Cover Me!!!!! ...I'm Going IN!!!!!!!!!

Nope-Sorry guys, but it's NOT a Gaming Post.........

Those of you who know me know how much I detest crowds. I have steadfastly refused to go out anywhere, even to eat, on Black Friday for twenty odd years....I think the last time I did it was when I was living at home with my parents and was conned into it by my Aunt Mary with the promise of a new purse. Yes my addiction/obsession became apparent early in my formative years and the family took FULL advantage of it....much like my Husband does with my love of shiny, sparkly things when he wants to distract me from something he really doesn't want to do- or want ME to do....and it doesn't have to be anything expensive like a piece of jewelry...a bit of tin foil, a Christmas card with a bit of glitter, or a foil gum wrapper will easily do the trick.

Anyway, back to what I was saying.....
I have refused to go out in "The Madness", as I like to call it, for twenty odd years now.
Until Today.......

Yesterday, My DIL Marie, mentioned that she wanted to go to the "Big Sale" at Wally-World this morning- they had some things on sale she wanted to get for Christmas and could save some big money by going to the Early Bird sale.
Well, she was trying to talk my son into going up there with her and not having a lot of luck- especially when he found out it would require waking up at 0400 to be IN the store at 0500 when the specials were released.
So I told her that if I could get my car to start(temperamental witch that it is on Cold Mornings) I would try and brave the masses with her. And she was happy as a clam.

I came home and had a wonderful evening with my hubby- and even had time for a short nap while he was on the computer doing a bit of reading. Then he decided to turn in- but I had just woken up from my nap a couple of hours before and wasn't that sleepy. So I went online and did a bit of Research into what the Black Friday Specials were going to be. I found several things I was interested in purchasing, or TRYING to purchase, and so I napped for another few hours and woke up at two minutes til 4 AM.

I got dressed in my camo pants and a dark shirt, gathered my combat gear- you know, Small purse what fits into my camo pants, small flashlight that can easily be used as a weapon should anyone decide they want the last of any item I want to get and am reaching for, and sneakers - for running away from above mentioned little old 85 year old lady who's better equipped that I am and has a gym membership to boot.
Anyway, I digress once AGAIN.......

Okay- so for once Nelly(my Bizatch car) decides she wants to actually crank on a cold morning- and, in fact, does so with not so much as a cough or hiccup. And so at 0420 I am on my way to pick up my DIL.
I arrive there....knock.....and my son comes to the door, apologizes, and says our poor Marie has been sick all night long and she isn't feeling up to going shopping.
I tell him it's okay- I hope she gets feeling better and if they need me-call me.... and I get in Nelly and start driving towards home.

Well, I'm feeling brave all dressed in my combat crap- so I decide to go to that sale by myself.
Just take the bull by the horns and get over this "thing" I have with Crowds. So, Nelly and I turn into the parking lot and Holy Crap.....There is like 4 parking spaces left in the entire complex- but when I look down towards the storefront- there's no one to be seen standing outside like you see on TV.
Then I remember that our local Wally World is a 24 HOUR one.
Well, I snag one of those four parking spaces left and of course they are all four at the very FAR corners of the parking lot which covers about 30 acres, seriously, and I walk for 5 minutes to get to the store.
Lucky me snags the next to last shopping cart as well as I walk in the door and I'm amazed. The entire store is full to the gills with people- barely room to move- but the place is almost as quiet as a church before service starts.
"Hmmm....Odd", I think as I maneuver my buggy around the clusters of people towards the toy aisle where I KNOW they have TWO Tonka Trucks that I want for my two Next-to-the-Baby Grandsons. As I'm walking everyone is still standing stock still and I begin to get a bit uneasy.
Is the place being held up and I haven't noticed or no one is telling me?
Is there some special shopping protocol on Black Friday that because I've been avoiding it for so many years have missed out on knowing about?
I'm getting suspicious looks from several people- including a couple of those little 85 year old looking old ladies who, in my paranoia, I'm thinking are going to tag-team me and run with my TONKA TRUCKS as soon as I get them in my buggy from the upper shelf that those short little old women can't reach.
I look around and still everyone is just standing around talking amongst themselves in low voices- like they're planning strategy or something. Freaking me out is what they're doing...but I'm trying to stay calm.
Finally, as I load my buggy with the Tonkas, I lean over to a lady who looks a bit friendlier than any of the other psychos and ask her under my breath why is everyone just standing around doing nothing....I explain I haven't been out on black Friday in two decades and is this NORMAL?????
She looks at me and kind of chuckles and says "Yes- it IS normal and people are just standing around doing nothing because they can't touch the stuff that's on sale til the give an announcement over the PA system."
"Why not?" I ask, "I mean, I can see not being able to PURCHASE them at the register for the sale price til the stroke of 5- but why can they not be put IN your buggy til then?"
She has NO idea either....but explains patiently that's just the way it is.
I thank her and wish her luck and wander off towards the checkout. The things I bought weren't even one of the "Special" specials....just the same things I could get every day at the same low, low Wally-World prices, so the special trip there was kinda useless for any EXTRA savings, but I DID do okay with that "Crowd" thing ...no panic attacks or anything this time.
It was a VERY interesting experience for me, and altho it wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered it being- I don't think I'll be doing it again unless there's something I can REALLY save some BIG HUGE money on.

Anyway, I came out with all the grandsons and my mom's Christmas gifts.
A TONKA each for Nicholas and Christopher, a Lego Push/Ride car for CJ, and A Radio-Control Truck for Austin, A R/C ATV each for TJ & Devon(They like to have the same things), and a R/C SUV for Justin.
Mom gets the Pressure-Cooker because they only had one of those and I didn't want the boys to think I was playing favorites by having to choose one of them to give it to.
;-)

Best part is, I still have a big chunk of my Christmas Budget to put towards getting Hubby's tooth fixed/pulled after the Oral Surgeon consultation On Tuesday! I mean I still have to get the grown kids prezzies- but that's a MUCH smaller budget than the kiddies and now that I have the babies taken care of- the grups can wait a week or so cause I know what they're getting and it all can be bought anytime before Christmas.

Now I just have to make a check-list of all the batteries needed for all those R/C things.
Yay Me.