I shop online in my pajamas!

Carla, I have never gone. This year I will, though. My daughter ( 12 ) wants to go with her friend and the friend's older sister ( 23 ). They are going to get in line at 10:45 for a midnight opening. My daughter only has $50 to spend and most of the deals are on electronics. But it is a novelty for her. I am bringing chairs, blankets and thermoses of hot cocoa. Than I am retreating to the car with everything while the shop. I may go in after the mad dash so that I can take the younger girls while the older sister shops.

It has been all over the news here that it is turning into a month long Black Friday. And a women at Macy's told me that after this weekend and beginning around the 2nd week of Dec. prices are going to drop further. They are already preparing signs for it.

Maybe it is one of those "American" experiences that everyone should have once. : )

Interesting to read the different comments, and in particular from those who work retail during this time.

Jailene - your recounting of the 82 year old choosing to work is interesting. Many moons ago when I worked retail, I enjoyed working Christmas Eve! I worked in a privately owned bookstore, and we always had refreshments for the shoppers, and folks were for the most part in a good mood. I liked helping last minute shoppers choose books as gifts.

My sister-in-law and I get up around 6am and head out for a few hours of shopping and breakfast. It is our tradition and our time together and I wouldn't trade it for the world -- not even this year, when I don't even really have anything on my list to buy. After the craziness of a very loud thanksgiving dinner with 20 plus people there is nothing better than escaping the house in the wee hours with my close friend and meandering around. We've been doing it for years. If a store is too crowded we simply leave and try somewhere else. It's festive and fun and we don't take any of it too seriously. I love it.

I used to when it first started like half a decade ago. We would go to Macy's and grab appliances and Best Buy as well.

Nowadays, the better deals can be found online anyway and the stupid part was, we would go there in a rush only to find what we wanted was still in a huge pile at the bottom floor where NO ONE was. We never had to rush after all ><