Do any of you go out on Black Friday? I have been doing it for several years now. There are a few websites out there that have the ads out early. Some good stuff, lots of not so good this year. What are your experiences? Do you go out, or are you always sure to avoid the stores on the day after Thanksgiving?
We'll be looking for a good deal on a TV this year. Haven't done the Black Friday shopping in the past though. Crowds are not my thing! What are those websites with the early ads?
I avoid like it like the plague, but some family members always try to rope me into it.
I avoid Black Friday. I try to not go to any store between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I do all my Christmas/other shopping online. I think Target is advertising early and so is Sears.
Gina
It is fun to go out and see all the "Christmas Spirit and Joy" when you see 2 people fighting over something.
BFAds.net and gottadeal.com
Gauwn, yeah, there is definitely some of that! We usually decide where we're going, get those items, and leave. We have usually lined up around 0300 for wherever had the doorbusters we wanted, but there isn't much that we really need this year.
Gotta get some stuff online at a couple of stores, and there are a few gifts at other local ones.
Wild horses couldn't drag me to the mall.
My brother and a couple of his friends have been doing Black Friday for a couple of years.
They see it as a challenge- leave the house at like 2 am with gallons of hot coffee and choccolate.
Honestly there is nothing I need so bad that I am willing to go through that hell for a $20 discount on a slow cooker or something.
My boyfriend abhors crowds so thats another reason to sleep in late that day.
I would only go if I was hired as a zero responsibility bouncer. I get open season on a$$holes. Judge, jury, and executioner on the spot.
Not on your life. I only go to the mall if there's no other choice.
Not on your life great thing about TRF being open on Black Friday is that my out now not to take the wife shopping.
In the past I have, but not anymore. The lines for check-out are insane!!!!!
I try to buy things during the year that can be used for gifts come holiday times.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y287/RumbaRue/pearlinoyster.jpg)
I always check out the ads and see if theres anything thats so super crazy cheap that its worth dealing with going...so i've only gone like once or twice haha...sadly this year I have to work on Black Friday...ugh
I went for the first time last year. I went to Lane Bryant (in the mall) at 7am, and the mall was more empty than on a normal Saturday afternoon. I also hit Target later in the day, and the shelves were half empty. I was hoping to go again this year, but I will be going to my friend's home in middle of nowhere, North Texas for Turkey Day, and the nearest shopping center is over an hr away in Amarillo. So no Black Friday for me!
I make a lot of the gifts I give (beaded jewelry and paper crafts). I've never seen anything at a spectacular-enough price to convince me to join in that particular insanity. But I still check ads and such out of curiosity, since it never hurts to know how low retailers are willing to go on certain items.
Quote from: Grov on November 16, 2009, 12:49:08 PM
I would only go if I was hired as a zero responsibility bouncer. I get open season on a$$holes. Judge, jury, and executioner on the spot.
There is no way you could handle this task alone - it would take an army to deal with a$$holes - there are armies of them :)
Nope those people are crazy. I'll shop cyber monday but I won't get near a mall on the weekend till January.
You could not pay me to go shopping on Black Friday! WAY too many crazy people out there and it's just not worth it to me. I also do all my shopping online and would normally do some over that weekend but we'll be at TRF this year so it'll just have to wait!
I had surgery last year on Black Friday (outpatient). So we had to leave home at 4:30 a.m. to get to the hospital for 5. The Walmart parking lot that we passed didn't have 1 empty space in it. The same as we passed Target, ShopKo, and even the mall parking lot looked full.
I did it a couple of times when my kids were little (think: Nintendo games), but that was it, and never again if I have any choice.
As we say in Texas, "Oh hay-ell no!" :) The only thing worth getting out my toasty bed at the butt-crack of dawn for is faire.
BF is best spent fishing or visiting some secluded national monument. Got way too short of fuse to tolerate the mob.
The only reason I ventured out on Black Friday last year was to go to JCPennys to get a killer deal on a really nice pea coat. $160 jacket for $40. I had no heavy jacket so it was totally necessary! This year, I'll be driving to faire while all the crazies are attacking the stores. :D
I worked retail on black Friday once... (and that was enough) Just as the ps3 was coming out. People were at the store the wednesday night before! I am sorry but nothing in life is that important to have.What people don't realize is that in a few weeks most of the same things will be on sale just before Christmas.
