For the third year in a row, I should have skipped black friday shopping

[Sabine]

I''ve never been one of the many who get up before the stores open and wait in ridiculous lines for Black Friday. But I do like deals, and for the past 3 years I''ve had one big item I''ve been trying to get a great deal on. First year it was luggage for dh. Last year it was a digital photo frame for the inlaws. This year it was a GPS for dh and myself. And ALL 3 years, I''ve gone out, braved the mobs of people, went to multiple stores (both Target and Walmart this year) and a mall, and then come home and ordered the item online! Hopefully I''ve finally learned my lesson...

This year I got up at 7 to go, and the stores actually weren''t that bad. Both Walmart and Target were out of the cheapest and best deal on GPS''s at that time, but I wasn''t really expecting to get that one, I was just looking on a good deal for one of the higher end ones. But those ones, although on sale, weren''t nearly as good of deals as I could find online!

DH and I still got some great deals on little stuff like clothes and accessories at the mall (we live by a mall that never gets very crowded, so I still like going there for their before 1 PM deals at the department stores, and I swear, we didn''t wait in line for more than 2 minutes), so I think, finally, that next year I will skip the insane stores and do all my big item shopping online.

Anyone else have fun Black Friday stories? I know there were now a total of 3 people killed nationwide, but luckily, the only crazy thing I saw was a woman dragging her son by the arms across the store because he was on his knees thinking it was a game to try to zip through the carts/people. He was having the time of his life, and his mom was so angry!

 

[Steel]

Date: 11/29/2008 10:00:27 AM
Author:Sabine
I''ve never been one of the many who get up before the stores open and wait in ridiculous lines for Black Friday. But I do like deals, and for the past 3 years I''ve had one big item I''ve been trying to get a great deal on. First year it was luggage for dh. Last year it was a digital photo frame for the inlaws. This year it was a GPS for dh and myself. And ALL 3 years, I''ve gone out, braved the mobs of people, went to multiple stores (both Target and Walmart this year) and a mall, and then come home and ordered the item online! Hopefully I''ve finally learned my lesson...

This year I got up at 7 to go, and the stores actually weren''t that bad. Both Walmart and Target were out of the cheapest and best deal on GPS''s at that time, but I wasn''t really expecting to get that one, I was just looking on a good deal for one of the higher end ones. But those ones, although on sale, weren''t nearly as good of deals as I could find online!

DH and I still got some great deals on little stuff like clothes and accessories at the mall (we live by a mall that never gets very crowded, so I still like going there for their before 1 PM deals at the department stores, and I swear, we didn''t wait in line for more than 2 minutes), so I think, finally, that next year I will skip the insane stores and do all my big item shopping online.

Anyone else have fun Black Friday stories? I know there were now a total of 3 people killed nationwide, but luckily, the only crazy thing I saw was a woman dragging her son by the arms across the store because he was on his knees thinking it was a game to try to zip through the carts/people. He was having the time of his life, and his mom was so angry!

I don''t mean to upset you personally but I don''t feel these two lines should be said together. There are so many ways to lose your life or that of a loved one, going to work and being killed as the result of manic shoppers should not be one of them.

We don''t have Black Friday here and following this I am glad. I am all for a deal but is it time we asked; at what cost?

 

[neatfreak]

My story is that I stayed happily in my PJ''s and ordered a GPS from Walmart and some hoodies and pants for my boys at Old Navy. Same deals they had in store without the stress.

 

[vintagelover229]

This year i went for the 1st time. Compared to pics I''ve seen at other stores, my walmart wasn''t to bad. I went to get a 8" digital pic frame w/2 G Memory card, for 40.00. I also, wanted the MP3 video player for my little sister w/ 2 G memory, that was 30.00. The main thing I wanted was the FLIP videocamera in pink, which I got for 80.00 when it''s normally 150.00

I got to walmart at 4:45am. We got everything, paid and were home by 5:30. I was impressed. We also got a 20" flat screen for under 200.00 for his paretns kitchen for x-mas.

 

[movie zombie]

went to the movies instead......

movie zombie

ps haven''t shopped on black friday ever.

 

[HollyS]

I prefer to be a member of the "Buy Nothing on Thanksgiving Weekend" club. And I have avoided Wal-Mart for years between Thanksgiving and New Year''s. There is nothing that would induce me to shop on this weekend. No sale in the world.

