Like many folks, I spent Thanksgiving with family and friends watching football and eating too much. Also like most people, I made jokes at the expense of those who were out in the cold camping out for the "best deals."
Unlike many folks, after my wife Michelle gave me permission to leave because the house was clean enough (OK, she really said I was "not doing it right and was just in the way"), I went out to see what drives these "crazies."
With my 14-year-old Matthew along to be my photographer we arrived at the Dublin Best Buy at around 10 p.m. The first thing we noticed was the front of the store was barricaded like a border crossing or a crime scene. Obviously, the Best Buy management team thought as I did, these people are not balanced and could not be trusted to behave appropriately.
Most folks in line were well prepared for the long cold night. There were tents, comfortable seating, blankets, snacks, and drinks. In fact, just in case one needed a "bio-break" or something hot to drink the Starbucks in the shopping center was going to be open all night to keep the folks dry, warm and awake.
We approached John Hepa of Dublin, the first person in the Best Buy line. He told us he had been at this location since 8 a.m. WEDNESDAY. When I asked why, he quickly replied, "The savings, this is the best way to get the best bang for your buck." As for his Thanksgiving dinner with his family he said "my dinner is on the way." It arrived a few minutes later and it looked hot and delicious.
John, a veteran of eight straight Best Buy Dublin Black Friday lines, reported there were significantly fewer people in the line at this point compared to last year, a sentiment repeated by everyone we spoke with at all the stores we visited.
The second group in the line, Charles and Maria King of San Lorenzo, arrived at around 9:30 Thanksgiving morning. Charles made sure we were aware he was able to "watch football on his iPhone but now it is dead." When we told Maria we were amazed that the line stretched around to the side of the store, she reported that last year by 11 p.m. the line was "around the building and down the street."
At Old Navy in the same shopping center, Dina Nusom, a 10-year veteran from Hayward, was quick to say she comes to Dublin as opposed to a closer Old Navy because the people in Hayward are much too "pushy and inconsiderate." As I took that as a compliment for our hometown, I was quick to thank her for the kind words.
At Starbucks, we ran into Lisa Cheda and her two teen-age daughters Mandy and Jeana of Dublin. This was Lisa's 18th Black Friday shopping spree and the first for her daughters. Lisa considers this annual late night shopping trek a family tradition she was "proud to share" with her daughters for the first time this year. As for the teenagers, the girls were "so happy" to be out and about looking for "clothes, accessories, and anything that will look good." These women had a plan to get the best deals, Old Navy for the midnight open, The Gap at Stoneridge Mall shortly after that and then on to Target in Dublin to finish the early morning.
Next stop for Matthew and me was Walmart. We expected a line outside the store but found none; the store was staying open all night. Walmart has a staged discounted pricing schedule. Some items are on special beginning at midnight, others at 1 a.m. and still others at 5 a.m. or 7 a.m.
Upon entering the store, we quickly noticed the store was crowded and a mess. Products were everywhere in every major aisle of the store. Each skid was marked with a polite sign stating the time Friday it should be opened. There were many Walmart team members near the skids and throughout the store. When I approached one to ask about the system, she, on the condition of anonymity, told me "the system is disorganized and that so many of the shoppers ignore the signs and break into the wrapped skids regardless of the signs or even the Walmart personnel asking them not to."
Within moments of her comments, there was an announcement over the PA system politely asking that patrons not open wrapped packages of products ahead of the posted opening time. As I continued to seek someone to interview, I was witness to many patrons unwrapping skids to grab at video games, toys, Barbie dolls and other items regardless of the fact the signs clearly stated they were not to be opened until a much later time.
Additionally, Walmart was the only place in our travels where the shoppers did not want to be interviewed and the place where my expectations of cranky, frantic and inconsiderate shoppers were not only met but were exceeded. Other than the staff we encountered who were friendly and helpful, there was not much holiday spirit at Walmart during our visit.
We traveled across town to Toys R Us and Target in Dublin. We arrived well after 11 p.m. at Toys R Us so the store had been open for more than an hour and still there was a line that wrapped around the building toward Dublin Boulevard. While the patrons were anxious to get in the store, they were polite and friendly. One staffer we encountered did report that despite my amazement at the continuing line, "it was not nearly as crowded as last year."
However, the best was yet to be seen. Target in Dublin had a line that stretched from the store entrance across the front of the shopping center and along the sidewalk in front of the empty location where the Halloween store was located.
At the front of the line, a group of six arrived at 5 p.m. to ensure they each got one of the limited number of 40-inch flat screens for $298. Their group of six included Gidget Johnston and two of her kids, Jeremiah and a daughter who was out for coffee.
Gidget, recovering from recent neck surgery, has worked in retail for years and this is only her third year outside the stores on Black Friday. She said the biggest difference is that it is "very cold on this side of the doors." Jeremiah quickly responded that it was "not that bad." Gidget was in line to get a t-v for her son who lives in Mexico where the t-vs are much more expensive. He would be coming to town for Christmas and would pick up his t-v during the visit.
In her experience, Gidget said that the retail side is no bargain. "You work all night to set up, the shoppers come in and destroy the place, you work all night to clean up and start it all over again," she recalled.
Our final stop was also in the line at Target. We found a group of six at a card table with a heat lamp, snacks everywhere and the sounds of friendly unprintable banter similar to the type I have with my friends everywhere.
Here I encountered Michelle Gray. Michelle told me the best story of the night. She and her friend, fellow Pleasanton resident Michelle Hills, were "in the line at this same Target on Black Friday three years ago and became friends with these college kids in line next to them. The group had so much fun they decided to meet again the next year and then again this year.
When I asked if they keep in touch during the year, the four of them at the table all quickly gave an emphatic "NO." Dylan Eichenbaum, one of the "college kids" was quick to smile and add, "We have spent 24 hours with these women, but it feels more like three years."
Jim Vierra of Pleasanton and his fiancé, Megan Hoops from Castro Valley, were also in the group. The men stated that each year they buy a "three dollar sandwich maker, sit with the Michelles and the Target circular and decide what else they are going to buy." No plans other than to spend time together in line at Target, they were out to have fun.
The five who spoke with us were all confident they would be in the same spot next year and for years to come. The Michelles are expecting a wedding invitation from Jim and Megan and expect it to be the "most fun they have had at a wedding in years."
This night about town on Black Friday Eve changed my view of the "crazies" that must get out and shop to get the deals. Except at Walmart, everyone was having fun with friends and family, it was like a series of small parties and romantic nights under the starry skies.
Will I ever go out on the lines after Thanksgiving dinner, NO WAY! However I will no longer look at the people on the lines as I did before, they are not that crazy.
(source:patch.com)
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