Black Friday: The day after Thanksgiving that begins the holiday shopping season.

      For me,  not so much. This year Black Friday for me meant getting up early to go to my dreadful job. Instead of sleeping in the extra hour after a nice Thanksgiving break, I was forced to wake up at 9, because the place I work opened an hour earlier. I know what you’re thinking.  “9:00 is nothing, I didn’t even go to sleep. I had to be at work at 12PM.” Well first of all, I work at Red Robin. Who wants a burger at 10AM? Not me.  

    Since the mall opened several hours earlier than the restaurant at which I work, the mall parking lot was filled with bumper to bumper traffic. My morning was spent driving around the parking lot looking for a spot somewhat close to the perimeter of the building and dodging crazy shoppers. After parking about 15 miles away from my work, I arrived to find not 1 single customer in the restaurant. This continued for the next hour and a half. Tell me again what the reason was for me arriving an hour earlier. People come to the mall to go shopping, not to eat. In fact, I’m sure most Black Friday shoppers are willing to forgo eating so they can get the last purple sweatshirt with yellow stripes and blue polka dots on sale at Hollister for 65 dollars.

    My day’s duties included handing out coupons throughout the mall and seating people when necessary. (Which was not often, considering the lack of customers)  It was absolutely impossible to move outside of Red Robin. Sure, the deals at the mall are great. But is it really worth it to get nearly trampled after every step you take? I don’t think so.

    After finishing my first shift, I decided to do some holiday shopping of my own. It would have taken me 3 hours to get out of the parking lot and another 3 to get home with the ridiculous traffic anyway, so I might as well stay until my next shift. After spending the majority of my day in horrendous lines, I walked the 15 miles back to my car, proceeded to open my trunk while 2 people are already waiting in line for my spot.  To their dissatisfaction, I wasn’t going anywhere. Who really wants a spot that far away anyway?

    You will NEVER see me outside of my house on Black Friday ever again. Next year, remind me to take off so I do not need to be anywhere within 100 miles radius of a shopping center. Instead, I will be enjoying the rest of the leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie from the night before.