My earliest Thanksgiving memory actually takes place in foggy ole London town many, many years ago (I think I was still rocking the ‘90s bangs at that point). Anyway, I was enrolled in an American Community School, so come November, we learned about the early settlers and their harvest feast known as the first Thanksgiving. I was assigned to pilgrim duty that year and can still vividly recall the outfit I was forced to wear, the food I happily devoured and the boy whose attention I tried so desperately to command.

Fast forward a decade or two (technically two and change), get rid of the bangs, and here I sit, counting down the days until I hop on a plane to be reunited with my family in Austin, Texas, to celebrate another Thanksgiving. Being a “foreign” family we don’t have any tried-and-true traditions that have been passed along over the years. Instead, we have adopted our own and are always happy to throw a new one into the mix.

This year, my mother, sister and I will attempt something we never dreamed we’d try. After hearing the good, the bad and the extremely ugly, we maintained that we would never subject ourselves to that which they call “Black Friday.” But this year, for reasons unbeknownst to me, my mother decided that we would give it a whirl.

So, being the type of person who likes to be fully prepared, I did some digging online and found that there are several variations of “Survival Guides” and “Best Practices” for those who dare take on the mobs, the lines and “Mortal Kombat”-style mentality.

Here are a few tips and tricks I found that may come in handy:

• Dress appropriately. You don’t want to be standing in line freezing your booty off! Layers are good so you can strip them off once inside the heated store.
• Do not under any circumstances get a shopping cart. Once inside the store, you’ll observe people pushing and trying to maneuver their way down the aisles. If you have a cart, it will make it all the more difficult. A cart-free person can move faster and between people.
• Shop with a partner. In my case I’m going with two partners. This not only allows us to split up and get items more easily but there are few people in this world who offer more honest opinions than my sister and mother.
• Know what you’re looking for before you get there. If you can head straight for the item you want, you’ll have a better chance of getting it before it’s sold out. If it’s a store you’re not familiar with or in a different city, you can even visit it before Black Friday to get the layout.
• Make friends. Goodness only knows how long you’ll be standing in those lines waiting to purchase your bounty. What better time than to make a few friends? You never know when you might need someone to hold your place in line while you jet off to use the facilities.

Obvious yes, but let’s not forget that this is Black Friday we are talking about. The excitement and the adrenaline can easily take over so study the above long and hard. And good luck to me and to you if you are choosing to be as daring as me and my family.

What tips would you share with a newbie?

By Genevieve Jooste (Social Media Coordinator)