Sheep to the Slaughter

I have never been Black Friday shopping.  Ever.  It has never been something that has appealed to me.  I had never been Black Friday shopping...until tonight. 

I get those e-mail ads from Toys R Us and for a week they've been all about the great deals that the store will have starting at 10PM on Thursday.  They actually opened 2 hours early so people can feel as though they're getting an inside scoop into the store.  I got suckered in...totally.  I mean, my kids are worth it, right?  I seriously had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I left my apartment around 9:30 and figured that would give me plenty of time to get there and park and maybe I would stand out in the cold with a few other moms and dads who were curious to see what Toys R Us would have on sale.  I pictured the evening going as follows:

9:50pm Arrive at Toys R Us & find parking
9:55pm Wait outside Toys R Us store
10:00pm Enter Toys R Us store in a calm and relaxed manner
10:00pm - 10:30pm Leisurely walk around the store checking out good deals like crayons and books
10:35pm Check out and pay for my items, also in a calm and relaxed state
10:40pm Head back to my car with my purchased items, feeling good about the fact that I have accomplished some Christmas shopping
11:00pm Arrive back home, not having to deal with any traffic or angry drivers
11:30pm Go to bed

This is not how things went down. 

I arrived at Toys R Us only to find that it was insane.  I realize now that I was living in a state of denial, but I really had no concept of what it would realistically be like.  There was no parking, it was 21 degrees out and the crowd of people gathered at the store doors was so huge I thought maybe I had accidentally taken a wrong turn and ended up at a Smashing Pumpkins concert.  Needless to say I didn't even go into the store.  I just drove straight home and am so glad I did. 

Seeing all those people out in front of Toys R Us, freezing their butts off made me think that we're just like sheep.  A pretty, nice looking advertisement blinks its bright colors and fancy deals in our faces and we decide it's a pretty great idea to go stand out in the freezing cold at 10:00 o'clock at night for junk we don't need.  It's like a mindless animal waiting its turn to be slaughtered, cleaned and packaged up in order to sell its soul.  Ok, maybe that's a little intense...but still...it's pretty ridiculous when you think about it.  My daughter likes rocks and sticks.  The toys she does have she rarely plays with.  Let her loose into the fresh air with her mommy, daddy and baby brother and she's happy.  What more could you ask for?

Black Friday?  No thank you.  I like to keep my soul thank you very much.