Black Friday 2008

My daughter gently tapped on my bedroom door and asked, Mommy are you going shopping on Black Friday?” The time was about 5:30 a.m. and I had missed the 5:00 a.m. shopping starting line up at Wal-Mart. So, I turned over on my bed and flipped a pillow saying “I don’t know. There are some $2 movies that I wanted to kind of take a look at.” I turned over on my bed again flipping the pillow. Then I just could not resist thoughts of great bargains and got out of bed. I groomed and threw on some clothes and tapped on my daughter’s door. “Want to come along? No, Mommy, she replied, I will go later.” My oldest daughter was lying on the couch in the living room exhausted from movie going and the plane flight from California. She did not even flip her pillow. She kindly declined and I was out of the patio door into the SUV on the way to Black Friday at Wal-Mart. By this time, it was about 6:15 a.m. and the sun had not shown its face. I drove the few miles or so thinking that this is the first time this year I had gone bargain shopping for the holidays. I normally start much earlier. As the stars twinkled above and the car lights glared from the Wal-Mart parking lot, I rolled the SUV into its parking zone. I thought, my oh my, am I this late to a major shopping event? Cars were lined up exiting the store, shoppers having all taken advantage of the early morning bargains. I parked the vehicle at the back outskirts of the parking area adjacent to Starbucks and Taco Bell. I was quite sure there were no closer parking spaces. I entered the store spying large boxes of electronics stacked on carts of shoppers who had not flipped there pillows. These shoppers must have been there at shopping starting time. I walked and watched embracing the merriment of the occasion. Hoping the shoppers would not mind, I eyed their bargains as I walked to the department superstore. A police car parked at the store’s entrance signified the hindrance of grapping shoppers or likely shoplifters. I walked into the Wal-Mart and pulled a cart from its place in line for shopper’s convenience. Wow! The $2 movies were at the front of the store boxed in bright red corrugated compartments. A closer look, however; showed that some of these movies ranged in prices from $2, to $5, to $6, to $9 and even up to $14.97. Another curious shopper must have been on the same thought pattern. She (unnamed) said loudly, “the green tagged ones (movies) are priced at $2.” Let the shopping begin! I dumped duplicates of “Million Dollar Baby” and “The Good Girl” in my cart. Buy one get one free meant that some of these movies would only cost $1. I did not resist the offer of “Borat.” You buy the movie and get a free t-shirt. Let me figure this out. A white tee shirt for each kid means that I would have to buy six packages. No limits. I just piled the cart full of these bargains and lulled as many “Borat” movies into my cart as possible. Now it is time to count. Let’s see. Almost a hundred movies with a $100 allowance meant that I have gone over the allowance by about $100. I grabbed another convenient cart left by a shopper who had probably changed his or her mind about shopping. Quite selectively, I picked and chose a representative sample of the movies keeping within budget. One shopper spying my dual shopping carts stated, “You will be watching movies forever.” Being the honest person I am, I told her “at a profit.” She smiled as I wheeled the cart to the cashier for checkout. Scanning all of those movies for her was a big job and I could sense her inquisitive nature about a shopper buying so many movies. I told her that I only wanted to purchase the $2 movies, implying she could pull any priced over that amount. She obliged and five or six bags of movies later, I was on my way out of Wal-Mart. Greeters at the door tasked with spotting shoplifters looked at my receipt. Assured that all on the receipt balanced with the contents of the carts, she ushered me out of the store. I took my bags of movies and left the cart inside where it was last checked. Sunlight welcomed me outside where I again saw the police car parked. I walked the long distance carrying my bags to the parked car and wearily opened the back door. I intended to store my bargains there until I got back to my apartment. Placing one bag beside the bag of organic potting soil purchased previously from the same store, I downloaded a few more bags.

Suddenly, I encountered an unwanted interruption at the conclusion of my shopping trip. A stocky black curly hair topped olive skinned Hispanic appeared out of no where and asked or should I say demanded under his breath,” Give me your purse.” I saw that he was serious and he again uttered under his breath, “Give me your purse.” He said these words in a tone as if a secret was being shared. I did not panic or run. My first instinct was to look for help, after all I was alone. Being the polite person, that I am, I responded and answered him twice, “No!” “No!” I backed away from him and the vehicle looking for someone to help me. A few steps back was a car parked in the driving part of the parking lot and I looked inside for help. The man inside had on a black do-rag and had huge oval eyes. I was quick to think and I realized that this man was of no help at all. He looked at me as to say “Lady how do you expect him (the would-be robber) to get away?” The person who I looked briefly to for help was the accomplice to the curly haired rude intruder. Trying to think fast and to stay on my feet, I backed further away from the dull beige colored car. The back light of the car was shaped like the accomplice’s eyes. I look up again and the big burly guy had gotten back into the car and now the two of them were yards away from me. Surprisely, not shaken, I walked the length of the driveway of the parking lot in front of several cars until I found help. My help was a young couple pushing their cart to a car about five car lengths away from mine. They were a youthful couple both petite with dark hair. I told them that I had been accosted for my purse and asked if the two of them would walk with me back to my car. I gestured to a car that looked liked the perpetrators and the two almost simultaneously asked me if everything was alright. I completed loading my movies into the back of the vehicle. I told my two helpers that I was alright again and they went on to their car. I got back into my car and immediately dialed 911 on my cellular telephone. I did not drive away which is rather odd. It seemed as though I would have been scrambling to get out of that vicinity. I supposed it was just unreal to me that these events had happened. Calmly, the dispatcher asked me questions about the call. She asked if an officer should come out. I told her I was calling because I did not want anyone else to go through what I deem now to be a traumatic experience. She asked where my car was parked. I told her the car was parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot backed to Princess Anne Road. She asked me which way the would be robbers had fled. I told her east to Lynnhaven Parkway.

On the way back to the apartment, I met my two daughters parked getting ready to go on their delayed Black Friday adventure. My daughter was warming up her car and I was not sure if she was in the car. I walked up and told them quite maternally that they should have gotten up and went with me for safety. (I had called one of my daughters immediately after talking to the 911 dispatcher.) The two of them sat there quietly and I saw that the patio door to the apartment was not secured with the safety bar. They said they had told their brother to put the bar in it for security. I told my son my story and for I told him to secure the door. I also told the estranged husband my story. The first logically said I should not have gone out alone. The latter said that religious faith saved me. I do not know what saved me. I am just happy to be alive and well with my purse and all of my belongings. I will not flaunt a designer purse again. I will not ever shop alone on Black Friday again except online. I will not shop alone in the early morning hours. The estranged husband said the would be robbers expected me to just turn over my purse. I had been holding on to a $500.00 child support payment for about a week and did not have the intentions of giving it up. That statement sounds irrational now, but I think that is why I said “No!” “No!” I know I should have given up the purse and screamed help or fire. I would like to say to the would be robbers:

“I am not better off than you. I was shopping at a discounted department store. Crime does not pay.”

They say that there is safety in numbers. The old adage me, myself, and I will not fly because women are not safe alone. I shall shop and travel with friends. I also called my daughter who’s away in Kansas attending K State University and told her to get a buddy or friend to trek across the campus. I told her of my ordeal and I pray that she will listen and obey.

Black Friday 2008 gave me bargains but an experience that I have learned from and heed the warnings. The $2 movies were not worth the trip to Wal-Mart. Cyber- Monday will be a safer venture for my bargain hunting and I can shop alone frights less.