Midnight Madness
Desperate for a really traditional first Thanksgiving, there was only one thing we could do at the end of the evening. Go shopping!
The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, because it is meant to ensure that stores will end their year "in the black", pretty important when the whole country appears to be teetering on the breach of a recession. Ever keen to support the American economy, we left Bif and Buffy's for Premium Outlets, who were having a Midnight Madness Event. They weren't wrong in calling it this, but not for the reason we had hoped.
The discount mall is a 10 minute drive from where we live. Four miles of the journey is on a tollway.
The journey to the main road was fun. It was bitterly cold, the roads were empty and we were full of turkey.
"That's pretty," I said to Ross, looking ahead a little. "Look at all those lights."
"There're lights at the back of cars," he replied. "Looks a little busy."
An hour later we had moved four inches. The dashboard told us the fuel tank was empty, and Ross was bursting for the loo.
"There must have been an accident," Ross grumbled, suddenly finding nothing to be thankful for.
"I'm not so sure," I said, watching him trying to drive another two inches with his legs crossed.
"You know how everything tends to be a bit larger than life here. I reckon this is all for the sales."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ross snapped, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Whenever we've had this sort of thing before in England, it's always been down to an accident somewhere."
I don't like to say "I told you so" (well, obviously I do), but after two hours had elapsed we saw the mall in our sights, and well...I told you so.
It was as if every car in America had decided to descend on one small outlet mall in the middle of the mid-west. What were they doing? Giving away free gold bars? I couldn't imagine where they would all park. And once inside a store?! Who would want to queue for 6 hours to pay for a shirt reduced by 20%? (Well Ross probably, but certainly not me).
So to sum up, we spend 2 hours 50 minutes driving four miles in 23F finishing at 3 o'clock in the morning. We could have almost driven to Canada in that time had the roads been clear. We ended up driving straight past the mall and turning around to sail home on the other side of the road, which was naturally clear. The return journey took eight minutes.
This year has been one of starting new traditions for us. Not sure I'll be repeating this one!
The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, because it is meant to ensure that stores will end their year "in the black", pretty important when the whole country appears to be teetering on the breach of a recession. Ever keen to support the American economy, we left Bif and Buffy's for Premium Outlets, who were having a Midnight Madness Event. They weren't wrong in calling it this, but not for the reason we had hoped.
The discount mall is a 10 minute drive from where we live. Four miles of the journey is on a tollway.
The journey to the main road was fun. It was bitterly cold, the roads were empty and we were full of turkey.
"That's pretty," I said to Ross, looking ahead a little. "Look at all those lights."
"There're lights at the back of cars," he replied. "Looks a little busy."
An hour later we had moved four inches. The dashboard told us the fuel tank was empty, and Ross was bursting for the loo.
"There must have been an accident," Ross grumbled, suddenly finding nothing to be thankful for.
"I'm not so sure," I said, watching him trying to drive another two inches with his legs crossed.
"You know how everything tends to be a bit larger than life here. I reckon this is all for the sales."
"Don't be ridiculous," Ross snapped, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Whenever we've had this sort of thing before in England, it's always been down to an accident somewhere."
I don't like to say "I told you so" (well, obviously I do), but after two hours had elapsed we saw the mall in our sights, and well...I told you so.
It was as if every car in America had decided to descend on one small outlet mall in the middle of the mid-west. What were they doing? Giving away free gold bars? I couldn't imagine where they would all park. And once inside a store?! Who would want to queue for 6 hours to pay for a shirt reduced by 20%? (Well Ross probably, but certainly not me).
So to sum up, we spend 2 hours 50 minutes driving four miles in 23F finishing at 3 o'clock in the morning. We could have almost driven to Canada in that time had the roads been clear. We ended up driving straight past the mall and turning around to sail home on the other side of the road, which was naturally clear. The return journey took eight minutes.
This year has been one of starting new traditions for us. Not sure I'll be repeating this one!
posted by Hilary at
9:19 AM
2 Comments:
Well, well, well, well... did I say "Well" enough? Our experience at the new "Philadelphia Premium Outlets" was so eerily similar. Our journey was about 40 miles. Mapquest stated 53 minutes. It was a balmy 43 degrees. We set out at 23:40, a tad late due to none other than the gbf's delay in getting ready. OK, I was driving, what's the big deal? We drove the first 39 miles in 40 minutes... GREAT! The final 1 mile took a whopping 70 minutes. Ok, so I took care of bodily functions and petrol in advance. However, with my foot on the clutch for a whopping 70 minutes, my nerves were frazzled. We did arrive and the bargains were far from stellar. We managed to later even brave J.C. Penney and Sears and then a local diner. By the time we arrived home at 8:30 AM, I was shot (or at least should have been)! I'm all for a bargain... but I'll stick to T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, HomeGoods, and Ross Stores (Yes, it should have been named after him because they really do have bargains.)
After the crowds we experienced here and obviously those you experienced in Aurora, if the reports show anything other than high sales numbers, then I know things are skewed -- Capitalism at it's best!
A Toast to a Good Bargain -- just not at midnight on Black Friday!
By
Unknown, at 1:02 PM
I hope that I was in your thoughts throughout this experience! I have to battle the traffic, rudeness and the hopes of finding a parking space to be at work on time. I also have to be gracious and calm at some of these idiots because I may also have the honor of assisting them at my cosmetics counter. A Happy Holiday Season to All! Will this be on your Saks Fifth Avenue charge account?
By
Placido, at 10:50 PM
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