Due to my aborted Thanksgiving plans, I was able to partake in the ritual of early morning Black Friday shopping for the first time. That’s some crazy shit. I had bought a newspaper yesterday to come up with a plan.

5:00AM – Best Buy – Apparently, a lot of people camp out for this one. The parking lot overflowed, and the line to get in wrapped around the adjacent Barnes & Noble and to the back of the building. My goal was get a Samsung 19″ widescreen LCD monitor for $129.99. The computer section was completely packed, but I was able to find shortcut to where the monitors were sitting. To my surprise, there were still five monitors left. When I finally got to the cashier, to my surprise, I watched the monitor ring up $234.99. I realized I had picked up the 938BW model. It was the 930BW that had been the doorbuster, and that model had likely sold-out twenty minutes earlier.

5:30AM – Belk – Belk had opened at 5, and the mall parking lot was packed. I wanted to get some new luggage, which unlike the monitor, I really have needed. Apparently, people don’t camp out for luggage. So I got a 4-piece set (supposedly “regularly-price” at $200) for $59.99. Granted, Target has a 5-piece set for $59.99, but that regular-price of $200 on the set I purchased leads me to believe that this set might be slightly better made than Target’s. (Of course, it may not be at all).

6:10AM – Target – It opened at 6 and was not mobbed, probably because they lacked any morning-only specials. I recalled having seen a 19″ LCD monitor in their circular, but I thought it was closer to $200 and was not a widescreen. To my surprise, Target had run the wrong picture in their circular. The traditionally-shaped monitor was indeed $199.99, but the widescreen model was actually on sale for $149.99, and so I grabbed it. It’s a Westinghouse, who I don’t believe are known for their monitors. But it will do the trick, and I will finally free up some space on my computer desk.

6:45AM – Staples – I just wanted to pop in there to see what they had. It was here that I made my impulse buy of the morning. I go through one computer desk chair every two years or so. I always want to buy a high-quality chair, but I always settle for a mid-quality chai, usually for around $100. My current chair’s vinyl arms and canvas seat have been tearing, but it was difficult to turn down the chance to get a regularly-priced $150 leather executive chair for $59.99 (and I really do think the $150 is the normal price; the legs and wheels are steel, not plastic). So, with apologies to PETA, I bought this chair. I’ll probably bring the old chair to work, since it’s much more comfortable than OIT’s standard cubicle chair.

I haven’t even added up how much I spent yet — 60 + 150 + 60 = $270. Ok, that’s not terrible. As of a few months ago, a 19″ LCD monitor would’ve gone for $270, so today I got the monitor plus new luggage and a new chair.