I am reading lots of Black Friday horror stories today of people fighting, shooting and trampling each other. As bad as these stories are I suspect there are many more positive stories, like mine.
After our early afternoon Thanksgiving meal I drove my sister, nephew and mother to their respective homes I drove across the bay and went to a Target near my home. I joined the queue at 7:50 and by 8:30 I was in the doors and finally found my way to the special line snaking through the grocery department dedicated to TVs and Apple products on sale.
The people in front of me were chatty and nice. One woman in particular showed me pictures and told me stories about her beautiful and bright "miracle" daughter who came later in life after a decade plus of infertility and a dozen rounds of IVF. She wanted to get an iPad she could share with her child.
We hoped that we would make it to the point where employees had a makeshift stockroom and be handed the device of our choice. We all agreed that it was worth the wait to give it a shot and that it hadn't been too painful to try. As we reached the last "U" of our line we saw the racks of product and there were tall stacks of the iPad minis and smaller stacks of iPad Airs that one gentleman in front of me quickly counted and compared to a rough count of the people ahead of us. We were safe! And then employees opened up boxes and stacked some more so people behind us in line, anxious bumping man behind me included, would be too.
I couldn't see how many people were in line behind me but I hope that everyone who wanted something was able to get it. Certainly I appreciated that the store had stocked so much of the special, highly discounted products they heavily advertised. While I waited, I saw many people pushing their carts with big flat screen TVs filling them and I also checked out a few other items that had caught my eye from the circular and was pleasantly surprised that even two hours after opening there were scores of the items still on the shelves.
Just before I reached the head of the line, there was some confusion among the employees about what was left in stock but even though a few people ahead of me who asked for the same item I hoped to get were initially told erroneously that the store had run out of the configuration they requested or that they were getting the last one, the mistaken employees were quickly corrected and the customers handed what they had waited for. And so was I. An employee then walked me directly to a register rather than making me wait in another line and two hours after I arrived, with discounts and trade-in value, I was able to replace my aging first generation iPad that I could no longer update with a brand new Air for less than half price.
There was no trampling, stampeding, hurting or rudeness that I observed. People seemed upbeat and positive, helped by being able for the most part to be able to find the bargains they came to find, for which I give Target kudos for smart management. Hopefully it was a fun family activity for those who shopped and the employees working were happy to have the hours and they weren't taken away from their families.
As I left I saw the woman I had chatted with in line and told her how much I enjoyed meeting and talking with her. I appreciated how she had helped the time pass quickly for me. She wished me a Merry Christ..., caught herself mid-word, and said "Happy Holidays" instead. I celebrate Christmas so that would have been welcome but even if I did not I would appreciate the kindness and offering.
During the SF Bat Kid day I saw many tweets from people who said their faith in humanity was restored. I like to think that the goodwill generated that day confirmed rather than restored my faith in humanity. People are mostly good but too often what gets our attention and sells media are the stories of the worst of human behavior. My hope is that's because those stories are the exception and therefore shocking. As a result we don't hear the stories of Black Friday shopping that was fun, efficient under the circumstances and successful. We do hear the manufactured outrage that we must bid a "Merry Christmas" otherwise we are destroying the holiday or that only "Happy Holidays" is acceptable to avoid offense rather than spreading the notion that any kindness is better than no kindness at all.
However you spent Thanksgiving or Black Friday, I hope you spent your days contendedly. And I hope your holiday, however and whatever you celebrate or don't, are as happy as they can be.
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