, shoppers still get great deals, and retailers are still making huge revenues.

Again, just my take on this subject.  I'll end this post with a wish for a Happy Thanksgiving to all; as well as safety for all those braving the "Gray Thursday", "Black Friday", mayhem that's sure to happen somewhere.

That Wonderful, Glorious Time of Year

(Today's word will be in red and bold.)



Thanksgiving 2012 is past, and we've moved on to my absolute favorite time of year:  Christmas time!

For me, Christmas isn't about presents and getting stuff; it's about the *feeling* of Christmas. It's the sights, the sounds, the smells, and all the warm fuzzies the holiday is supposed to encompass.

It's the Christmas trees, the lights, the decorations; everything that helps make this time of year seem magical.

Whether it's tradional things, or a more modern approach to something, this time of season embraces, and shares it all.

Like Christmas carols/songs.  Radio stations play all genres of music at this time of year, from big band, to new Christmas tunes; from classics, to new twists on classics.  Until I heard them, I never knew how many versions of "Last Christmas" there are out there!



I myself lean more towards nontraditional Christmas music, my all-time favorite tune being Elton John's "Step Into Christmas".

Yes, I did use this same video when I wrote about Christmas last year; that's how much I love this song!

Phil Vassar just came out with a new Christmas tune this season, "Santa's Gone Hollywood".  While I realize that some people may not see this as a true "Christmas" song, it is a fun, and funny little ditty that adds a new meaning to "holiday spirit".

I love the whole Christmas spirit thing!

Okay, not so much the one of the future.  Even the one in the Mr. Magoo version of "A Christmas Carol" kind of creeps me out.

Aside from that though, as I said, I love this time of year!

There will always be those who are Scrooges, or Grinches about the season; some for legitimate reasons, and others just because that's how they are.   Nonetheless, Christmas time is a wonderful time of year; so forget the commercialism, and consumerism, and just soak up all the good cheer the season has to offer.

How Do You Mend A Broken Heart?

Anyone who's ever loved someone has experienced it. Doesn't matter if it's family, friends, or someone you love and want to spend the rest of your life with; sooner or later we all fall victim to a broken heart.

A lot of times the hurt is unintentional; other times people know it's going to happen. Either way, it still hurts. Unfortunately, it seems the longer a relationship has been, the longer it takes for the heart to mend; sometimes it never does.

When you're not the person going through this, it's easy to sit back and give advice. Often times the advice is really just someone telling the person who's hurting what to expect, and reassuring them that how they feel is normal. That's the case with a friend of mine.

This person was hit out of the blue that their spouse wanted a divorce, not too long before Thanksgiving. Needless to say, there was hurt, frustration, confusion and anger going on inside my friend. I found out when my friend emailed me, letting me know what had happened, and telling what they were going through at the moment.

I knew exactly how this person felt, having been there myself eighteen years ago. Though I was the one who called off my marriage, I still had the same feelings my friend was describing.

Through emails I listened to my friend, going through all the emotions again, and trying to let them know they'd be okay. My friend has a child from the marriage also, which makes it even harder; though from what I've been told, the child is taking it well, for the most part.

Back to my friend. When I first heard of all the emotions this person was going through, I let them know it's normal. There are five stages of grief, and no matter what kind of grief it is, we all go through the stages. Sometimes we go backwards for a time, but eventually we all get through them. I did let my friend know this, and that everyone has their own timeline of when they get through the stages; not to stress about it. Just take one day at a time, get through that one, and see what's next.

As I said in the beginning of this post, it's easy to sit back and give advice, when you're not the one in the middle. I explained to my friend though, I really wasn't trying to give advice, as much as I was trying to reassure them that what they're going through is normal. I also know my friend would tell me to butt out if I was getting too involved with the advice. My friend knows I mean well.

Over all, my friend still has a long way to go; though whether they see it or not, I've already seen improvement in them. There have been a few steps backwards, as I said though, it's normal. Over all, no matter how much it hurts right now, I know my friend is a strong person, and will get through this in time. And I know that as long as my friend needs someone to listen, I'll be there for them.

Dogs & Reindeer Banned From Christmas

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


As stated in an earlier post, I'm not one who really listens to traditional Christmas music. My collection has several genres to chose from for holiday listening.

Not that I don't like the traditional tunes; I'm just a bit more off-beat than that is all.

Then there are the songs I don't ever want to hear again. Every year, I make it my mission to NOT hear them any time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

One song I've been successful in not hearing for a few years now is "Jingle Bells", by the Barking Dogs.

It's not that this is a bad song; I actually used to like it at one time. However, after hearing it over, and over, and over, one year, I hit a breaking point; done with the dogs.

It's also why there's a picture on this post, rather than a video, or sound byte. Anything other than a picture, I might actually have to hear the song; not taking the chance!

The other song I wish I'd never hear again is "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". It was cute the first couple times I heard it eons ago; since then, not so much.

So if I dislike it so much, why did I post the video here? Might as well; this is a song I've yet to avoid over the years. At last count this year, I've heard it six times, (not counting having to look for the video for the post). I think I hit a new record this year for how soon I heard it too. Didn't even get halfway through the day after Thanksgiving and it took me by surprise; argh!

