"It's a Christmas miracle"-Vanessa

Don't tell my kids but I got them a swing set for Christmas. Actually I was the means by which I will have make my Parents the hero's with the best present, as they are the one's who bought it for them. 

There is more to this simple story of Black Friday shopping, of course. And here it is....

I started looking through the ad's for black Friday about a week ago. There is a website where you can see the future ads, I don't know how I just know it made me happy. I spotted the Toys "R' Us ad and got to the back page where I gasped. A swing set with a glider, slide, teeter-totter and 3 swings for $70? I had to get it. 

I awoke Friday morning at 4:15 and was out the door within 7 minutes. After finally finding a parking spot I walked over to claim my place in the line. As I walked up I saw the first 10 people sitting in their sleeping bags on camp chairs, they had obviously been there all night. I got a spot about a half a mile behind those crazy people... seriously. And watched as hundreds more came soon after. An hour later I got in the store and ran to where the big items were. I found the picture of my swing set. looked down and saw the sight that almost made me cry, no joke. There were no more tickets left which meant that the sets were gone. I asked a few workers to double check and they replied that they had already done so for many people and that they were in fact sold out. They had in fact done so with in the first 10 minutes of the store opening up. I mopped around the store and picked up 2 little Star Wars things for Luke, still disappointed beyond belief. But I wasn't about to have gone through it all and leave with nothing. 

Then I found myself back over where the sets were pictured on the side wall of the store. I looked at the picture once again and sighed. No swinging for Ella on Christmas morning. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a large book. In it were all the other big ticket items that they carried. There was a photo and a ticket on each page. Swing sets, sand boxes, picnic tables, etc. I came upon the page which showed the set that I wanted. On the page was a ticket. Clearly never taken out when the sales were all set up. It had the old price and had probably been in there for months. This was it. This was the way that I was going to come away victoriously. I would bring the ticket up, play dumb and attempt to buy the swing. They left the ticket in there, it would not be right to turn me away. I was ready to play hard. I went to the 20 minute line, handed my ticket to the cashier and waited. She calmly said, "This item rang up at 50% off this price"  

"Great!" I played dumb.

She took my money and asked me to wait in a designated spot. "They'll bring out your set shortly"

I sat waiting, wondering what my next move would be and how I would demand a rain check for their over sight. All of a sudden I heard a man saying, "its the nice Woman over there in the black sweatshirt." I sort of laughed inside. He called me nice. I was manipulating their system.

The man walked out with a big flat cart with a huge brown box on the top of it. "Where did you park, Ma'am?" I am sure the look of shock could be seen but all I did was lead him to my car where he put it in, thanked me and walked away.

I still don't know what happened. I should not have that swing set in my garage right now. But it did happen and it is in my garage. And I am thankful for my little miracle. O' there will be swinging on Christmas. Lots of swinging.