Me? I plan on getting much needed sleep after a day of entertaining family.
To many insane, inconsiderate people on black friday. I'll drive you to the insanity
as long as there is breakfast and coffee involved, but i'll be sleeping in the carriage.
I have to work this year but I usually avoid it like the plague. a lot of my christmas shopping is done online it's quick no check lines and they send the boxes right to my door all i got to do is wrap it
I did the black Friday thing many years ago for the first and last time. I went to Toys R Us to buy a game system for my boys. OMG! what a mad house. People will kill. I was just glad I got what I went there for.
We've never done it before, I avoid all stores on that day. However, with money the way it is, if we can find a really good price on a Nintendo DS, we'll do it. But that is the only thing I'll do it for.
Toys R us has some king of DS lite deal this weekend. Ds lite , a couple games, and a case for 157. but all the games are girl games and you have a boy.
sale link (http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3920494)
I went shopping today with my sister. The mall was a dream. Easy to find parking, light to moderate crowds, and in several shops when I hesitated over one item I was looking at the sales person offered to sell it at next weekends sale price. I'm not saying to go out and be a pushy customer, but I think if you ask nicely about what sales are coming up you might be able to swing a deal early and not have to deal with the crowds. Can't hurt to ask.
I'm usually at TRF on Black Friday, so no...
Seems I am one of the few who enjoys shopping on blackfriday. I have been known to stake out a Best Buy starting at 10pm on Thanksgiving itself.
I love working my way through the crowd, watching the crazy people fight over objects, and all the people in Santa Suits *don't ask*.
The only time I haven't loved black friday shopping is when last year I was in target and an older woman decided not to go around my ankle, but instead ram her cart into my ankle as many times as necessary to get through it.
This year I am looking for a camera and a camecorder, I would like to have some pictures of fest stuff to post, as well as my wedding.
Check out the camcorder Radio Shack has for BF. Pretty good.
Ahhh...the Christmas shopping starts earlier every year....*sigh*
http://www.youtube.com/sncmusic#p/a/u/0/7E-47VmFopE
Amazon has Black Friday deals now. Look for link in upper right corner.
2 more days!
So as it turns out, I couldn't go with my friend to middle-of-nowhere, TX. Which means I can go to Black Friday! I'm going to hit Target (not necessarily at 5am - we'll see about that) and try to find some cheap twin sheets, and a new copy of Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, since I've used mine out. :o I'm getting excited!
This thread is 3 years old! Anybody going out this year?
No. I'll stay home and hit myself in the head with a ball peen hammer. Repeatedly. It is less painful that way.
Quote from: Norfolk on November 13, 2012, 10:01:07 AM
No. I'll stay home and hit myself in the head with a ball peen hammer. Repeatedly. It is less painful that way.
Okay, that made me laugh. But no, I'll be skipping Black Friday too. Unless I find something online I can't live without. Crowds (when not on a faire or fair ground) are to be avoided!
It all seems to start on Thursday now - completely ruined the Christmas spirit (you know, when you used to go at 4 in the morning on Friday and get into a brawl over a cheap piece of crap !! :P )
I had to miss the last 2 yrs, due to my work schedule. Getting it off this year (it's also my birthday!), so will brave the crowds. Not gonna go out Thurs night. Gonna get a game-plan together and attack the stores (if there's anything we need for gift giving!) Should be fun!
No! I shop online only.
Gina
I have been informed that Wal-Mart and Target will be open Thursday. Neither one will be getting any of my business. There are threats of a strike by Wal-Mart employees for Friday if they are made to work on Thursday. This is the epitome of corporate greed.
My daughter dragged me to exactly two Black Fridays.
Never again.
I don't need anything so badly that it is worth getting up at zero-ungodly-hour on a day off after a late night, freezing my tail for 45 minutes, and then getting in there just to find that the store had only 5 of the items we were waiting for, and those, of course, were gone to the first 2 people in the door, who were allowed to buy them all. Even if it was a 1 per person limit, there were still 10 people ahead of us that had been out there for 3-4+ hours. By then all the other really good deals were long gone (at least on the desirable stuff) so the whole operation was a waste of time. No one in our group got anything decent that they really wanted at BF prices, and this happened both times.
