The first image that probably pops up in anyone’s head when they think of Black Friday is people trampling over one another to try and get the hottest deals of the year. People stand outside for days or for hours, missing Thanksgiving with their loved ones, for amazing Christmas presents. But as horrible as this sounds, it’s actually quite exciting and gives you a rush of excitement.

This isn’t really how Black Friday works anymore, with people trampling each other and such, which is a good thing for everyone’s safety and humanity. A couple years ago I used to wake up a 3 a.m. the night after Thanksgiving and head out with my mom to do some serious Christmas shopping. We would stand outside for hours just for the fun of it and to get those crazy 70% off deals. I remember a line wrapping around the building two times and people literally running for their lives to the objects they want when they entered the store.

This year stores opened at 6 p.m., which was awesome because I didn’t have to wake up in the middle of the night anymore. I had an early Thanksgiving dinner so after I headed out to the outlets in Delaware. To be perfectly honest, finding a parking spot was probably the hardest part of the night. There were lines for stores like Coach, Ralph Lauren, and Vera Bradley.

I bought the nicest puffy jacket and leather wallet from Calvin Klein, which were both under 100 dollars if I might add, and other sweaters for the winter season. I even bought Christmas presents for my friends, which was great to get out of the way…and I didn’t have to spend too much money. So I drove back to my grandparents’ house very satisfied with a fun shopping trip.

People shouldn’t be scared of Black Friday anymore and all the “madness” that comes with it. Granted, all the madness and trampling probably still goes on in some areas around America, but for the most part it’s pretty low-key and fun. So next year be ready for amazing prices and make sure to have fun with either some friends or family while shopping for great deals.