Black Friday Christmas Shopping
2023 has been tough from an economic perspective so I was dreading the prospect of a lean Christmas. Thanks to a new job, Black Friday sales and the convenience of having so many great stores in one place, at Albany Mega Centre, it’s been a great end to a terrible year.
The last six months have been really stressful. The downhill slide started in May when I was made redundant at work. The signs that things weren’t going well for the business had been there for a while. With the economic slowdown, the phones weren’t ringing and there just wasn’t that same level of activity I had seen in previous years. Despite that, I was genuinely shocked when they suddenly announced they were letting me go.
Panic set in as I knew the mortgage on my townhouse was due to renew in August. My mortgage repayments would go up $95 per week. How could I afford it? The stress of being jobless soon became full-on anxiety attacks about becoming homeless as well.
Fortunately, a friend of a friend was kind enough to take me on in their business, on a part-time and temporary basis, until I found a new job. They said that my experience and skills would really help them out, but I couldn’t help but feel like a charity case.
As job hunting weeks became months, and the new mortgage rate kicked in, things were looking bleak. I was eating into my savings and the prospect of not being able to afford Christmas presents for friends and family this year worried me. I knew that everyone would understand, but I felt ashamed, so I planned to avoid everyone this year.
That was until a few weeks ago when my temporary job became permanent and even included a pay rise. Christmas was back on again but with my savings depleted, I needed to find a way to make my money go further. And that’s where a day of Black Friday sales at the Albany Mega Centre changed everything for me.
The first stop was at The Warehouse for a Christmas tree and decorations. Not being able to afford a tree was something that had been niggling at me. Buying the tree and some lovely decorations – at a big discount - immediately put me in a positive frame of mind.
A visit to Farmers Home, then to Adairs, followed by Bed, Bath and Beyond, allowed me to buy a series of nice homeware presents for my mum, my sister, my sister-in-law, my best friend, and for one of my nieces. All these places had big discounts on everything – sometimes as big as 50% - meaning I got some excellent items at really good prices.
For Dad, it was a stop at the Golf Warehouse. Again, they had big sales on practically everything in store including the golf balls I know Dad prefers. From there it was a short walk back up to North Beach to find something for my brother. I got him a really nice, branded T-shirt, at a good price, which I know he’ll love.
A quick trip to Rebel Sport saw a set of tennis balls, for my youngest nephew, added to my shopping haul. For his older, and equally sports crazy, brother I bought a pair of NBA-branded shots from Hallensteins.
As I ended the day sitting in No.11 Cafe Eatery, the new café at Albany Mega Centre, I was thinking about how great it had been spending the day buying things – at great prices – for the people I love. After dreading the prospect of Christmas shopping, a day at Albany Mega lifted my spirits, made gift buying easy, and allowed me to make my money go further. What a positive way to end a terrible year.