Black Friday!!!

[Nostalgiascape]

They call the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday because it's the biggest shopping day of the year and people put themselves in the black debtwise.



I made the fatal mistake of walking into a Fry's Electronics today before work!! People...my life flashed before my eyes.



The line wrapped all around the inside perimeter of the store, and the store is HUGE! The line was frigging ridiculous. I wondered if I should have brought food rations, wet napkins, and a blanket.



This was insane folks. People SERIOUSLY need to get this holiday in perspective and realize it's not about the material, it's about the spiritual and family and peace.

[Santa Baby]

You know I understand the idea of getting something you have really been wanting at a great discount, but....There are so many sales and even internet sales between Now and Christmas I don't think its necessary to camp out and act like a total nut job running and trying to grab things before other people do. Lets show some decorum and self respect. Material things are just not worth that kind of behavior. Don't get me wrong Santa Baby loves to get pretty shiny and sparkling things but all my hubby has to do is check my favorite places and find my bookmarks.(hint hint) no need to fight the masses!

[Holly Cl'Oz]

Black Friday is the day retailers make the most money thus putting them in the black. Being in the red means you're in debt, being in the black means you are even or out of debt. I used to love going out the day after Thanksgiving. It was sporting!! I do probably 90% of my holiday shopping over the internet though. I can find more unique things that way. But I hate paying shipping and waiting for packages to come.

[squarejelly]

This was the first year in about 4-5 years that I didn't have to get up at like 3 something to go out. I never got anything the other times I just went with people and helped them out but it was great being able to sleep after being so full I could puke the whole previous day.

[Nostalgiascape]

I stand corrected.

[SWC]

People SERIOUSLY need to get this holiday in perspective and realize it's not about the material, it's about the spiritual and family and peace.

hear,hear! I really hate what the holiday is becoming/has become. But I love the holiday, mind you! I just prefer to keep it simple.

[dobtia]

This was my first ever early attempt at black Friday. The wife always goes out early. We normally go out later in the morning as a family. This year I make a trip to Micheals for a 6 am date with a Cricut machine. The wife is a huge scrapebooking person. I was about 15 in line and doing the hope my luck holds out dance. Manger comes out says they only have six. Heart sinks as the first three ladies grab a card each. To my surprise the last makes it back to us. I get the last card. A minute later my good morales catch hold of me. I realize that this older gentleman two spots in front of me was there for the Cricut machine. I gave him my card. I could not take it, couldnt do it. Told my wife and she said she understood. We went to Wal Mart. Got a better deal. Her Christmas surprise became an anniversary/birthday combo.



What a day.

[Holly Cl'Oz]

What a nice story! I know it was frustrating, but you made the effort to make your wife happy, did the right thing, and still got a better deal! All's well that ends well! I must be sick, I used to think it was fun, but haven't tried it since I've moved to Portland so it might be crazier than I can handle here.

[Jadewik]

Nos-

How strange we were in the same place at the same time and didn't even know it! If you walked all the way 'round the back of the store, you surely saw me in my "waldo" striped Umass beanie standing in the area with the burnt out light... or not... there were a lot of people.



I love the Aztec looking Fry's-- we always have to stop there when we visit my 'rents (they live in the neighborhood across the street).



We were there at 4:30 am, hit the 5am rush... got the 1 thing that we wanted (my husband and I shop Christmas Year round and often use sales to get what we want/need)... and skipped out and over to Target for their 6am opening. Then we went home, went back to sleep, woke up, and shopped some more. Fry's was a lot less busy at 2pm than it was at 5am. =D



Sorry, I didn't hit you up for a meet this time 'round... this weekend turned out to be very busy what with TurkeyDay, Shopping, and my friend's wedding. I didn't even get to stop by The Bent Cover (my fave used bookstore ever... though, it's more drab since June died).



