By Michelle DeLateur


I decided, for some unknown reason that will never be discovered, that I would do a radio piece on Black Friday. And not just anytime on Black Friday, but when it’s still black outside as well, meaning 5:00am. For those of you who have never taken part in this event or cover you ears whenever you hear Christmas sale, Black Friday is the infamous day after Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza, and this year was no exception.Toys R Us opened at midnight.  Macy’s was therefore conservative with a 5:00am start time.

Inevitably with any journalism project, things go wrong.  And I could mark my FIRST EVER Black Friday with several unnerving questions.  And I guess we’ll do 12 since it’s the 12 days of Christmas right?

Question 1:Why are so many kids out on the Subways at 4:00am? 

Question 2:Where are all the people?

Question 3:Can you erase sound files from an SD card once your Edirol goes full … at 4:50am?

Question 4:Who the heck sells SD cards at 4:50am?

Question 5:Why is the Duane Reade cashier looking at me like I’m crazy?  It’s just an SD card that I’m ripping apart in your store….

Question 6:Where are all the people?

Question 7:Why can’t Billy Talon just accept that people are going to spend money, even and perhaps especially in a recession?

Question 8:What do you do when don’t have good tape from an event?

Question 9:Why are shoes the most popular item to buy on Black Friday?  I thought you were supposed to be shopping for other people….

Question 10:Speaking of people: Where are all the people?

Question 11:Why do the Macy’s window displays sound so CREEPY?

Question 12: … Where are all the people?

The result of all these questions is my piece BFSG:Black Friday Survival Guide, now up in the Odd section.  While I am now at the end of my graduate career in journalism, questions will continue to soar:  where will I work?  How will I pay my rent? Will I even work in the journalism field?  The anxiety and the thoughts can be a bit overwhelming.  But I know I have at least one answer now that might work in several situations:   

Having two of something is always better than one.