Never before have I ventured into the world of Black Friday shopping and my first foray into this sport showed what a novice I really am! Cindy and I left Ozark around 11 last night and while driving south on 65 to Branson I commented on the number of vehicles heading the same way – that should have been our first clue! We purposely took the back way into the mall to avoid Highway 76 and about half a mile from the mall we started down a hill to the last intersection and came to a screeching halt. As far as we could see, the road was glowing in red lights – no, not Christmas decorations but the brake lights from all the cars in front of us! Obviously we weren’t the only idiots heading to Tanger Mall for their midnight opening.
We sat there for about 15 minutes making progress only when someone in front of us gave up or cut across to go south in the north-bound lane. Because cars were feeding into the intersection from east and west, often no cars in our lane got through during a green light. We discussed the behavior of several who tried to jump ahead of the pack by driving to the front on the shoulder and finding a kind-hearted soul to allow them to break into the que. Knowing the size of the mall parking lot and judging from the line of cars headed the same way, we finally decided to call it a night and came home.
If we’re crazy enough to attempt this same stunt next year we figure we need to have a better strategy – or just stay home and shop online which is how I plan to shop today! Merry Mastercard and a Happy Visa to you!
