I wasn’t in the market for anything worth dealing with the crowds/hours for this year (although I’m still contemplating the discounted iPads at Apple.com…) Did you brave the crowds? Score anything notable?
I wasn’t planning on it, because I don’t have anyone’s wish lists yet, and I don’t have my “Secret Santa” pick for my inlaws. However, my husband had to go to work before 7 this morning anyway, and his workplace is really near the closest mall - and the Body Shop sent me an E-mail about their sales, including a limited edition big bag full of neat lotions and other goodies for $25 (about $175 worth of stuff, IIRC). So I went there, grabbed some facial cleanser, makeup remover, and cuticle cream all on sale, cologne for my husband, and got the goodie bag too.
Then while I was at it, I got some super-warm long underwear bottoms for my husband, who’s a postal worker, on sale for half-off. So hopefully he’ll be warmer this winter walking his route.
I also popped into a clothing store that had 60% off of everything before noon, and got a sweater, pants, and necklace for cheap.
So, Happy Black Friday to me and my husband! Nice stuff, cheap prices, and the mall wasn’t scary with crowds. I didn’t even see a crowd at the Apple store, though by 7 am maybe the hardcore customers had already been and gone.
Sweet! Sounds like you got some good bargains without dealing with too much nuttiness.
I didn’t do it. I shopped online and at a local Christmas boutique/rummage sale and got what I needed.
I went out today only for a few groceries, and the store was not crazy. I even got a parking space right in front of the door.
Wasn’t planning on it, but I woke up at 6AM, so I went to the nearby Wal Mart. Crowds weren’t too bad. I got a printer for my daughter’s computer for $20, a 500GB Passport HD for $39 and a bunch of Blu Ray movies for $5 each.
Been at work all day.
And frankly, given a choice between coming to work or having to go to the mall on Black Friday, work is gonna win that one every single time.
throws thread in shopping cart
pushes it from Cafe Society to MPSIMS
It was worth it. I wasn’t up insanely early, and I figure I got work clothes, stuff for my husband, and if the wishlists turn up saying “nice bath/body stuff” then I can pull some of the Body Shop gift bag stuff into service. (Otherwise, I have a Groupon coupon for the Body Shop that wasn’t valid with the deals today, so I can use that for more Xmas shopping later.)
$35 panini press for $18 for a family rob your neighbor gift (limit $20)
$30 for a set of 2 pillows, one is a between the legs pillow, one is a neck pillow, Homedics brand, think retail for those was at least $70 for the pair? maybe $80, this is for a different family rob your neighbor gift, I think my aunts will be fighting over this one! (limit $30)
picked out all my Christmas clothes - all work clothes from New York and Company, whole store was 60% off this morning. I will be decked out in argyle and dress shirts come January
I had already gotten my presents for my parents previous to today. Still not sure what to get brother and his girlfriend or my boyfriend although my Amazon cart has about 5 items in it, nothing on sale though. Getting the rob your neighbor gifts was my goal today as I try to maximize the dollar limits. Since most of my family is adults now we just do a rob your neighbor and only those with young children buy for children, so there are many less gifts to buy than before (I have no children). We focus more on hanging out. And we make a big production out of the gift game and it is very hilarious/fun!
Well, I’m in Canada where ‘Black Friday’ such as it is doesn’t really exist (some retailers will do a half-hearted sale but there are no $12 televisions to be had).
However, recently the only Brooks Brothers Outlet store opened in Canada (Calgary) and (according to the man in the store) Canadian subscribers were supposed to be omitted from an e-mail announcing 50% off everything in the store - even clearance merchandise - but were not, so I grabbed some x-mas gifts for hubby. The store and the mall were totally deserted, BTW.
Mom picked up an iMac from Apple, but that’s about it.
I didn’t go out and do shopping, but the black Friday email blast came from Newegg on Wednesday night, and I nipped over to see the sales. I was underwhelmed for the most part (pretty much $10-20 off stuff) but a nice little 750W power supply caught my eye. All 5-star reviews and 50% off after rebates, so I decided to buy it.
I don’t have enough money to build the computer I want to build until after tax time, but I know this PSU will work for whatever I end up building.
