The Best Buy Story

Apparently not everyone knows about our Best Buy experience two years ago. It was Thanksgiving 2006, my first MAJOR holiday away from my family since Easter back in college when I celebrated Easter with the Rossetti family (that was an experience). Since my family is in WI and Meg's is here we decided long ago that trying to do both families is an impossible task so we split Thanksgiving and Christmas and we visit one family for each...that family gets our full attention if possible for the holiday then!

Anyway, Thanksgiving in 2006 was our first year together and this was the first holiday to try this out. I was missing my family and adjusting to how another family does Thanksgiving (actually Patrick and Susan were hosting which was kind of fun). After the meal finished, we were perusing the Black Friday ads, laughing about people who wait outside in the cold when I notice MY television on the Best Buy ad. I had just accepted my new position earlier in the year and had some "bonus" money stewing in an account waiting for the right opportunity to buy myself a nice flat screen after years of suffering with a 27" for so long.

All of a sudden Patrick, Meg's brother, says hey a couple of friends and I were going to camp out at Best Buy tonight to get that TV along with some other deals.

I turned to Meghan and said "is this your families Thanksgiving tradition?" realizing that I just proposed the day before and I was wondering what kind of a family I was getting joining!

Luckily this was a first and not a tradition. The more I thought about it, getting an $1800 TV for $1000 was too good an offer to turn down and Meg and I decided to join Pat and his friends.

For our readers in distant lands (like California) this is a MUCH bigger commitment here than it is by you...temps that night were in the teens I think and Meg and I were both there from out of town and didn't pack for camping in the snow. We grabbed blankets from the Corcorans though and bundled as many layers on as we could and got to Best Buy at 6 pm...the day before! Doors opened at 6 am the next morning...yes 12 hours later.

I didn't know what to expect, I always laughed at people that did stuff like this! We got to Best Buy in Maplewood to be among the first 10 people in line...which means there were actually people that were there BEFORE 6 pm!! We brought our stuff out and staked our territory. The night was filled with cards, throwing around a football, and sneaking off for late night Perkins meals in small groups (while others stayed behind guarding our spot).

Around 4:30 am things started to get interesting. The line was now around the back of the building...it felt GREAT to be at the front.

People started gathering out front of the store, we assume to attempt to dash in front of us...which would have been a painful mistake for them I think.

The crowd grew restless at these people and eventually the cops showed up and one unlucky guy ended up with a football embedded in the side of his face! haha

Best Buy employees came out and went through the line one by one handing out certificates for the big ticket items we wanted in order of when we got there. Patrick and I each got our 42" Panasonic plasmas and we were both really happy. So that is what Black Friday is like for those of you who think we are crazy! It was a MUCH more fun experience than I expected but I think it comes down to whom you are with!