Sooooo not worth the trouble. Target and Walmart have their Black Friday stuff available online, so if you just have to have another TV, go there.
People who like it say BF is about the experience, not the deals.
The only thing I experienced was wasted time. It was not exhilarating in the least, and I can do without seeing the nasty side of human nature up close and personal, thank you. I just do not have the "I'll camp in line for 2 days for an IPhone" mentality, which I think is necessary for actually enjoying that madness.
I don't know if I'll go out this year. I usually only go out Black Friday with my mom but since my parents' house burned down and their new one isn't finished yet we haven't really figured out what we are even doing for Thanksgiving yet. Last year was the first year that my mom and I went out starting around midnight. It was actually fun for me, but I dont' really do much actual shopping, I dont' find the deals to be very good on the things I actually find worth buying. I really dont' like that some retailers are starting on Thanksgiving night, though, it just isn't fair to the employees.
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 13, 2012, 11:49:30 AM
I have been informed that Wal-Mart and Target will be open Thursday. Neither one will be getting any of my business. There are threats of a strike by Wal-Mart employees for Friday if they are made to work on Thursday. This is the epitome of corporate greed.
Walmart I understand-they only care about the bottom line.
Target, however, is not a 24 hour operation (at least in this area), and as far as BF deals go, you will still get the money in the door no matter
when you open. I just don't get the earlier and earlier hours.
I have never done the whole black friday thing- at least not in the morning. I have gone before around 5pm to get some cheap movies.
The only temptation this year is the xbox 360 w kinect deals, but I think they will have them online on thanksgiving day- which would be awesome.
I straight out refuse to do the whole midnight thing- its worth spending an extra $50 to me to get to stay in bed and not deal with crazy people.
I agree that the whole starting early thing is ridiculous.
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 13, 2012, 11:49:30 AM
I have been informed that Wal-Mart and Target will be open Thursday. This is the epitome of corporate greed.
"A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it [...] gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. "
Milton Friedman
I wonder, Norfolk....who really wants to go shopping—or work—on Thanksgiving rather than spend time with friends and family? In my opinion, we're told what we want. Some believe it, and some of us don't. If Wally World wants to open on Thursday, they should either give combat pay to those who work, and only take volunteers to work that day. Making tens of thousands of people work on a day that they want to be with their family simply blows, regardless.
Merlin, how true! I will not go out on Thanksgiving for Christmas shopping, and feel it is greedy for some retailers to force their employees to forego their own holiday joy in order for the retailer to eek out a few extra bucks. I have gone out on Black Friday, but always with a mission and a game plan. I kinda enjoy going to a certain store for a certain item, braving the crowds, and then moving on to the next objective!
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 14, 2012, 10:44:27 AM
In my opinion, we're told what we want.
Oh, really? By whom? And what are the consequences if we decide we want something different than what we are told to want?
Quote from: Norfolk on November 14, 2012, 02:03:22 PM
Oh, really? By whom?
By THE MAN!
Quote from: Norfolk on November 14, 2012, 02:03:22 PM
And what are the consequences if we decide we want something different than what we are told to want?
He's gonna LOWER THE BOOM!
If Black Friday specials are such a great deal, then it stands to reason that they will sell just as quickly if the doors open at 9am than 2am.
It's obvious that ridiculously early opening times are a marketing gimmick, designed to exploit a well known psychological fact that once a person is in the store after having stood out in the cold, or in a long line, just to find out they are too late to get the special (about 5 minutes after opening), they are loath to leave without buying something. These 'consolation prize' purchases are usually something they didn't plan on buying at all, and usually they are not even discounted very much, if at all.
In fact, the same 'loss leaders' are available year 'round, if you do your homework, and keep your eyes open.
I picked up a 42" flatscreen at Target 2 years ago during their Superbowl Special in January, for $70.00 less than the same TV was going for at Best Buy during their Black Friday Door-buster Special just 6 weeks prior.
The exact same TV that 2 people got hurt fighting over at 4am when the store opened because they only had 8 units available at that price.
Shop smarter, not harder.
Quote from: Norfolk on November 14, 2012, 02:03:22 PM
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 14, 2012, 10:44:27 AM
In my opinion, we're told what we want.
Oh, really? By whom? And what are the consequences if we decide we want something different than what we are told to want?
