Black Friday from the perspective of two TAHS student shoppers

By Sadie Jackson and Ashley Hamilton

Every year people brave the crowds and craziness of Black Friday to get good deals, but this year was a bit different. The deals actually started Thursday night.

Sadie: The earliest opening I knew of was at Wal-Mart at 10:00pm, meaning I was “stationed” and waiting at 9:00 pm where the kitchen appliances were. I have gone [Black Friday shopping] various years before, but never was I caught up in the crowd like I was this year.

Ashley: Since this was my first year going Black Friday shopping, I was a nervous wreck.

Sadie: Around 9:45, Ashley and I were standing with a group of people when it started to get more crowded. A lady in pink standing in front of asked me what I needed.

“Five choppers, three griddles, two crock pots, and two three-crock pots,” I replied.

She said that she could get me the three griddles before ten o’clock by kicking them over to me. I agreed knowing that this wasn’t ethical, but Black Friday is the only day I will break my strong beliefs on being ethical because the crowds are terrible.

Soon afterwards, the lady in pink kicked me three griddles, and I handed them to Ash, telling her to go stand away from the crowd.

Ashley: As I walked away with the griddles, everyone kept asking me to give the griddles to them. I thought people were going to take the griddles because I’ve heard stories of customers taking things out of other costumers’ hands and carts.

When Sadie and I met up again, we found a lonely cart in an aisle and set out to find the rest of our troop. We found them clutching kitchen appliances. Because my group got everything we wanted and more, we gave the extras to other Black Friday shoppers around us.

Sadie: This year has been the first time we have gotten everything circled in our flyers!

Wal-Mart was finally done, we then went to Target, K-Mart (where we stood in line for what felt like five hours) and then the mall.

We arrived home about 11:30am. It was a long and tiring day, but definitely worth it, and I WILL go next year!

Ashley: I was up for thirty-six hours straight. I was so tired that I was hyper. In the Sears parking lot, I couldn’t stand still or be quiet to save my life, but I am going Black Friday shopping next year!