Well, I know, because I was there on Black Friday.  Here’s what I found.

First, I’m kind of proud of myself; and the whole experience reminded me of my Mom. Every year she loved Black Friday. As young women, my sisters and I got up early to go with her; but we were no match for her shopping energy.

We stood in lines and braved the crowds.  We walked the malls and rushed from store to store only stopping for lunch or a quick snack.  I remember one year we stopped for dinner and shopped into the night; this after getting up and driving to Tallahassee to be there when the doors opened at 6 a.m. She shopped circles around us and wore us out every Black Friday

So this year I’m alone here without my girls or sisters in town, and last night I sat down with the Black Friday sale papers and planned my attack. About midnight, after I knew which stores I needed to shop and what I wanted to purchase, I went back to their flyers to see what time the stores opened.

Well,  boy was I surprised!   Three of my chosen stores opened at 5 pm on Thanksgiving (something I already knew), but what I didn’t know was that they stayed open all night and into Black Friday.

So what did I do? First, I checked to see which stores I could shop online. I finished shopping Toys-R-Us at home and then went to HH Gregg’s website and bought the new TV we needed.  These were stores that I didn’t have to visit.
Then, in Johnelle fashion I left Chuck a note on his coffee maker and left the house to go shopping at 1 a.m. I was about to pull an all nighter–something I used to do quite easily when I was young.

I admit, though, that it occurred to me that maybe I am too old for this.  But I plowed ahead, anyway.  Here’s what I found when I got to my first store.

Wal-Mart was my first stop, and it was practically empty. I bet there weren’t 20 cars in the parking lot next to the store entrances. I had the place to myself and all the help I needed.
The employees were restocking the shelves.

There were no lines at the checkouts, and I got in and out of there in record time.

I found the same thing at Target and Kohls. In fact I did Kohls around 3 am, and I only saw three other shoppers the whole time I was there. By that time I was humming Christmas carols and was on a roll.

I stopped for a Frappuccino at the Starbucks in Target,and took a nice break around 4 a.m.   Then I was on to Belks and four more stores, but majority of my Christmas shopping was already done.  There were still no crowds, even at 6 a.m. when most all the stores opened.
By 9 a.m. I was done and done.  My last store was Academy Sports, and it was where I encountered my first sold out item. I replaced it with a comparable product, though.
Here’s the best part! When I walked out of Academy Sports, all my Christmas shopping was over with. I had bought for every person on my list.

On the way home, I stopped at the Village Inn, had breakfast, and updated my Christmas list. I caught my third wind, and I think I could have shopped for several more hours.
Instead, I got home before 10 a.m. I surprised Chuck, because I came in so early. He thought I had gotten up early to go. He didn’t even know until I told him what time I left or that I never went to bed.

Within a few minutes after getting home, I went to bed.  I left all the gifts in the car and slept until 3:30 this afternoon.
This was the most efficient Christmas shopping experience I’ve ever had. The only thing missing was the fellowship of my mom, my sisters, and my daughters.

If some of the stores stay open all night again next year in 2016, I’ll do it again; but I’m wondering if they will.  The stores were empty while employees were standing around looking for things to do.
I would love to know how your 2015 Black Friday went, and if it was the same throughout the country.  Please share!