These two songs are the ones at the top of my list of "banned" Christmas music. There are others, I just don't hear them on the radio, so they're easier to avoid.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, am I?

Cold Turkey

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


Sometimes I think my brain likes to play "connect the dots"; except, instead of actually following them, and having a picture appear, my brain just makes up it's own picture.

That's how today's post came to be; I was thinking of ideas,(like quitting things cold turkey), which crossed with Thanksgiving and the two connected into what you're about to read.

To be honest, this post has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, or turkey. What it's about is something I started, (or I guess ended), nine weeks ago.

Awhile ago I had a post about losing a crown while eating smoked salmon. Since then, I've had increasing problems with swallowing. My throat tends to want to close up, making me choke. It finally got bad enough that I went to the doctor, who referred me to a specialist.

I'd always thought my problem had been caused from having bronchitis eight times in two years, (long story, I'll spare everyone); turns out that's not the case.

The main problem was massive quantities of Coca-Cola, chocolate, etc. Turns out caffeine can actually cause your throat to constrict if you have too much over long periods of time.

The specialist suggested cutting out all caffeine, the Coke, chocolate, tea, etc., as well as mint and tomato based products.

We're talking about someone who listed Coke, chocolate, and music as their life support, until September 22, 2011. On that day I finished off the last of my Coca-Cola and chocolate I had, and haven't drank, or eaten any since that day. I quit cold turkey, and surprisingly, it wasn't that hard. What keeps me motivated is, the longer I go without soda POP
and chocolate, the more I don't want to give in to the temptation. I just keep thinking, "if I give in, I'll have to start counting from day one again". Nine weeks is a long time to have to start at the beginning again.

The greatest benefit though is, since following the specialist's advice, I've only had one instance where my throat closed up; and that was shortly after I'd quit my vices.

If you'd told me ten weeks ago I'd have come this far without the Coke and chocolate I'd have laughed; not anymore though. I've learned there is life away from Coke and chocolate, and I'm happy for that.

Gray Thursday

If you've grown up in the United States, or lived here long enough, you probably know about "Black Friday". That Friday after Thanksgiving when stores have huge sales and tiny prices on an infinite number of goods in their store.

Thanksgiving was a day of thanks, parades, ball games and stuffing yourself silly with food. The day after Thanksgiving was for getting up in the middle of the night, and going to stand in line at the store having what you wanted to buy on sale. Where I'm from, the time for stores to open was usually set at 6am.

Then a few years ago I started noticing stores setting their times before 6am; usually 5:55 am, or something like that. Then it was midnight. Stores would open at midnight for early Black Friday sales. After that, it started being 10 pm or earlier Thanksgiving night. That's the way it was this year. To me, that's not "Black Friday"; it's been deluted to "Gray Thursday".

While I realize that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, whatever happened to still respecting the holiday? Is it corporate greed, or just good marketing strategy?

Either way, I always somehow manage to end up in the middle of it almost every year. Whether it's because there's something on sale I know someone wants for Christmas, or something I need at an excellent price, or this year, my son wanting company while he stood in line to get a $60 game for $27-$28.

Mind you, Black Friday's are always crazy and chaotic; in the past few years though, they just seem to be getting worse and worse. I remember someone being stabbed at a Toys R Us; and at one Wal-Mart, people died being crushed by the mass of overly eager sale shoppers.

My son and I wondered what story would make the national news this year in connection with Black Friday. Sure enough, first thing I see this morning is a story from a California Wal-Mart. Some lady actually pepper-sprayed other shoppers, to get them out of her way!

While looking for more information on the above story, I ran across several other stories from all across the country; from stabbings, to shootings, and more. I don't care how much I've ever wanted something; there's never been anything worth having that happen!

We were lucky that our local Wal-Mart wasn't as bad as the ones I read about; though it WAS crazy! My son and I heard one lady tell her friend she'd gotten elbowed in the face twice just trying to get around the electronics department.

A friend of mine posted a short video on Facebook from the same store, while she was waiting to buy a camera. I posted the following comment to that post, about what happened to my son and me in the short time we were in the store:

That store was CRAZY last night!!! Very surreal, with people running over others with carts, or making barricades with carts...Not to mention all the people between the aisles, taped in with yellow tape and "do not enter" signs...I so wanted to ask someone if it was okay to feed the "animals" in the "zoo"...Until I realized, the people behind the tape were the spectators...."I* was part of the crazy zoo! They were the people with tickets waiting on $188 dollar flat screens, etc. Seriously, even leaving the store I got hit in the back of the leg with a cart and almost had a head on collision with some woman who decided to speed push her cart through the exit door, because it was taking too long at the entrance. No way she could have *NOT* seen me, she didn't care...If I hadn't stepped aside she would literally plowed through me!!!

Needless to say, my son did not get his game at Wal-Mart. Though the actual sale didn't start until 10 pm, people had been allowed to pick up the game as early as 6 pm, and carry it with them throughout the store until 10pm.

Since Target was just down the street from Wal-Mart, and they had the game on sale also, we went there to stand in line until midnight. The Target line was already halfway around the side of the building when we got there, but the crowd was a good one. People were friendly and chatting with friends, family and strangers alike.

