Just a warning to mom's who have to shop with young children in tow! (long)
I was at my local TRU store Friday morning. They had gotten a truck in Thursday night and were expecting a large number of Zhu Zhu items. I got there about 45 minutes early, and within 15 minutes the parking lot was already full. I had already gotten what I need for my DDs,

but Nana wanted a few for my niece. She just decided last week to try to get her some of these for Christmas, or I could have already had these since we had a population explosion of hammies about a month ago around here, but now there are none to be found.
Anyway, since she has to go to work so early, she hasn't been able to be at any stores at opening for these, and hasn't had any luck at Wal-Mart. So I gave her some of the ones I had for DD, and told her that I would just run by TRU while I was in town, and pick up the ones I needed. Now I had done the TRU run before when I was finishing up for the DDs, and while slightly mad

, it wasn't ANYWHERE near as bad a Black Friday, or even some clearance sales I have hit, so I had no problem taking my 3 yr. old DS with me.
BAD IDEA!!!!!!!

By the time the store opened, I was 3rd in line, the line went all the way down the building and out into the parking lot. There were 2 elderly ladies, and another lady with a baby near the front. The very first person in line was a lady who brought her teenage son with her. We were all talking before opening and joking that we would wait in the parking lot, and send him in for the hammies.

a I wish that is what I had done.
When the door opened, the boy loudly announced that they hadn't gotten as many as expected, and that they had raised the one per person limit to 4 to try to be fair to those with multiple children. He finished opening the doors, and there was a literal STAMPEDE

. We raced back to the isle, (if you can call trying to jog, while carrying a 40 pound 3 yr. old, and holding onto him for dear life racing). When I got to the isle, I grabbed 1 hamster, and tried for a second one. I was almost knocked over by a 6 ft. tall grown man. My DS was being squished and started screaming, the baby the other lady had was screaming and the people kept coming and pushing us up against the shelves. I finally screamed out that there were babies up here, and for the grown ups to act like they have some sense! (I may have used some words that are not suitable for a TRU, but I'll never tell.

) I got out of the crowd as quickly as possible, which wasn't very quick. There were about 200 people crammed into one isle.
I went to an empty isle and quickly checked DS over to make sure he was truly okay, he wasn't hurt, but was scared to death. I took a new talking Micky doll to make that okay!
If I had been alone, it would have been bad enough, but I was doing everything I could do to protect him. If I had known it was going to be that bad, I would have never submitted him to such danger! Instead of a fight for hammies, it was a fight for survival. Someone could have been really hurt. A toy is not worth my child going to the hospital. I felt like putting my elbow right in the mouth of some of those people.

It was beyond crazy, and worse than any Black Friday I have ever been too (I didn't even know that was possible!

) If things are like this now, I hate to see what it's going to be like come Dec. There will be murders over these things.
I ran across one of the older ladies that I had seen in line, she were okay, but, had a sore foot where someone had stomped it. She had a few items, not sure how she got them, but good for her.
By that time the isle had cleared out and we went back to see if anything was left (Yeah right!!!

).
There were about 4 people left, everyone else was either in line or already gone. They had some doubles of colors they were trying to trade with someone else, about that time the lady with the teenage son that I mentioned earlier (1st in line) came around the corner with a cart with about 10 hammies in it.
He had ran ahead of everyone and grabbed as many as he could and when the crowd caught up, he ran to the back of the store and hung out until the mob left. He and his mom only wanted 4 and was passing the others out to the ones of us who didn't get any or only got one or two. They gave me the one I needed, and a couple of other people that were in the isle got a few more. She said that he had gotten several and they were walking around the store trying to find the ones of us that had bonded in line

, and others with small kids that didn't get any hammies. I thought that was soooo sweet of them.


If he hadn't done that, I would have been on the hunt again next week for the other one I needed.
I will never again be there at opening if I have to have my DS with me. When the new color hammies are released, I will be getting a sitter for those mornings for sure! Also I may need to arrange to borrow some Football pads from someone, just in case!

Just a heads up that although the hunt has been tough and tiresome, it is now getting dangerous as well!!!!!!

Maybe E-bay isn't so bad after all, you can shop from the safety of your home,

and the extra that the sellers are making are probably ending up going for hospital bills anyway, if they have to fight like that to get there merchandise now.
