Black Friday.......and Bear Paws

I did survive Black Friday working at the store but boy could I tell stories. Those stories wouldn't necessarily be about this year's Black Friday experience but break room talk had some interesting recounts of year's past that made me think I was glad I wasn't around at those times.

Though the store was brimming with people when I arrived at 7 and the checkout lines where about 40 carts long in each line, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been. No one was killed or even beaten over the 48 inch flat screen TV's for $398 or whatever they were (shows you how much I care about big TVs) and there were no knock down drag out fights over the Bear Paws that were on sale for half price for the six hour sale even though they turned out to be one of the HOT items.

Although I must admit while navigating the return carts with Bear Paws on board I did get eyed by more than one salivating shopper wondering if they dared approach me for the coveted boots. At one point I was beginning to think a couple of particularly persistent customers were plotting an ambush against me and those return carts.

I didn't know if I should circle my wagons or call for reinforcements. Although I'm pretty sure if I'd needed saving no one could have gotten through the maze of shopping carts to save me anyways.

The attack never happened but I suspect it was only because they couldn't quite figure out if the boots I carried were the sizes they coveted. Had there been a real chance my cargo was exactly what they sought things might have turned out differently.

Patience seemed to be what those shoppers decided to try because they actually held out assaulting me until the boots were just about back on the display shelf. I could hear the thundering hooves behind me when I knew there really were no horses present. Whether those boots turned out to be the "correct" size or not, I have no way of knowing because I high tailed it outta there to save myself before making another round to collect returns.

If you're wondering, I did, indeed, collect more Bear Paws on subsequent trips to gather and restock returns. The routine with customers seemed to go pretty much the same until the dreaded six hour sale was over and the sale price was no longer in effect.

I don't know how many shoppers lost out on those darn boots but they were certainly the talk of the store. By the time I'd finished my shift for the day, I had blisters on both feet and I'd recovered 12 more boxes of Bear Paws from places they'd been dumped throughout the store. Those 12 pairs were the only ones left in the whole store.

Bear Paws were not the only thing people seemed to grab in larger numbers than they actually needed. For some reason each cart of returns was at least half full of socks. Kids socks, ladies socks, teenagers socks, boys socks, girls socks, men socks, work socks, play socks, you name it socks were all half price for that six hour sale. Frankly that wouldn't impress me enough to get me out of the house for a six hour sale but people were mobbed around those cases of open socks like there was something particularly coveted in there.

I don't know why so many socks were in the returns but I can only surmise people grabbed them up like in some feeding frenzy only to get to the check out stands having spent more money than expected. The obvious thing to cut back to bring their totals down just must have been those socks. So I spent a good part of my day sorting socks.........and other miscellaneous clothes and when I got home I was ready for a much needed nap