Preparing for Black Friday (a giveaway)

Today was an unseasonably warm day in North East Ohio. When I headed out to take my son to a friend's house and make a quick stop at Target, I was amazed by the number of people that were putting up their Christmas lights. Why hadn't I thought of that? Of course, it is so much more fun to put them up in the freezing cold!

Seeing all of the Christmas lights made me think about how close Christmas really is. In less than two weeks, I will be hitting the stores along with thousands of other crazy people, to partake in the tradition of Black Friday.

I can remember going shopping on Black Friday ever since I was a little girl. I would get up early and go with my mom and my grandma. We would start our day at Elder Beerman - they always gave away a $10 on $25 coupon for the first of the shoppers. Then, we would head over to the mall and would meet up with my aunt and cousin and the group that they were shopping with for lunch at the mall.

When I was a "grown up", I can remember having to work on a few Black Fridays, but that didn't stop me from heading to the store - after all, the mall opened so early in the morning, that I could shop and still get to work on time. The one year that I remember, was the year that I headed to KB Toys to get the Deluxe Scrabble game for my mom. I got there and there was a line outside of the store, I waited in it, knowing that I only needed the one item and could see that it was in the front of the store. Only catch was, that the way things were organized, you had to snake through the entire store to get to the check out. I knew that there was no way that I could wait in that line and still make it to work on time. So, as I stood in line, I pleaded my case with another shopper that was close to checkout. She agreed to put the game on her purchase and I gave her cash to pay for it and was able to avoid waiting in the long line. The only catch was that I wouldn't be able to return it, but I was fairly comfortable that my mom wouldn't want to return it.

I like to be prepared before heading to the store for Black Friday. I spend part of Thanksgiving combing the ads and determining what store is best to hit first and which ones I need to get to by a certain time. I set out my clothes and a quick breakfast to go before heading to bed on Thanksgiving night.

This year, BJ's is offering to provide 4 (four) of my readers with a Black Friday survival kit.

BJ’s Wholesale Club is kicking off this holiday shopping season by offering major savings for Black Friday on its wide selection of top quality, name-brand products, including gifts you may be surprised to find! We all know that Black Friday isn’t all fun and games as proper preparation leads to less headaches and optimum savings!

From snacks to keep your energy up to hot drinks to stay warm while waiting in line, items included in BJ’s Black Friday Survival Kits will get [you] ready for the busiest shopping day of the year! [They]’ve also included multiple items to help plan your shopping strategy, like Black Friday tips directly from [their] Facebook fans and BJ’s complete Black Friday coupon book to use in-Club. The coupon book contains tremendous savings on the newest technology for TV’s (think 3D!), electronics like notebook computers, wireless printers and touch screen cameras, and small appliances from a digital convection toaster oven to a 20-bottle wine cellar! If you’re not a BJ’s member, don’t worry – [they]’ll include a free 60-Day trial membership, too.

In addition, one lucky winner will receive a surprise “hidden gem” in BJ’s Black Friday Survival Kit: a unique item guaranteed to provide relaxation after the stresses of Black Friday!

Giveaway
To enter: Leave a comment sharing your favorite Black Friday memories.

Additional Entries (leave a comment for each additional entry):

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Giveaway will remain open until November 18th at 6 am and is open to residents of US only. Winners will be selected using Random.org random number generator. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (Please make sure that your email address is either in your comment or clearly visible on your profile or blog) and will have 18 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. (Has to be quick, so that the Black Friday Survival Kits can be sent to you in time for Black Friday!)

"Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States." You can also find BJ's Wholesale on Twitter and Facebook.

No compensation was received for this post. BJ's Wholesale is providing me with a Black Friday Survival Kit, as well as four to giveaway to A Busy Mom of Two readers. All opinions shared are solely my own.