Perhaps the next time I'm up visiting the 'rents we could sit down for a cup o' cocoa or something. I'd love to chat Halloween with you. =D

[msclaus]

I decided several years ago to stop doing Black Friday or blitz sales after being knocked on my a$$ during one. It was actually one that made national news, the one in Orlando, FL at a Wal-Mart where people were fighting over TV's. But I got pushed down just trying to walk over to get a bicycle. I spent 3 days on the phone with cooperate and the store managers and got satisfied. But back to my original story. I decided to go for my best friend this year and help him. He wanted a laptop computer from CircuitCity for $299.99 after all the rebates. We got there at 10:30pm and camped out all night. Me, my husband, and friend. He's disabled and in a wheelchair. I have seizures. We make such a wonderful sight, the bunch of us walking around. LOL Anyway it was about 40 degrees all night so we huddled and chatted until real late and then me and my friend climbed in the van and caught some sleep and my hubby waited in the line for us. About 3:30 they told everyone to pack the tents and stuff and get lined up better. So we got back over to the line. They started handing out the vouchers. People started jumping in line. My friend and I were literally run over. How were we supposed to get his voucher? The man is in a wheelchair and people were running hm over. I was standing behind him trying to keep him from being tipped over. It was absolutely ridiculous. I already emailed them. I'm waiting on a reply to see what they say. I'm hot under the collar over the incident.

[Jadewik]

I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague on a regular basis (with the only exception being Halloween)... sometimes, it's worth it to find what you want for a little more dinero.



In spite of the super-long lines at Fry's, people didn't really push all that much. I did have some guy back into me trying to turn his shopping cart around. I yelled, "Whoa, there, tiger!" and made him stop so those of us he was running into could give him some room. Silly India-n Man... other than that, and these biotches at Target, there wasn't really an issue finding what we wanted unscathed.



We actually lucked out 3 times this year... at Fry's they were out of the 8G flash drives, but as we were about to walk away... they pulled down a whole box of them! Then, at Target, the same thing happened with the digital video recorders. And at Michael's, they were out of the $5 paper trimmers, but one seriously awesome employee found one mis-shelved... so we got one! Whee! =D



This was only my second time at the Black Friday am sales. Most of the time, I can get what I want in the afternoon, so I don't bother getting up early. I value my sleep too much.



That really sucks to hear stories about people running each other over... those places sound very disorganized. Eesh.

[LawP]

I thought it was called Black Friday because the shopping starts so darn early...it's dark outside. Happy to say I avoided that mess and slept in. I managed to score some good deals Saturday afternoon and didn't have to fight crowds.

[Dudley]

They had the Seattle crunch on the tube this year...where three people where CRUNCHED against the store front by the crowds and nearly suffocated...they had to be taken off in stretchers...

I'm in Ontario Canada..think about that..we got to see the film up here..

Stories like that and my friend coming home from Japan made me start the Christmas shopping in July and have it DONE by November..my friend came home one year and we went through the mall TWO DAYS before Christmas...little old ladies KILLING one another for that last tie, you can imagine..HE is walking like Dean Martin during his Sea World Christmas Special and saying how NICE it was to be back to A NICE QUIET CANADIAN CHRISTMAS. I told him this was bedlam and asked what it corresponded to in Japan..he said;"Sunday afternoon with no place to go and nothing to do..."

That and a lady in the mall one year.

She was selling tie racks or such to guys like me looking for that last gift item..this was sort of a gismo to keep closests cleaner and I was so impressed I was giddy..and she thought I was making fun and told me to do something physically impossible and went away crying and screaming..her partner came up and was white faced and shaking and BEGGED me not to report it..and told me how THIS was the only job the other lady could get and her husband had one leg lost to cancer and the other one didn't look good, and her boy was autistic with one hand and the little girl had been biten by a dog and lost an eye (really, you don't FORGET troubles like that told to you...) and I said I would buy TWO, thinking that if this was a 'good cop, bad cop' shuck they EARNED the sale..and thanked God above for my own minor problems..but both made me want to clear a space and create a nice platform the holidays to happen..and the best way to me was to avoid the sales and the rush and calm the heck down...

I often think of that lady now..and hope things turned out...