I also bought my copy of Windows 7 for $10 off. Figured I will need it eventually as well, free shipping, good enough for me.
I braved the crowds, but primarily because it finally got cold enough to put on the winter jacket I bought at the end of winter last year, and I realized the zipper didn’t ever work properly, and it still didn’t, and if I’m going to plunk down the cash for a winter jacket after 10 years, the zipper had damn well better work properly. And L.L. Bean has a no-questions-asked return policy. So I took it back and exchanged it for the one I would have bought last year if they’d had any left in my size (down rather than Thinsulate), fully expecting to pay the difference between last year’s end-of-season clearance price and the current full price of the new jacket. (Plus they had comfy day hiking shoes in my size on sale for $35 - score!)
So I got up to the cashier and explained the exchange, and he told me they could only credit me for the current price of the jacket I was exchanging, even after I explained that that was actually probably about $70 more than I had paid for it on clearance last year. I provided full disclosure, I swear, but they actually credited me for a lot more than I paid for it! Ah well, I guess I’ve spent enough there over the years that they’re still making money on me - I think it’s the only thing I’ve ever returned there.
Oh, and there was a free cappucino from Borders, too. There might have been more, but Mom is already taken care of, and I haven’t gotten to look at everyone else’s wish lists yet.
Got a computer table and an old time stable rocking horse FREE off of Craigslist. I need the computer table for my desktop and I hope my grand 3 yo nephew likes the rocking horse. 
I’ve been awake since 4 a.m. The sales this year weren’t anything to write home about, and I probably spent more on lunch and two Harry Potter tickets post-shopping than I did in stores. I mostly do it because it’s a tradition for my best friend and I, but…what happen to the usual awesome deals on TV series and movies on DVD? There were like a third as many as usual, and all older seasons and uninteresting movies. Nothing spectacular computer accessory-wise (like blank dvds and flash drives) either. Most of the things I typically buy weren’t even on sale, then. But I did pick up these guys to man my haunted pirate ship halloween decoration that came without a crew.
TheKid, my best friend, her daughter, and I braved the mobs and 10F weather this morning. I ended up with a shopping list for many family members - nothing I was buying was a gift for them, rather things for family members to give other family members (we draw names). As usual, Menards was “The Store” for us. I bought a variety of things - fuzzy socks for the grand-niece from Thekid, a field dressing kit for one nephew from a niece-in-law, a boot dryer for my brother-in-law from the nephew who is receiving the dressing kit. I did luck out with one purchase. I was planning on buying a wet/dry vac for here at home - my mom told me she’d give me hers. Score!
Then to Ulta for stocking stuffers, JoAnn Fabrics for fleece dirt cheap - TheKid likes making blankets, Target for secret santa stuff that TheKid is doing in choir, PetSmart for the critters (with some presents for them) and Borders just because I had a 50% off coupon.
I bought nothing for the person whose name I have, nothing for TheKid’s birthday or Christmas, and I ended up with a book and a box of Turtle candies for myself.
I did.
Scored a replacement for the TV that just bought the farm.
I shopped online at a store which had their Black Friday deals online yesterday. I got five pairs of ladies’ boots for my daughters, daughter-in-law, and two nieces. The boots were regularly $59 but on sale for $19.99. I thought I did pretty well.
Wasn’t planning on buying anything, but stopped at Rite-Aid to get ice and saw candy display. Brought home 30-oz box of Russell Stover ($10), two things of dark chocolate cherries (BOGO 2.19), two things of mint patties (not York; $1 each), and two bags of cherry cordial M&Ms (2 for $4). Sweet, if you’ll pardon the expression.
Oh hell no. I refuse to buy into the holiday shopping greed. I make or buy Christmas presents well before the end of the year so I can get them wrapped and sent of in a timely fashion. I hate crowds at any rate and wouldn’t go shopping this close to Christmas if you paid me. [Well, maybe for a million in small used unmarked bills under the table and tax free…]
Closest thing to black Friday was realizing that we were out of whipping cream for dessert and half and half for coffee and sending the husband up to the grocery store for it. [we did thanksgiving on Friday as we had to drive to Mom’s on Thursday thanks to hubby getting off work way too late to just drive here Wednesday]