Anybody have info on Black Friday sales yet?

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Annie&Hallie'sMom
I try and do my holiday shopping throughout the year (as a matter of fact I'm pretty much done), but I am always one for a good deal (if it's something I needed). I know about Black Friday, but I have NEVER shopped it (maybe because I work that day, but if stores were open really early...).

How cheap can you really get stuff? Is it really worth it even if you are not buying for Christmas?

WalMart opens at either 5 or 6 odark, I forgot which, I just know I was there VERY early and wanted to run and hide when they opened.

The "stuff" highlighted for that day is really cheap and well worth it, if you happen to need it.

The stores are a zoo, people are rude (they will even take stuff out of your cart), they push, they pull, they cut in line, it is, IMHO, horrible.

Maybe I have a bad attitude about it because my mother died on BF in 2000 and it is usually a pretty bad day for me.

 

[ceecee]

The year before last, DD spent the night with Grandma while DH & I hit the sales.......KBToys, Toysrus, Meijer and Kmart. We stopped at McD's for breakfast, came home wrapped everything and the hid it and were done by 10:00! Last year we waited in line for 3 gifts (Tracphones) at Staples for 35 minutes. Then the next week saw the same phones with the same rebates at the same price at Best Buy with no wait. We decided no more of the insanely long lines. We will not go to Walmart for that very reason.

 

[DMRick]

My soon to be daughter in law lives in Ireland, and is joining us for Thanksgiving. This will be her first black Friday and she is very excited. She heard about it in Ireland!! My son plans on sleeping in...he says we can take her. Hope we don't loose her!
Some of the items are so inexpensive, we buy several. Each of the three of us (daughters go too) split and grab the really cheap stuff in different parts of the store (if one person is heading for the $29 computer scanner, for instance, they'll get 4, one for each of us. Then we redivvy it up amongst ourselves. Watch eBay the next week...you'll see some of these items go up. I know I'll be putting some up!

 

[Samandmom]

I love to shop on this day. But I get really dissapointed if I don't find what I am looking for.

 

[Musky]

I've shopped the day-after-Thanksgiving sales for 20 years, and I never heard it called "Black Friday" either. You all do know the shop-at-a-store-that-matches-prices tip, don't you? Meaning that if Wal-Mart has Gameboy Advance on sale that morning for $49.99, you take the ad to Toys r Us (assuming they are not on sale there) and get your Gameboy Advance without worrying about whether they are going to run out. If Circuit City has Sony camcorders for $149, you take the ad to Wal-Mart and get it there (assuming it's not on sale at Wal-Mart). I don't know what all stores match prices, but a lot do. Of course, not all stores have the same merchandise available, but certain things (like Gameboys) you can be certain everybody is going to have. By going to the wrong store for it, you don't have to camp out in the parking lot - you only have to be there at a semi-insane hour, but you get the same price. But be sure to take that ad!

Musky

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Musky
I've shopped the day-after-Thanksgiving sales for 20 years, and I never heard it called "Black Friday" either. You all do know the shop-at-a-store-that-matches-prices tip, don't you? Meaning that if Wal-Mart has Gameboy Advance on sale that morning for $49.99, you take the ad to Toys r Us (assuming they are not on sale there) and get your Gameboy Advance without worrying about whether they are going to run out. If Circuit City has Sony camcorders for $149, you take the ad to Wal-Mart and get it there (assuming it's not on sale at Wal-Mart). I don't know what all stores match prices, but a lot do. Of course, not all stores have the same merchandise available, but certain things (like Gameboys) you can be certain everybody is going to have. By going to the wrong store for it, you don't have to camp out in the parking lot - you only have to be there at a semi-insane hour, but you get the same price. But be sure to take that ad!

Musky

WalMart will match prices on the exact item (and I do mean exact) from another store, BUT be aware that often WalMart has items no one else has. Ie: Sony Cam corder model abc is on sale at Circuit City, WalMart will have a Sony cam corder model abcd and will not match the price. They will not match web prices, EVER.

 

[Cindy B]

I knew that about walmart.. I actually did a lot of price matching at Kmart last year.

 

[bness]

FYI Kmart no longer matches prices.

 

[Cindy B]

Really, my Kmart still did, but that was a few month ago.
I got some Bionicles for a steal there using a KB Toys ad. ($2 at KB toys)

 

[jgates]

The trick WM pulled on us last year on Turkey day was - they would not price match on items they knew KMart was already out of - they checked with KM on the popular things and once they were out they no longer matched.

