How To Survive Black Friday in Lower Alabama
Remember how you used to spend the day after Thanksgiving? Relaxing on your couch in your pajamas, watching reruns and munching on leftover pecan pie. Now, we wake up ridiculously early, grab our pumpkin lattes and camp out in the freezing cold at the big box stores. But why do we put ourselves through this? Is it to only save $10 on a $600 big-screen television? You bet your Butterball turkey it is. If you want to survive Black Friday in Lower Alabama, you’re going to need some help and that is where I come in…
Do Your Homework
One of the many benefits of living in Lower Alabama is that we have a great selection of shopping destinations. The shopping choices are endless down here from our dozens of local shops to the malls and boutiques. And boy, do these stores make it rain when it comes to Black Friday deals. Before you head out in the November cold (that will turn into the November heat by the end of the day), it’s important to study those sale ads like they’re a midterm exam.
Plan an Itinerary
Imagine yourself as your shopping team’s cruise director for the day. Collect all the sales ads and coupons and get together an itinerary. Plan everything from the time you start, which stores to hit up, where to eat and where the best restrooms are located (the last is probably the most important). You don’t want to look like a deer in headlights when you enter the stores (because your fellow shoppers can smell fear).
Assemble Your Crew
Assemble your best gang of gals as a Black Friday Special Ops team whose main duty to secure those deals. Sisters, cousins, old BFF’s all make the perfect shopping squad. And don’t underestimate Me-Maw. She’s probably more prepared than you with her wallet packed with coupons and her trusty coffee tumbler. Don’t hesitate to invite a guy or two (i.e., husband, Paw – Paw). They’ll come in handy as the designated “purse holder” as you delve deep into the crowds.
Stay in Your Lane
Not only will the stores be packed but so will the roads. And since hardly anyone practices traffic etiquette 99% of the time, Black Friday is no exception. Remember to pack some snacks and your patience because you’ll need both as you sit in Black Friday traffic for hours on end.
Hydrate
If you got an early start on your Black Friday shopping, then chances are you are on your eighth cup of coffee. And it’s not even 9:00 AM. Remember to stay hydrated by filling up your portable alkaline water container from Peak Alkalinity. You’ll stay refreshed and hydrated allowing you to continue on your shopping journey.
Black Friday in Lower Alabama is nothing to be afraid of if you come prepared. Just imagine yourself at the end of the day… in front of that 65-inch television, you saved $10 on while you devour the last piece of pecan pie.
When Life Hands You Grapes by Michelle Murrill 