Week in Review: Nikki Lorenzini

Black Friday: To Shop or Not to Shop

I would like one fact to be known about me: I hate shopping. Yes, I am a female and I hate shopping. Shock, I am breaking a stereotype and I am darn proud of it. Even despite my hate for shopping, I still go out on Black Friday. No, I am not crazy or brave enough to wake up at midnight and go to the mall, or sleep in line at some store. I wait till about seven, then I head into Center City Philadelphia and do some window shopping and discover the city. I take advantage of my day off and try to do different things on that day.

This Black Friday I went into town with my mother. We went to the Wanamaker Building, which is now home to Macy’s, watched a light show that they put on, went to a Christmas Carol display they have, and I watched my mom shop - and I bought a jacket. We ended up going to a free concert at Live at World Café featuring a really great English band called One Eskimo. I met them along with a crazy couple while I was standing in line. They were trying to hook me up with their son while my mom was finishing her lunch. I’d rather be doing that type of stuff than going shopping. I meet more entertaining people that way.

Will the recession hurt my holiday shopping? Nah. I am a huge fan of gift cards. Yes, I take the easy way out and buy gift cards for about half the people in my life. The tricky part is buying gift cards to places that won’t go out of business shortly after the holidays. Then again, those bank gift cards are a great idea. To make my least favorite thing in the world more bearable so I won’t have to go out, I’ll take people out. Me and my grandmother have a tradition: Every year I’ll buy her tickets to a holiday musical at a local theater the Saturday before Christmas. For only $60, we get to hang out for a night, and it's her Christmas gift! So, recession - take that! You don’t scare me and my Christmas shopping!

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