I love Black Friday because I love shopping. Not the actual purchasing of goods, and especially not the selection of gifts for people, but the excitement of being in the store and looking at all the shiny new things, the decorations, the hustle and bustle of the crowds. I usually shop a little on Black Friday just to enjoy the experience. I never stand in line for anything, or do a lot of research to find some item at a better price. I have a few things I might buy today, but mostly I’ll just go to observe and be a part of it all.
Just wanted to share a little bit of the alternate persective. I know one thing that makes the experience less traumatic for me is that I don’t drive (I use public transportation). Traffic and parking are huge Black Friday headaches that have no impact on me at all.
I’ve never gone before until last night. Wal Mart had 3 items that were guaranteed in stock between 10 and 11, and my brother wanted 2 of them. Since I live near Wal Mart and he’s got 2 babies at home, I went and stood in line and got his stuff.
It wasn’t bad. Just a lot of standing around. I didn’t camp or anything like that - I walked in at 10 and left at 11:30. I probably should have shown up at 10:45 instead but whatever - live and learn.
My brother spent $205 ($5 standing fee for me!) and saved about $140 on stuff he was definitely going to buy anyway.
I don’t think I would do Black Friday “for real” without the voucher system Wal Mart was using, or stay up late, and especially not camp out.
I honestly don’t know what I’d shop for. I have everything I want and need. It’s too early to be thinking about Christmas presents. And, I’d rarer pay more than deal with crowds. So, it’s clearly not my day to go to the mall.
Unless we’re out of groceries I view this day as a day of rest with my family. We take walks, make soup, watch junky television and read good books. I wouldn’t hit the local mall pn this day unless you dragged me by the hair. My husband’s making black bean soup right now while the kids are resting and I’m on the net. I have a nice trashy Downton Abbyesque novel waiting for me in a few minutes.
I went to Herbergers last night at midnight with my best girlfriend and we had a fantastic time. It was madness but it was so much fun with her, we both used the $10 off coupons to buy frivolous undies and it was a silly middle-of-the-night adventure. And today I went to the grocery store to get the $5.99/# porterhouse steaks, $2.99 bags of clementines and an enormous apple pie that was 75% off. I almost always do something like this on Black Friday.
On the other hand, my husband and I pointed and laughed at the people waiting in the freezing rain outside of Best Buy at 4pm yesterday, when they opened at midnight. And I would never go to the mall to shop at several stores, or go to Target or Walmart or do any serious Xmas shopping on Black Friday. I like the adventure and the treasure-hunt of getting only a door-buster item or two.
Conspicuously avoid it; don’t like consumer spending orgies in general, and have been celebrating AdBusters ‘Buy Nothing Day’ for years with no regrets. Took a hike instead-- saw a bunch of deer, and it was sunny.
Although some of the items seem appealing, I’ve never been tempted to go out on Black Friday. Practically paying to drown in a sea of crazy consumerists? No thanks!
I do feel a little guilty that I went out last night, though. I’ve been looking at clay to use for giftmaking and chickened out of buying some when I went to Micheal’s on Wednesday. Curiosity got the better of me and I saw that the had a Thanksgiving sale, 30% off everything! It was a little crowded, but not overwhelmingly so. I got loads of clay and misc. items to make gifts for my family members and save a huuuuge amount on the total bill. I still feel dirty though, sorry retail people.
The lines were no worse than what I find on a weekend shopping trip. The trick to black friday is to ignore the door buster sales and to avoid going there until a few hours after when the door opens and the sales begin. Show up around midmorning a few hours after the doors open, around 9-11am, after the first rush of door busters have come and gone.
If you do that there are still a lot of good deals (all the door busters, electronics and amazing deals will be gone, but the good deals will still be stocked), but virtually none of the lines. The longest line I waited in was 5 minutes, the other places had 1-2 minute lines. And I still found a lot of good deals. I bought an air compressor, crock pot, egg beaters, various other cooking supplies, some DVDs, a seat warmer and other stuff.
In the past I have made a big deal (here and elsewhere) about how I never go to malls etc on black Friday. I’ve been quite sanctimonious about not joining the fray.
Alas, my wife insisted I accompany her to a few particular sales today, starting about 7 am. The bad news: I spent way longer than I wanted standing in lines awaiting purchases. The good news: to get me to go, the wife made a *lot *of promises that I can cash in for awhile.
As long as I’ve been in retail (29 years or so) the day after Thanksgiving has been known as the busiest shopping day, but the Black Friday frenzy isn’t as old as that. If there were some specific thing I knew I needed I might go out for that, on my way to my store, which is open on “Black Friday” but without any fanfare or extended hours.
Most of the things that are on sale are not things I need or want or can afford even at half price.
I like Christmas and Christmas shopping, but my family has always exchanged much smaller gifts. No one is buying me a TV, nor am I buying anyone one. I’ll get a book or a calendar or a pair of funky beaded earrings, and give similar items.
I did a Black Friday/Doorbuster ONCE. My brother-in-law saw Wal-Mart had a $200 dollar TV for $89. They opened at two and I got there at midnight with coffee and snacks. The line already stretched from the entrance to the rear of the store. I finally got in, grabbed the TV (and an Optimus Prime Transformer bulked stacked next to it.)
My nephew loved his Christmas TV and Transformer but when I found out that my BiL wasn’t working Black Friday and just couldn’t be arsed to stand in line, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Also, my wife works retail and has clued me into a lot of the scams she’s seen for Black Friday, which has made me realise that you almost have a better chance of winning the Lottery then actually acquiring “the big score.”
Unless I’m guaranteed that I can get X for Y price, I’ll never do it again.
My girlfriend and I were visiting my father for Thanksgiving, and we wanted to get an early start on the 8 hour drive home Friday, and we were taking a bunch of leftovers with us in a big cooler, and needed some ice, so my father and I went out Thursday night to buy ice for the cooler. The only stores close to his house are Albertsons (which was closed) and a Walmart Superstore. The Walmart was exactly the hellish madhouse I expected. As we left the store, the policemen guarding the exit looked at our basket and said "You came for a BAG OF ICE? On BLACK FRIDAY? You are WARRIORS!
Also celebrate Buy Nothing Day. Exceptions for groceries, since I don’t do huge meals for Thanksgiving either. I do make sure to hug those I love and be very, very grateful.
