I've mentioned before that I'm not really a big shopper.  And that's not bank account-dependant either - I just don't really like to shop.  More specifically, I can't stand malls.  I find no joy in aimlessly wandering the mall, traipsing from store to store, bags in tow, all the while dodging wild, horny teenagers.  That was fun for me maybe when I was a wild horny teenager, but not so much today.  Not a mall person at all.  And yet that is the very place where I will find myself on this very night (or should I say tomorrow) when the mall doors open at midnight for BLACK FRIDAY 2011.  Or as I like to call it: The.Annual.Running.Of.The.Bulls.

Yo, for real, Black Friday is like the Olympics of Shopping.  People have been training saving all year long just to shop on this one day.  What in the world?  True story: I was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of my bed on my very first Black Friday some years ago by a couple of friends.  Outside of Black Friday media coverage, I had no idea what to expect.  In the cold at 3 am, the only thing I could focus on was how cold and tired I was.  And evidently I'd missed the inaudible "on your mark...get set...get ready" because ALL OF THE SUDDEN - chaos broke out!  People were running, and pushing, and shoving, and screaming, and shoving, and pushing, and running....  It was sheer madness!  And I was hooked!  The hilarity of it all was unreal, yet oddly addictive.  Three stores and several purchases later, I was back at home by 9 am. And as I surveyed my booty loot, I understood why people got so caught up with Black Friday.  It's not about the shopping - it's about the experience.  There's a reason why Mrs. Shawn Carter named her concert "The Beyonce EXPERIENCE".  Because it's not just a concert - it's like nothing you've ever seen before!  A stellar performance by the ultimate performer (at least such is the claim).  Black Friday is not just about the so-called 'deals' on sometimes sketchy and often "re-manufactured" merchandise - it's also as much about the crowds, the camraderie, the competition, the pushing, the screaming, the shoving, the pushing, the pushing....All the elements that should rightfully take away from this event somehow actually work really well together.  Go figure?!?!?

Although I have only 1 item to purchase on my list (Nikon camera), I will be doing the requisite 'holy trinity' of Black Friday stores: Walmart, Target and Best Buy.  Just for kicks and giggles.  I'm definitely not, however, looking forward to the "midnight madness at the mall" part but I did promise a friend so,....it is what it is.  Anyway - Running.With.The.Bulls.2011.  Will let you know how it went!



* What's on your Black Friday list???