 

[oobiecoo]

Date: 11/29/2008 10:40:25 AM
Author: Steel

Date: 11/29/2008 10:00:27 AM

Author:Sabine

I''ve never been one of the many who get up before the stores open and wait in ridiculous lines for Black Friday. But I do like deals, and for the past 3 years I''ve had one big item I''ve been trying to get a great deal on. First year it was luggage for dh. Last year it was a digital photo frame for the inlaws. This year it was a GPS for dh and myself. And ALL 3 years, I''ve gone out, braved the mobs of people, went to multiple stores (both Target and Walmart this year) and a mall, and then come home and ordered the item online! Hopefully I''ve finally learned my lesson...


This year I got up at 7 to go, and the stores actually weren''t that bad. Both Walmart and Target were out of the cheapest and best deal on GPS''s at that time, but I wasn''t really expecting to get that one, I was just looking on a good deal for one of the higher end ones. But those ones, although on sale, weren''t nearly as good of deals as I could find online!


DH and I still got some great deals on little stuff like clothes and accessories at the mall (we live by a mall that never gets very crowded, so I still like going there for their before 1 PM deals at the department stores, and I swear, we didn''t wait in line for more than 2 minutes), so I think, finally, that next year I will skip the insane stores and do all my big item shopping online.


Anyone else have fun Black Friday stories? I know there were now a total of 3 people killed nationwide, but luckily, the only crazy thing I saw was a woman dragging her son by the arms across the store because he was on his knees thinking it was a game to try to zip through the carts/people. He was having the time of his life, and his mom was so angry!

I don''t mean to upset you personally but I don''t feel these two lines should be said together. There are so many ways to lose your life or that of a loved one, going to work and being killed as the result of manic shoppers should not be one of them.


We don''t have Black Friday here and following this I am glad. I am all for a deal but is it time we asked; at what cost?

I think Sabine was probably just trying to get across that she was glad not to see any type of that behavior with the last part of her sentence.


DH and I went around to Target around 4:00 and I was really surprised that it seemed like a normal shopping day. No crazy parking lot or long lines. It seemed much more low key than the past couple of years... I guess its the economy. Also, IMO, I think the stores didn''t put out as many great deals... possibly because they knew there wouldn''t be as many shoppers?

 

[Sabine]

Date: 11/29/2008 10:40:25 AM
Author: Steel

Date: 11/29/2008 10:00:27 AM
Author:Sabine
I''ve never been one of the many who get up before the stores open and wait in ridiculous lines for Black Friday. But I do like deals, and for the past 3 years I''ve had one big item I''ve been trying to get a great deal on. First year it was luggage for dh. Last year it was a digital photo frame for the inlaws. This year it was a GPS for dh and myself. And ALL 3 years, I''ve gone out, braved the mobs of people, went to multiple stores (both Target and Walmart this year) and a mall, and then come home and ordered the item online! Hopefully I''ve finally learned my lesson...

This year I got up at 7 to go, and the stores actually weren''t that bad. Both Walmart and Target were out of the cheapest and best deal on GPS''s at that time, but I wasn''t really expecting to get that one, I was just looking on a good deal for one of the higher end ones. But those ones, although on sale, weren''t nearly as good of deals as I could find online!

DH and I still got some great deals on little stuff like clothes and accessories at the mall (we live by a mall that never gets very crowded, so I still like going there for their before 1 PM deals at the department stores, and I swear, we didn''t wait in line for more than 2 minutes), so I think, finally, that next year I will skip the insane stores and do all my big item shopping online.

Anyone else have fun Black Friday stories? I know there were now a total of 3 people killed nationwide, but luckily, the only crazy thing I saw was a woman dragging her son by the arms across the store because he was on his knees thinking it was a game to try to zip through the carts/people. He was having the time of his life, and his mom was so angry!

I don''t mean to upset you personally but I don''t feel these two lines should be said together. There are so many ways to lose your life or that of a loved one, going to work and being killed as the result of manic shoppers should not be one of them.

We don''t have Black Friday here and following this I am glad. I am all for a deal but is it time we asked; at what cost?

Steel, sorry to insensatively put those two lines together, it was an error in quick typing. I was just trying to say that I know some depressing things happened this weekend, and I am horrified by that kind of behavior. I was also saying that I was lucky enough to not see any crazy behavior, and was asking for some other lighthearted stories so that we could focus on the positive rather than the negative. But I am sorry I worded it that way, eek!

 

[mommy2iz]

i''m among those who refuse to get up so early in an attempt to save a few bucks. i stay in my nice warm jammies with a lovely hot cup of coffee and watch the kids as i count my blessings. i hate crowds, and it''s just not worth it to me!

 

[oobiecoo]

Oh I almost forgot!