This sounds really rude, but we only wanted a cheap phone BB had last year and some walkie talkies? or something. They still had them at 8 am (which was amazing to me), and the line was still wrapped around the store. So we dedided - phoeey - we weren't waiting. So we went to the mall for a few hours. Now lazy me had stuck the stuff behind another pile of telephones so she didn't have to take them back to where they belonged. (Don't flame me - you would not believe what their shelves looked like at 8 am.). Well we went back after lunch on the off-chance.....Guess what - my stuff was still there - we walked through the check-out lines. The clerk that watched me pull it out from behind the phones was laughing sooooo hard. She said that was the best idea she had seen all day.

By the way- what rock have you guys been living under? It has been BF in the midwest here for YEARS!!!! Just teasing....

The WM strategy was put each of the 3 teenage boys at a different side of the mass of bodies that was pushing through the doors. Tell them each the 3 top items you want and have their 6' legs run like heck to grab them. My son was so mad when he came up with a DVD player and Katy & I were in the checkout already with 3 of them. I said - walk backwards 5 feet - someone will love you! Needless to say, he made someone else in the checkout lines that hadn't gotten one REALLY happy!!! Last years best for me was the GBA. My DD actually believed it was for her brother to take to college. She was very surprised on Xmas!

 

[Cindy B]

I know what you m ean about "strategic placing".. I've done that as well. Somehow "strategic placing" sounds so much better.

Also around here, they draw numbers (ie deli tickets for the store) some stores (espeically the KB in the mall) does this... tickets number 1-20 in first, 20-40 and so on.

Best Buy does something interesting. Usually there are a few hot electronics items that everyone wants, (I remember a $99 computer, a $29 scanner, and a $59 DVD player in years past)
The BEst Buy had some employees giving out tickets for those... if you want a DVD player, you got a green ticket, scanner, yellow ticket, etc.. You couldn't buy the item without a ticket. This was an excellent strategy as there were some people that would stroll in the door at 6:05 with all the poeople that have been waiting since 430 or 5.

It also helps to listen to what other people or buying.. usually convos are started waiting in line... and determine what your biggest priority it. I wont mention what I want if the quantity is limited...

 

[anne60]

OMG - I have never heard this day referred to as Black Friday. I will have to tell my daughter, she was born on Black Friday in 1985!!! Ironically, she hates to shop!

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

"Black Friday" is my favorite day of the year! I send hours going over the newspaper planning my attack. And this year it's my birthday!! Can't wait.

 

[ceecee]

Reminds me of a friend who worked security at a popular store...they saw a lady hiding stuff behind toilet paper that was to be marked down the next day! They had hidden cameras.

 

[jcemom]

Every year I swear I WILL NOT get up at a ridiculous hour and stand in line in the freezing cold -- and, regardless of the temps for a week prior to Black Friday, it is ALWAYS freezing cold on that day! BUT, every year, there I am, as usual, lined up outside of KB Toys at something like 4:30 in the morning. lol

As far as price matching, the stores in my immediate area (all of them, I think) will call the store with the ad to be sure they have the item in stock. If the "ad store" doesn't have it, then they won't match the price.

 

[plutospup]

Black Friday shopping has become a tradition at our house. I get up early, quickly do my shopping (fortunately 3 malls close to home), and I'm at work by 8-9 am! DW and DD are still asleep by the time I have most of my shopping done!

 

[Lori-n-NY]

I used to call it black Friday but now I call it GREEN FRIDAY....wanna guess why? Well I work at KB Toys and the company refers to it as Green....
I will be one of the foolish working that morning at 330 AM. Last year we had a store meeting to announce the game plan for that day and we got to look at the flyers but we did not keep them which makes it hard to recall items on sale but maybe I could make some mental notes of the tops items.

Heres hoping to a very success GREEN Friday for all retailers across the country.

Lori

 

[amp078]

FatWallet has already posted the Sears ad. Looks good too- I can use a few of the $8 cd walkmans!!

Here is a direct link:

http://s88090713.onlinehome.us/blackfriday/bf_sears.htm

Happy Shopping!!!

 

[BethR]

Thanks for that link,Amy! I have never been a Black Friday shopper - but DH has! But maybe I will brave it and give it a try. I would LOVE to get my shopping done before December 20th this year.

 

[Local_Girl]

My BF strategy is a bit different...I scour the ads half hoping there will be nothing I want or need so I can sleep in!!

Actually DH and I sometimes get out early that morning...but we did the "freezing in line before opening" thing at Target once (and that was in Texas at the time...now we're in Michigan!) and vowed never again.