Day 13 - Black Friday Bergner's Challenge

For anyone who has ever scoped out the ads after Thanksgiving Dinner and mapped out the Black Friday plan, you will appreciate this story.  Every year, Bergner's/ Carson Pirie Scott, includes a $10 coupon to spend in the store on Black Friday before 1pm.  The gimmick is to get you into the store and hope you spend a lot more than $10 by the time you reach the check-out counter.  With the opportunity for free stuff, we always added this store to our Black Friday map.  Over the years, Bergner's has changed the small print on the coupon to eventually only include non-sales items (which are nearly impossible to find on Black Friday when everything in the store is "on sale").

Last year we were feeling lazy and decided to spend our Black Friday sleeping in, laying around, and eventually wandering out to see what kind of fun we could find at the mall.  We had our Bergner's coupons in hand from 3 different newspapers and I had a last minute idea to make a game of it. Everyone in the car picked a teammate and had approximately ten minutes (it was 12:50pm when we reached the mall and the coupon expired at 1pm) to use their Bergners coupon to make a purchase.  They had to spend at least $10 to use the coupon and we declared that the winner would be the team that could spend the least amount of money out of their own pockets.  I was fortunate enough to be the driver so I got to sit in the car and hold our spot by the door while everyone else piled out like raging lunatics frantic to spend their Bergner's coupon.  We made quite a scene as Ted held the door closed so niece Kaitlyn couldn't get inside, and everyone else scattered thru the store.  My sister Sue and niece Kaitlyn were first to arrive back to the car with their jewelry purchase and only $2.47 spent out of their own pocket.  Next came Samantha and Ted.  After 2 rejections at the cash register, Ted explained the scenario and the clerk took pity on him, offering up the option of an electric toothbrush that was set up in a display in front of her.  They made it to the car before the buzzer, spending slightly less than the first contestants.  Text warnings started going out...2 minutes, 1 minute and we are departing for lunch...response, wait don't leave us!!!  Nephew Darin and Amber showed up seconds after the buzzer empty handed and very upset with Bergners for their trickery in advertising.  Amber was absolutely crushed that she wasn't able to purchase any of the cool $10 items she'd found, because of the fine print on her coupon.  Ted and Samantha took home the bragging rights and we left the mall to seek out lunch.

Lesson of the day for our carload of students...be sure you understand the terms of the "sale" or you'll come out empty-handed.  Good luck to you this Friday as you venture out into the chaos.  May you not be limited by the fine print.