Snack Attacks...

            I know I am watching too much of the Food Network, but I am inspired for this week’s blog post.  Planning your meals for big shopping days is essential!  Black Friday can start anywhere from Midnight, or 4 A.M., or at Noon based on your personal shopping enthusiasm.  Jaime was in the checkout line at Toys R Us somewhere around midnight this year!!  The early bird gets the worm - or in this case the perfect present!
            Back to the food….  It is a good idea to have a protein packed breakfast to give you lasting energy for a great day of deal hunting.  I personally like the portability of an egg sandwich on an English muffin with Canadian bacon or real bacon.  I can wrap it in a paper towel and hit the road running.  If you want to delegate responsibility on the Big Day, assign a buddy to make the sandwiches for the group. 
                No matter how great your breakfast is, eventually the hunger pains are going to rear their ugly mood busting heads, so ward them off by packing sensible snacks.  Almonds, cheese sticks, and trail mix are all good ideas, but in being honest, a sugar pick me at some point in the day is important too, so don’t forget your favorite candy or cookies!
                Along with snack you are going to need refreshment.  Your best bet is water, but you can pack a cooler of whatever floats your boat.  The important thing is that you have everything you need so that you don’t need to take an untimely break from what’s most important here, the shopping! You might consider planning a Starbucks run in between stores. Plot it in there, or be flexible saying "in between stores A and B or B and C we will make a run." This way, everyone stays hydrated and harmonious.
                Even with all of our preparedness, the girls and I like the break for lunch when our shopping time is waning.  Sometime around 1 P.M. many of the door buster sales are over and hopefully you have snagged every hot ticket item on your list, so it is a great time to mull over your conquests and a margarita! 
                Watch for meal deals at local restaurants.  One year we snagged a free appetizer by swinging by a local radio station’s broadcasting in s store’s parking lot, yay us!! 
                Post your great meal deals or ideas here to share with other super shoppers like yourself!  

Why pink camouflage…

Ok some of you die hard Black Friday shoppers might be thinking that matching sweatshirts is an ingenious idea while  you other more faint-of-heart shoppers think it is an over-the-top gesture.  We love the idea - and it’s practical! Read on!

 

The inspiration came from Sherrie’s family.  Hector and Brandy had their 'uniform' laid out the night before the big shopping day -  Sherrie had a good laugh, but as the shopping day progressed she found it was easy to spot Team Garnica in their red hoodies, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes.  This was frustrating and yet amazing to Sherrie since she had some challenges finding her own team partner, Marcie, who is nearly 6 feet tall!  Sherrie and Marcie’s team could not be

coordinating with Team Garnica - so they took their time over the next few months to seek out the perfect uniform.   

 

Yet again, Brandy explained to Sherrie’s new husband, an outdoor enthusiast, that shopping was Sherrie’s kind of hunting trip.  After that, it was pink camouflage all the way!  Conveniently, Marcie’s grandmother has an embroidery machine and we were able to have our team logo stitched into our snazzy new sweatshirts, “Hunting for a Deal”.

 

Jaime thought Sherrie and Marcie were nuts at first but she quickly got into it.  She wanted a sweatshirt that had and arrow on it that said “I’m with them!” 

 

Now adorned with our unique sweatshirts, we hit the sales every year as a trio, and the practicality of our team sweatshirt makes it easy to spot each other in the crowds!!  Even for Sherrie, who can barely see over the shopping cart…just kidding.

 

Many people comment to us about what a good idea the sweatshirts are and this year I saw more groups getting in to the festivities with their own creations.  One of our favorites was a group of women called the “Black Opts” and the each wore a t-shirt with one of the letters on it so together it spelled out their team name. – Love It!

 

What are your great sweatshirt ideas? Watch our website this summer, for more great ideas, and sweatshirts and team logos that will be available for purchase.