Yes, I go with my wife because she likes to do it. She did it for years with her mom and sis in-laws, and their female friends. She doesn’t live by them now, so I go with her. As a trade-off, I get to eat cheeseburgers for breakfast after the shopping.
I don’t shop at Walmart or Best Buy the other 364 days of the year and sure as hell wouldn’t do so on Thanksgiving.
Not only will I not be shopping on Thanksgiving, I make it a point to buy everything possible at a local chain that not only closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but takes out full-page ads every year saying so, while expressing disappointment that other retailers don’t respect employees enough to give them the day with their families.
No for the crowds. And like others, other reasons too.
No. Even before the internet I never did. Now, I can’t imagine a reason to subject myself to that madness.
Well, still no. I’ll be enjoying family time at my parents’ home.
Nope.
I voted yes, with an explanation. But my answer is more like “sort of”. I’m going up to visit my family for Thanksgiving. So the day after I’ll probably do some shopping in their area.
But I’ll be going to places like used book stores and flea markets to buy stuff for myself not to WalMart, Target, or the mall to do any Christmas shopping.
I’ll be on the retail front lines this Thanksgiving and Friday. I’ll probably be hitting the liquor store on the way home in the morning.
(Well, I might pick up a 3D TV as a combined housewarming/birthday/Christmas gift for a friend. I have my eye on one for $700 that’s being rumored to drop to $600 this holiday, I get a 10% discount, and have been told we’ll get an extra 10% discount as thanks for working… pretty good for a TV that cost $1200 for my own set last year.)
I hate regular Black Friday shopping. The wife and I went out once, just to go. I don’t know why I decided to even attempt it. I hate crowds. I hate having to deal with parking. I hate driving in traffic.
And I refuse to even go out for shopping on Thanksgiving on the very principle. People should be at home with their families, not fighting to buy crap that they don’t need that will be obsolete in a year either way.
Simple answer? I work that day. Normally I wouldn’t shop on those days anyways since the Internet has made such mob madness entirely irrelevant to me. Plus, I’m too lazy to get up early enough for any of the really good deals. Mostly that last part.
No, even if I was in the US, because I am disgusted by the materialism, because I am disgusted by Christmas Creep, and because I think no one should have to work on a holiday as important as Thanksgiving without a Damned Good Reason.
I’ve said it before: when my mother started working at a local department store, it ruined her Thanksgiving every year because she was dreading the Black Friday idiocy the following day. The thought of bumping that back to the evening of Thanksgiving itself just turns my stomach.
And don’t be afraid to use the term Black Friday: reclaim it! In spite of the happy spin retailers try to put on it, it comes from the Philadelphia police, and dates back at least to the 1960s. They used it to describe the traffic chaos and problems caused by grumpy, over-stressed shoppers in Center City. It was not meant as a happy name.
+1.
Sorry, I agree, that there is no reason to drag people in on Thanksgiving. I am not fond of black friday, but at least they are not interfering with a family holiday on friday. I somewhat dislike black friday for the greed and materialism, but it is reasonable to have a sale on that day as it is approaching Christmas and a reasonable day for specifically holiday oriented shopping.
I don’t really like shopping on Black Friday, but I’ll do it as necessary. Only if I *really need *something specific and can get it super-cheap. I get in, get what I need, and get out. I could really use a new office chair from Office Depot, but I won’t have the money to afford to replace this one in time for Black Friday. It’s on sale for $100 instead of the usual $200, but oh well. I bought the one I’m sitting on 2 Black Fridays ago, though. It’s a really good deal.
I picked No, and I’ll explain my reasoning, although the option I wanted was No, I have to work.
Although since I read the thread before bed last night, I am aware that I misread the title, and do not in fact have to work.
I do work retail, although my employer is more in the grocery line than the big bargains on Black Friday line, and thus those who do work on Turkey Day will have at least the evening to spend with their families.
I will be working on Wednesday–which will be insane–last minute grocery shoppers galore, plus newly delivered product which usually arrives on Thursday.
And on Friday, which will be calm by comparison.
Having said all that, the real reason I won’t be shopping on Black Thanksgiving is that I’m not much of a shopper on a good day, and I kinda hate bargain hunting, so when we finish our day’s activities elsewhere, I’ll sit at home and knit and interact with imaginary people on the internet.
God no. Black Thanksgiving/Friday is an agoraphobic’s nightmare. I hate malls and most shopping in general, this is not something I would intentionally go out of my way to do.
I pretty much avoid all large shopping areas between Thanksgiving and Christmas unless absolutely necessary. I hate crowds, and I believe that people just get more stupid the more of them you put together in one place. So no, I won’t be shopping on Black Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Rebecca Black Friday, Chartreuse Saturday, or any other day during that period if I can help it. 
I just felt a need to point out that every Thanksgiving is Black Thanksgiving in my family.
Carry on.
I voted no. We don’t exchange gifts any longer - haven’t for years. Correction - we do a $10 goofy gift swap-and-steal just for fun. The kids are all grown and employed. There are no grandkids yet. Spouse and I buy ourselves what we want when we want it. Sibs are mostly broke, hence the $10 swap.
This year, my sibs and I will go together on a new dryer for our mom, since hers just died. And my husband and I will get something for his parents - probably dining-out certificates. None of that requires venturing out with the crazies!
I joined the insane throng one year and got all caught up with buying lots of stuff. Two days later, I took most of it back - once I got it home and started looking at it, I couldn’t figure out why I’d bought it.
Ho ho ho!
Yeah, shopping is work, and I don’t want to spend my holiday working.