I was standing with my basket at Target minding my own business.. when I was attacked! This girl took an empty basket and pushed it purposely at me really hard. It hit me, caused me to spill some of my drink, and then got lodged underneath my own basket. I was so startled! I looked at her and she just glared at me like I deserved it. Her mom didn''t make her apologize or anything... just told her not to do that.

 

[bebe]

I went out.
It was my first time in years. I do so much online and have always found great deals online on Black Friday. I am finished with 99% of my list, ventured out
to look for a few items, but mostly for my daughter to get some things on her list. We went to The Woodlands Mall (North of Houston) around 10am.
Parking was a challenge, but once we found a spot, we were fine. It was crowded but really not at all what I was fearing!
Now I did have the issue with Macy''s (see my post in Shopping) but overall we found some great deals. We bought at The Gap,
Dillards, Macy''s and J Crew. Everything was on sale, of course.

 

[IloveAsschers13]

I woke up at 4:40 and left by 5, and I went to WalMart first and the lines were HORRENDOUS! I had to wait in aisles to get into the electronic section, but I didn''t really want everything that huge, just movies

I went to Target, Best Buy, walmart, and I think that''s it. I got to Target 10 minutes after it opened and was in and out, but the Walmart was INSANE! The lines were sooo crowded and they were in aisles, so people had to get through. A bunch of people think that just because you say "excuse me" that means you can move forward. NO! You can only go forward when there is ROOM! At least four people literally ran RIGHT into me with their full shopping cart because I had no where else to go. Once I almost got pushed over. Man. Insane.


I like the excitement though. It''s the only day of the year I wake up before 6:30. EVER

 

[BlueSki231]

I went for the first time ever this year!

Got up at 3am and was at the mall by 3:45. They were handing out $50 mall gift cards to the first 200 people there.. which is what I was going for but unfortunately did not make it in time

Definitely saw some greedy and uncivilized behavior.

The highlight (or lowlight) was waiting outside Forever21.. they were handing out scratch off tickets to the first 200 people in which you were guaranteed to win something.. and when they lifted the gate and the store opened it was UNBELIEVABLE MOSH PIT OF CHAOS!! They pretty much attacked the employee, knocking over several clothing fixtures just PUSHING PUSHING PUSHING eventually backing her up into the wall.
And there I was stuck in the middle of it, thinking I'm an idiot for naively thinking that some sort of civilized line was going to form.
After the crowd disbursed when the people realized there were no more scratch offs I just walked out, disgusted.

Lucky no one was injured.. seriously. It was BAD. When my mom called me around lunch time to tell me someone was trampled to death at Walmart, I had to say I'm not surprised based on the greed, desperation, and hoarding I witnessed in just those few hours. So not worth it.

 

[VRBeauty]

Induced insanity isn''t my idea of fun.

Having said that, a pawn shop near where I work was offering 60% off all their jewelry for two hours on Friday morning. If I had been in town instead of visiting family two hours from here, I might have been tempted to drop by.

 

[April20]

I went for the first time ever this year. DH and I wanted a flat screen TV for the den we''re creating in our new house. I talked my sister into getting up at 4 (eeks!) and going with me to Circuit City when the doors opened at 5. This included bringing her 9 month old, who sat in her stroller and just looked around. The store was crowded, but they did an excellent job in keeping it orderly. They were only letting about 20 people into the store at once and then you had to get into a line to wait for a sales person in the TV section. They had vouchers for the TVs, so they could keep track of the inventory. I got in and out in an hour and got a great deal on the TV. Then we headed out for b-fast, my treat, to thank my sis for braving the crowds.

It was a good experience for us, but I have NO desire to repeat it.

 

[that_someone_special]

I really love Black Friday. Thankfully, I''ve never really had a bad time shopping- other than snow falling! We went to Target, got there at 5:15 and by the time they opened at 6- there were hundreds of people in line!! When we got in, there were people behind me that started RUNNING past me, for what? Vacuums? Anyways, I just wanted some movies. I enjoyed it. We ended up spending about $500 more than we thought we would (ehm.. guitar hero.. ect).. anyways.

 

[fieryred33143]

Our Black Friday started at midnight when the mall opened. We thought to ourselves: its cold, its midnight, people are probably still partying, it''ll be empty.

Never again. We left as soon as we got there, didn''t even park. We saw three men breaking into cars and we immediately got the police. Unfortunately from what I saw at least 5 cars were broken into.

We went the next morning to this place called Brandsmart to get a TV. I got on the line that was going to take me about 2 hours to get through when I get a call from my very smart honey. He said that if we pretend we don''t have our Brandsmart card we can go on the line in the credit department and pay there. 10 minutes later, we were done paying. He''s so smart.

We did get a 50" LG LCD for $700 which I thought was a pretty good deal.