Don't misunderstand... some of us have enough of a brain to think for ourselves. But you must admit Madison Avenue has been as effective at convincing people what is good for us as Hollywood has, with all the garbage that they put out on film and on your TV screen. They don't put it on my TV screen because I've chosen not to watch TV since 1997.
I don't celebrate Chri$tma$ anymore, and don't particularly like the holiday$ in general. Any special meaning has been lost in the crass commercialisation of a season beginning in September, and the fight for your dollar.
As a merchant at a ren faire, people were Christmas shopping in Sept. and not because I was pushing that. My online sales picked up in Oct. when I still had my Halloween banner up. My holiday online sales in Nov. are improving, but not as good as in the past.
As for myself, I make a lot of gifts, so I have to start early. When my boys were children, I did go on the day after Thanksgiving and it was fun. My oldest is 36 and it's different now. When I did go, I went to art/craft and fabric sales. I don't buy electronic stuff for Christmas. ::) Also, we live in a smaller town, so not much selection. I hardly ever go shopping here, they don't have anything I need. Mostly, I order online, these days.
Lady L, I look at that aspect entirely differently. People can find things all year long that are perfect for that someone on your list. But, running into Chri$tma$ decorations in stores before summer is officially over shows me where peoples' heads are...Yes. I am the Grinch.
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 15, 2012, 02:21:08 AM
Quote from: Norfolk on November 14, 2012, 02:03:22 PM
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 14, 2012, 10:44:27 AM
In my opinion, we're told what we want.
Oh, really? By whom? And what are the consequences if we decide we want something different than what we are told to want?
But you must admit Madison Avenue has been as effective at convincing people what is good for us as Hollywood has ...
So, what you meant to say is that we are enticed, and sometimes persuaded, rather than being TOLD what to want. If this is correct, then are you criticizing the enticers or those who have succumbed to the enticement?
heheh... all of the above, my young nobleman.
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 15, 2012, 10:34:42 AM
heheh... all of the above, my young nobleman.
And for what, exactly, are you criticizing them? Having different values than yours, mayhap?
There is a petition to the CEO of Target at www.change.org
Target: Take the high road and save Thanksgiving
I'm not especially old, but there was a time when we got all our shopping done between Thanksgiving and Christmas and stores and malls were NOT open 24/7. Heck, most stores and all malls were closed on Sunday.
I pay my employees 8 hours holiday for Thanksgiving...we are closed that day, so everyone can enjoy the day however they want to spend it.
Gina
I would rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon than go out shopping on Black Friday. I have done it, and hope to never do so again. I shop online and but mostly for food items as gifts because I personally don't need another knick-knack or gaudy sweater and would like to think no one else does either.
If there were not crazy people out there who WILL go out and stampede stores on Thursday or whatnot, then stores would not be open. I do think people should get paid appropriately and not have mandatory hours but retail isn't the only place open. Those who work in hospitals or health care have the same issue - demands for services either real (health care) or stupidly created (retail) are still demands.
But to sum it up, I will agree with Merlin and say bah, humbug. This time of hear irritates me more than warming my heart these days. I find the people I like, act with warm and thankful thoughts all year round, and those who don't are most giddy in Nov and Dec, thus making my teeth itch. Which may be why I avoid them all on Black Friday!
There is a simple way to let the retailers know what the shopping public thinks of opening on Thanksgiving and/or opening at midnight just after Thanksgiving.
Don't shop. Nobody go shopping on Thanksgiving, and don't show up at the stores until their regular opening times on Friday.
It won't happen. A large portion of the public is greedy, too. "Oh, if I don't get there early, someone else will get that great deal."
But it would make a point.
Amen.
According to those die hard BF shoppers, and other people I know who work in the stores in question, the good deals are pretty much all gone 20 minutes or less after the doors open. Chances are slim for getting a deal, even if you wait in line.
The only folks who I know who say they routinely score, are the ones that have honed BF shopping down to an art. I know of one 'team' that has been working their system for about 20 years, with about a 50% success rate.
The team shoppers have 2 or more members assigned to each store who camp out as early as possible to be the first ones in. They grab as many Doorbusters as they can, then call other 'floating' team members in to help make the actual purchases, especially if the store has the 'one per customer rule'. I have seen these people waiting for hours guarding full carts, waiting for their buddies to show up. The pile of goodies is gone in minutes.