When the time was close to open the doors, Target employees, (who had earlier passed out store maps and free Luna Bars), came down the line explaining the procedures they were going to use, once the store opened. Thirty people would be let in every 15 seconds. It worked wonderfully! Even being in the middle of the line, by the time we got in the store, it still wasn't crowded; no one was being crazy, even in the electronics department. My son walked right to where the games were, picked up what he wanted, we paid, and left within 10 minutes.

All of these experiences left me wondering why all stores can't conduct their sales like Target. Even with Wal-Mart being open 24 hours, there has to be a way they could make this a less dangerous event. When 95% of the stories you hear happened at Wal-Marts, it makes one wonder why the store continues doing business this way.

And at places like Best Buy, is it really appropriate for people to actually camp out for days before a sale, just to be first in line? Where are peoples' priorities?

Of course, all of this is just my opinion, based on past and present experiences. I'm hoping next year there's nothing that will drag me out into this chaos again!

Well Wishes For A Wonderful Thanksgiving

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


Just a quick little post for today to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful time watching the parades, football, etc., and eating way too much food. You know we all do it every year; stuff ourselves silly until we're in a TURKEY coma! Then again, isn't that half the fun of the holiday?!

The Littlest Things Can Bring Happiness

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)


I've come to the conclusion that it really doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

Like hearing my favorite artist on the radio. No matter what kind of day it's been, I hear David Lee Murphy, and I can't help but smile.

One of life's little moments presented itself Monday at work. As a rule, employees where I work can wear any color of jeans, except blue.

Usually, to be able to wear blue jeans, an employee must have purchased a "jeans sticker". This allows the person to wear blue jeans every Friday.

Then there's "Civil War" day, where employees can wear blue jeans and also sport their favorite team colors.

There's also Halloween when employees can dress up. I always manage to have a "costume" that incorporates blue jeans.

It's not that I don't like other jeans colors; as a rule I wear black ones to work, so I'm comfortable. Black jeans just aren't the same though. They don't have the same "feel" to them that blue DENIM does. Doesn't matter if it's dark blue,

or light blue,

blue jeans just have the best feel to them of any color jeans.

Back to Monday's happy moment though. Monday, our company announced that not only can we wear blue jeans on Wednesday, for the "Civil War" game; we can also wear them today, because of the blustery weather, and Thanksgiving.

Doesn't sound like much, I know, for me though, it was heaven! I could live in blue jeans day in and day out; so to be able to wear them to work two days in a row is a big deal to me.

And thus the reason I've decided it doesn't take a lot to make me happy. Two days of wearing blue jeans to work, and suddenly this short week looks even better than before!

THE 12 MONTHS & SHOWS OF REALITY CHRISTMAS

Wednesday on "Simon in the Morning", they had a segment asking listeners what type of reality show would they be best at.  For the life of me, I couldn't think of anything for myself, except maybe "Useless Trivia 24/7". 

What I did think of though was something I wrote a few years ago.  I don't remember how I got the idea, however, since I still have it, I've decided to share it on my blog.  I know it's been awhile ago, since some of the shows aren't on the air any more. 

With that said, I now present, "The 12 Months & Shows of Reality Christmas".

(Names of shows below represent what each Christmas show is patterned after; actual names will differ.)

(Shows run concurrently, starting the day after Thanksgiving and ending on Thanksgiving Day of the next year.)

   1.      Manhunt—To find the perfect Santa Claus.

    2.      The Bachelor—The new Santa picks his perfect Mrs. Claus.

    3.      Pimp My Ride—To customize Santa’s sleigh.

     4.      Extreme Makeover—To make the new Mr. & Mrs. Claus even more

                                            believable.

     5.      The Apprentice—The new Santa chooses which teams of elves-{hundreds,

                              but only show key elves}-continue on and which gets fired.

6.   Fear Factor—Elves must prove their abilities in various ways.

7.      The Amazing Race—All elves from the winning teams must split into new

                                            teams, then race to the North Pole.  At each pit stop Santa

                                            will eliminate a team of elves.

      8.      Survivor—All elves not eliminated will have to prove their survival skills at the

                           North Pole, or be eliminated.

9.      Big Brother—All remaining elves, along with Mr. & Mrs. Claus, have to prove

                                      they can survive together when snowed in at the North Pole.  Will

                                     also have to learn how to care for reindeer, make toys, etc.  More

                                     eliminations.

    10.  What Not To Wear—All final winning elves, along with Mr. & Mrs. Claus, get

                                               a complete fashion makeover.

       11.  Monster House—Santa  & Mrs. Claus, along with the elves, get their living

                                            space made over into the ultimate Christmas themed home.

          12. The Ulitmate Reality--All winners from the previous 11 shows
                                                      appear together in the Macy's Thanksgiving
                                                       Day parade.

                                            

Bonus Show—Unlucky #13

   13.  Cops--Santa and the elves are arrested for passing out black market toys to little children. It's a federal offense crossing state and international lines.  Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus is taken in to custody for putting a little too much "joy" in her brownies.