Rhys on Black Friday

 RHYS BOWEN:  It's Black Friday. So who has just returned from standing outside Best Buy or Target since four this morning? 

 Uh, not me. Not now. Never.  At least, I confess John and I once got caught up in Black Friday, before we knew better Many years ago when money was tight we did go to Fry's electronics and bought several Christmas gifts at greatly reduced prices. Then when we went to pay for them we saw that the checkout line went around the whole four walls of the store. We put the stuff back and said nothing is worth that amount of inconvenience. We've never been back since.

I suppose Black Friday was a bigger deal before the internet. The only occasion when parents could score Christmas gifts for their kids at a price they could afford.  Now so many things are advertised at Black Friday prices online that it's easy to get bargains without leaving the house.  I remember from my childhood the whole spectacle of the January sales in London. Prices stayed the same all year in those days until January when all the winter items suddenly were reduced. Women (never men, you notice) would line up outside Selfridges and all the big department stores. They opened on the dot of nine and the crowd of hysterical women surged forward, not caring who they trampled underfoot, grabbing stuff they didn't really want just to get it before someone else did.  

My family never went to the sales and only watched it on the TV news that night. I suppose we've never been that much into stuff. We now have two large TV sets, but only because our kind children have bought them for us. I've never owned anything by Gucci, Prada or any of those.  Correction: when my first YA novel came out, back in 1980, I got a small box at Christmas time from my publisher, Bantam. I put it under the tree, thinking it would be a plastic something because it was so light. When I opened it on Christmas morning my jaw dropped open when I saw the Tiffany box. Inside was a silver heart that said, "We wish they all could be California Girls" (the title of my book).  It's one of the nicest gifts I've ever received.

Actually I have a story about Gucci. We were on a flight and John was sitting across the aisle from an older woman, fashionably dressed. When we landed he got up and said, "Would you like me to get your bag down for you?"

    "It's the Gucci," she said, waving a dismissive hand.

    My British aristocrat husband said, "Madam, I have no idea who or what a Gucci is."

    She was speechless!

So if you didn't go shopping today and the weather is fine do what I'm going to do and get out into nature. Go and breathe fresh air and relax after all that turkey and pumpkin pie. You'll find the trails and parks are empty because everyone else is shopping!

But do tell if anyone scored bargains today! I love hearing about others successes.