Usually everyone has a Thanksgiving tradition. Whether it is to cooking your turkey as your mother did, gravy from the drippings of the turkey, pumpkin pie made from scratch, going over to some friend's house for dinner, watching football or the Macy's Parade. But the most famous ones are waking up after the day of giving thanks to beat everyone for the "deals." This is one of my stories when i was younger that i decide to go with my mother for the black friday sales.
I was ten, so the year was 1995/96. Wal-Mart just opened in my hometown of North Bend Oregon. Thanksgiving at my house came to a close and all my family members all but my mother, grandma, aunt, father and me were up. Everyone else in a deep slumber from the turkey spells and fullness of sweets or beer. They were up talking about "black friday." I have never heard of such a day, was this a bad day? Were we not able to go outside? My mother talked with my grandma on the game plan for tomorrow. They would stay up all night and leave the house by 3:30 am to wait in line with the other town folks.
My mother's plan was to drink until it was time to go. I asked my mother if i could stay up and go with grandma and her to this ritual in my family. She gladly told me yes as she took a drink of her Tequila and Squirt. As the hours passed my grandma went to sleep for a while as my mother and I watched TV, ate more turkey, played some game, and cleaned house. I remember passing out for a while, only to be shaken up by grandma to get ready for the trip.
As I dressed warmly as my mother told me it was going to be cold at 4am and to bring some food as no places would be open at this time. We soon arrive to Wal-Mart, the mecca of Bargain Shopping. About 75 people were crowded around the front door waiting to get in. Some people camped out over night. Some brought chairs and blanket from home. Food, drinks, people peeing on the side of the store or by their cars. I remember mostly is my mother brought her flask filled with her drink of choice. "This will get me through this", I remember her saying to me. Soon from 75 people to about four or five hundred people were all behind us. I still can feel people pushing us or trying to cut in front of us. I asked my mother what time it was. She looked at her watch and told me it was five minutes til five am. We saw the employee walking up to the front doors getting ready to unlock them.
The sound of the doors opening and a gush of wind hit us. Everyone pushing, pulling, yelling, trying to pass one another was getting nowhere. Luckily for me my mother was a big lady. All she had to do was push and she could knock over a few people. My mother took my hand and told me know to not let go, "this is where people will go crazy!" We hit the floor of Wal-Mart running. Grandma got a cart, while mom and i booked it for the toy section. Other people had their kids on their shoulders reaching for toys on the higher shelves. My mother reached for one of the last toys, but soon bumped hands with another lady who wants the same toy. The both struggled to get the toy out of each others hands.
Until my mother threaten the other lady. "I will beat the shit out of you if you do not give me this toy", my mother told this lady. She released it and backed away. My mother took another chug from her flask and off we went. The lines were the worst. Everyone wanted to get out and no one wanted to wait in line. I remember pulling pop tarts, fruits, and some juice out of my pockets and eating them over all the things we got that morning. I was so tired from the rush of the ahopping spree. I did not want to go to another black friday ever. I disliked this day. I thought people who did this were crazy. Plus being a ten year boy and going with your mother three sheets to the wind was fun but not for me. I will say this, that year i got all the things i wanted!
Happy Holiday!
