http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8grJPCqtc
I love Thanksgiving weekend shopping! It is my favorite shopping time of the year. (Back to school shopping is my least favorite. Ugh!) What I love most about it is Black Friday itself and the preparation. I anxiously wait for the newspaper circulars to arrive. When they do I immerse myself in them, scouring for the buried treasures. Then I create my very own treasure map based on the time the stores open, the proximity they are to the house and what they have that I want. We spend Thanksgiving at my parents house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin every year. (If we didn’t my children would starve as I have never cooked a turkey in my life!) The best part about being in Milwaukee is that the sales tax is only 5.5%! Much better than our painful 10.25% in Chicago. The second best thing is how close the stores are. It makes the hunt that much more manageable. (There are only 2 stores that I don’t have within my reach in Milwaukee, Staples, and Officemax. Which is a bummer because I especially love to take advantage of the office supply deals. But with so many offers being duplicated on line I’m still able to hunt at those stores as well.) There is something so satisfying about getting a really good deal for my family. It’s a rush like no other. And this year, with so fewer dollars available to spend, Black Friday becomes that much more important to not only my holiday shopping, but my year round needs, for my business in particular
There is something very special about this years’ shopping season though. You see, normally this is a very solitary adventure for me. No one else has ever been willing to get up in the dark of night to pursue the deals with me. That is until now.
My kids really discovered shopping this year. They are 11, 8 and 6. (It’s more about the older two). I have had a number of performances at malls lately and they have gotten the shopping bug. They, like so many other tweens, get some money in their pocket and just have to spend it! This Summer I tried to explain to them that they would do better to not make so many impulse purchases, but they would do it anyway. and be disappointed in the long run. Sometimes you just have to learn the lesson the hard way. This season I have made a point of working with them on the notion of delayed gratification. It’s all in the planning really. I have tallked to them repeatedly about their money and how they ca use it wisely instead of just throwing it away. It’s been a great teaching platform. I am so proud of them for how they have embraced the concept of strategic shopping.
Thought they have had a nice sum of money available to them for the last month they have been holding off, waiting for the Thanksgiving shopping weekend to arrive. They see the benefits of doing so. 1. They will enjoy the lower sales tax rate and make their dollars stretch farther. 2. They will be in striking distance of a great big mall that has all of the stores they are interested in. (The newly remodeled Bayshore Mall). 3. They’ll havet heir grandmother and their teen-age cousin available for moral support during their decision making process.
My kids are so excited to join the ranks of holiday shoppers on this highly anticipated weekend. They’ve done their homework, researching their wish list purchase online, and are fully prepared to seek out their treasures. I am confident that they will make some really good choices and get the most out of their available money. But even if they falter they will be better for the experience, and will do better next time they are faced with The Black Friday Hunt!
SMILE On!
ML
Miss Lori can be found Musing from her Minivan at MissLori.TV , Wearetherealdeal.com and ChicagoMomsBlog. You can also see her Activating to Be Great at Miss Lori’s CAMPUS on Youtube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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