Black Friday Surprise! I didn't even have to elbow anyone at Wal-Mart: Fort Mill Times reporter give her personal account

Dec 02, 2008 (Fort Mill Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WMT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- I've always said that Black Friday shoppers are crazy. This year, though, count me among the bargain-seeking nuts.

I was finished Christmas shopping for my two daughters three weeks ago, but I felt like it was lacking something. I needed a gift with some real "wow" power, but like so many others this Christmas, I had pared down our gift budget in response to the rocky economy. I had very little left in their Christmas fund and wasn't sure I could find the perfect gift to round out our shopping.

Then, on the front of a Black Friday circular, I saw it. A life-sized Barbie doll, complete with clothes that will fit both girls, on sale for a bargain price. All I had to do to make her mine was get to the store before she sold out. Barbie went on sale at 5 a.m., so I knew I had to be there before the rest of the crowd.

At 4 a.m. Friday I awoke. By 4:30 a.m., my mother-in-law and I were piled into the car and already plotting our game plan.

Our expert plan was laid out as well as any "Ocean's 11" heist, but with higher stakes (We are talking about my kids' Christmas joy, after all). I would go in the store solo, so I could dart in and out of the cart easily. My mother-in-law would follow behind with the shopping cart, so I could deposit Barbie in the cart after securing her.

The streets leading to Wal-Mart were surprisingly quiet, and we pulled onto Stonecrest Boulevard with ease. I was starting to get confident.

"There's not going to be anyone here," I thought.

"I bet we'll just walk in and grab what we need."

I'm an idiot.

The parking lot was full of cars, but not a customer in sight. Walking inside, I saw why: Lines of customers wrapped around aisles and throughout the store, each line beginning at the front of a different department. They all waited for the magic hour -- 5 a.m. -- when items from the sales circular would officially be on sale and ready for purchase.

A line for ride-on Barbie Jeeps stretched from the toy department, at least 20 people long, toward sporting goods. A pallet of Kitchen Aid Mixers was surrounded by at least 10 customers, each with their hand on a mixer, claiming it as their own as soon as the clock struck 5 a.m. In electronics, people surrounded the checkout, each waiting to grab their discounted XBox games, $60 digital cameras and $2 DVDs.

Quantities of every item were limited, as I heard employees reminding customers frequently. Rain checks for items that sold out? Not a chance. The tension was palatable, as each customer jockeyed for position in line, hoping their item would still be available when they reached the electronics counter.

On a pallet in the middle of the madness, I saw her. Life-sized Barbie was surrounded by customers, confirming my worst fear that other parents had come to claim Barbie as their own.

I have a confession. I didn't wait until 5 a.m. to put the toy in my cart. I heard the announcement saying that I should. I knew I should leave it on the pallet until 5 a.m., but I couldn't do it. My fear of losing the Barbie and having to search for a replacement gift overwhelmed me, like some sort of bargain fever, but my bizarre need to be a rule follower overrode my desire for cheap toys. I stood near life-sized Barbie frozen, debating in my mind. Do I go against the rules and grab her before 5 a.m.? Do I wait like I'm supposed to and chance losing her?

I didn't have time to make the choice before my mother-in-law, a saint of a woman, walked over to the pallet and grabbed Barbie.

"I'm an old lady," she said. "What are they going to do to me?"

We shoved Barbie in the cart and wheeled her out of there as fast as I could.

As I pushed the cart away, I looked back towards the Barbie dolls, checking to see if anyone was going to yell at me or rat me out to the surprisingly cheerful-looking Wal-Mart employees that trolled the area. But not a single cry of protest erupted.

It was almost anticlimactic, as I realized that no one else was interested in life-sized Barbie. The lines of customers beside the pallet full of Barbie's were waiting for Wiis and Barbie Jeeps.

I was the sole lunatic that woke up at 4 a.m. for a life-sized Barbie.

Mission complete, and I didn't even get to elbow anyone.

Lines of customers wrapped around aisles and throughout the store, each line beginning at the front of a different department.

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