I Love Black Friday Shopping

I am not ashamed to admit that I am addicted to Black Friday shopping. After the total bust that was Black Friday 2011, I was determined to get in a good shop this time around. My sister-in-law (and partner in crime) and I had a good game plan set once again. For weeks we went over (and over) the adscans on BFads.net and yes, we both have the mobile app on our iPhones. Let me tell you, that app is great for making your list and being able to carry it with you on your phone.

So we started off at our local Walmart at about 7:45 PM Thanksgiving evening. It was pretty peaceful compared to the hell that was the other Walmart in 2011 that is just a few towns away. We grabbed the stuff we wanted, said hi to  my neighbor and were on our way by 8:30. Next stop? Target. I was thrilled that we made it with time to spare for their 9"00 opening. we waited outside in the cold for 20 minutes, let a stranger take our annual Black Friday photo and then made our way inside. Target by far has the most organized black Friday shopping experience and it makes me love them even more. Once again, we were out done and back in my van within 30 minutes.

It is at this point where we made a critical error. We needed to hit Walmart again for their 10:00 PM deals. But instead of driving back to the one in our town, we decided to go to the one next door to target. The hell one that I mentioned earlier. Biggest. Mistake. Ever. It was pure and utter chaos. It took us about an hour to get out with the one item that we needed. It would have taken far less time to drive back to the first store. Lesson learned. We vowed never to go there on Black Friday again.

Our next store was Kohl's for their midnight opening. There is a brand spanking new Kohl's in our town and for whatever reason, hardly anyone was their for the Black Friday doorbusters. We enjoyed a nice leisurely stroll through the store while I grabbed Imaginext toys for $50 off plus Star Wars Angry Birds underwear. And since Kohl's is so awesome, I even got to use two coupons on my order, saving me even more.

Our last stop was Game Stop which ended up being kind of a bust. I bought a few pre-owned games in the buy 2 get 1 free deal, but ended up returning them the next day since i was able to get them cheaper online and brand new.

At the end of the night, we had my minivan pretty full of loot. I was rater impressed with our haul. But most importantly, I had an awesome time with one of my dearest friends.

I got back home around 1:30 AM, which is pretty early considering. I'd like to say I went to sleep at this point, but I didn't. Instead I shopped online deals for the next 90 minutes. But I got all but one thing on my list and for that, I was a happy shopper.

Of course we are now suffering from the post-Black Friday blues. The letdown after the adrenaline rush is such a bummer.

How did you make out this Black Friday? Is it an addiction for you like it is for me?