I don’t do it, but I think it’s great.
As far as being exhausted and leaving family, the author has obviously never been in a family like mine. Nothing gets a bunch of women excited like running out and getting a great sale.
People I know get up and get out, and have a great time together. They plan for it together, arrange things together, pile in the car and coordinate the running. They come home with piles of stuff, excited and talking and ready for lunch.
There is something inherently conservative and capitalist about getting out and getting great deals, and saving money!
I used to think it was great, although I never did it myself because I was always the one at home making the lunch! But it has become, in my mind, a media event and I don’t like the whole reality-TV stampede aspect of it.
I don’t think that it has anything to do with capitalism and it’s ugly seeing people clawing at each other to get in and save a few dollars on something they probably wouldn’t have bought anyway otherwise.
I particularly didn’t like it this year, because starting it so early meant that people left your Thanksgiving dinner or “after party” (drinks and snacks for people who had gone to dinners elsewhere) by about 8:00 pm so they could get to the parking lot at Wal-Mart in time to buy a Barbie at 10:00 pm.
I heard from somebody else today who said her entire dinner was uncomfortable because one family member was really obssessed with getting to some store (she never said which one) that was opening early so she could save $20 on some appliance...
I think it’s gone from being fun to being insane. And it’s going to destroy Thanksgiving.