Friday Craziness

Yes - I succumbed to the "Black Friday" frenzy.  Menard's had an amazing deal of wood flooring starting Friday and ending Sunday.  I called over to Menard's in Terre Haute on Wednesday and asked if they even had the flooring and the guy assured me that they did and they had "a lot of it".  So after debating on whether to get up at 4 and be over there by 5 (6 Indiana time), I decided I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. 
Friday Morning - 4AM - I am thinking "Oh dear Lord, what was I thinking".  I was out the door by 4:10, stopped and filled the truck up in Paris and was on my way.  I pulled into Menard's right at 5 and barely found a place to park.  There were a few parking spaces but for little cars - so I joined a few other vehicles and  parked in the front road that goes infront of the stores and just a few yards down from the garden center doors - which were not open. The line stretched from the front doors down to the end of the parking lot and back up a little ways.  By the time I parked and walked up to the doors it was halfway down the parking lot.  Some people were waiting for the line to end but I just walked to the end and was in the store before 50 other people (a small success).  I find the flooring, take the last big cart, and find the flooring.  2 guys are loading this stuff up like it's nothing.  So I get my cart close, jump in their little line, and grab the 1st box.  Wow, was it a lot heavier than I thought - actually too heavy.  I was slow and it was heavy.  My cart had parked them in and I was definitely prohibiting their loading.  One guy was seemed nice and his wife was there and smiled at me.  I looked at the guy and said " I really hate to ask this, but if you load my cart I can get myself and the cart out of your way. "  His wife just smiled really big and he, maybe somewhat grudgingly, said ok.  He probably didn't realize I needed 17 boxes but he was a trooper and did it anyway.  Thank God for nice people.  The stack was going pretty quick, it was hotter than Hades, and I was more in people's way than I was doing myself any good. 
So now I have this loaded down cart that weighs a TON - and I'm trying to manuever it through a mass flow of people.  The carts have no brakes, obviously, and I really have to lean into the cart to get it going.  I'm sure the sight was pretty histarical.  So after some appologizing and some excuse me's I made it across the busy aisle and started trying to cut through random aisles to get to the check out.  On the way I found $5 toilet seat lids (originally $20) so I grabbed 2 of those for the house and a nice hamper set for the baby's room for $20 (originally $40).  So I get into the main aisle and join the flow to the checkouts.  Big guys are carrying 2-3 electric fireplaces.  Women have their arms loaded so high with stuff that they can't see over it - some even just laid it on the floor infront of them and shoved it along in line.  CRAZY.
I then realize that I parked right next to the garden center doors - but it looks like cutting through all these lines looks pretty insane and I have no clue whether they are even checking people out over there.  Then they make an announcement that they ARE checking people out over there. I figure that even by the time I fight my way through I will still be out of the store before I would if I stayed put.  So I start manuevering my way through.  People were really nice and moved out of the way and some even pushed the cart a little bit.  On the way to the check out I passed $5 soft gun cases and bow cases - so a few of those were picked.  Heck - why not right?!


I check out and the lady keeps counting how many boxes she rang up, over and over and over.  Then she goes, "I thought I might have got one extra - yup I did' and she deletes one off.  She gives me the total and it is lower than what I thought it was going to be but at this point I am trying to write my 2nd check for the purchase b/c the 1st one she thought she had overcharged me.  Thankfully the Menard's guy loads the truck for me and I am on my way in no time.   I left the house at 4 and was back by 6:30.  I left the boxes for JM to unload and went in the house and was looking at the receipt.  She did take a box off the receipt but only charged me for 16 not the 17 boxes I had.  Oh well.  At the bottom of the ticket - which was just for the flooring b/c I bought it out of our "home improvement account" - it said I had a savings of $420!  420 DOLLARS!!!  I would say that was worth the getting up at 4 am and dealing with hundred of people inside one store.