Black Friday - Who Doesn't Care?

[timmac]

Let me preface this by careful saying that I'm not looking to attack anyone who loves BF shopping... more power to whomever enjoys it. That said...

I'm firmly of the believe that there is simply NO deal out there, that justifies fighting with crowds, arriving at stupid o'clock in the morning, and having to "plan my attack" over.

Yes, sometimes there's electronics and the like for really cheap prices, but often enough they are low quality as well, and/or in very limited quantities. To say nothing of the simple lack of sleep and simple inconvenience.

I did do BF at Walmart one time, a few years back, and am quite confident I will NEVER do it again.

 

[ancestry]

I completely agree.

 

[nairv]

I'm with you. It's ridiculous. Didn't someone get killed in a stampede a few years ago?
I do enjoy watching the deals online and doing a little shopping in the comfort of my own home, cup of coffee in hand!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 

[AlwaysMoving]

Never have participated in a Black Friday and never will. I can't imagine fighting the crowds and parking lots.

 

[QVCshopper]

That's fine not to care. I have been doing BF for years and years and have never experienced the fist fights, tramplings, etc. I know about the poor man at Walmart a few years back, but it's really not that bad--just hang out at the end of the line and wait your turn. I work 2nd shift and am usually up at these crazy o'clock openings anyway. I'm in my 3rd trimester and am going just to Target at midnight -- I certainly wouldn't risk any harm to my unborn baby if I anticipated any. And if by chance it's bad, I will just leave and go home.

Honestly, I think the media just loves BF. And I really don't understand the Target bashing. Our beloved Disney Store opened at midnight last year (one of the first stores to do so I believe) and no one complained.

 

[horseshowmom]

I'm not willing to get up that early for much of anything , and I hate crowds and traffic . That said, I completely understand why some people love the thrill of the "hunt" and why some use it to stretch their budget.

 

[Robinrs]

 

[mommyof3princess27]

I'm with you. It's ridiculous. Didn't someone get killed in a stampede a few years ago?
I do enjoy watching the deals online and doing a little shopping in the comfort of my own home, cup of coffee in hand!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I like to do online shopping....even if its at weird hours but its out of my house and not outside at 3am with 150 ppl in line ahead of me for the thing I want only to find out they had 3 :/

 

[MomtoGKC]

A good friend and I like to go out there once in a while. But we don't go at 4am or get in long lines waiting for deals. We do it with the attitude that if we get any deals, great, if not we are still having a nice day together with NO kids and a yummy lunch. She is a huge shopper, so she usually comes home with tons of bags and I com home with one or two things.

 

[mommyto2]

I care...but I can't partake this year because my husband is having surgery that morning. So I'm trying my best to ignore all the wonderful ads.

 

[MELSMICE]

I would never do BF shopping.

My sister told me about something my BIL wants that is being offered at Target on BF for $99.99.....normally $129.99. I told her I don't do BF. I ended up doing a Google search and found it at Best Buy for $99.99 with free shipping. They live out of state so I would have to ship it anyway. Saved myself shipping costs & aggravation.

I've done a large majority of my shopping online this year in the comfort of my own home. Can't beat it!

 

[cjdj4]

I worked in retail for YEARS. So, as you can probably imagine, I have worked more BF than I care to recall. After I left retail, I had ZERO desire to shop on a day I finally had off. Last year, I started to wonder if I was missing out on something. I told DH I was going to Target at 2 (or 3?) am to shop. DH decided to go with me. By the time we got inside Target (we got on the end of a very long line right at opening time), everything was already gone. We left there and went to Home Depot (it opened an hour later) looked at the Xmas trees that were on sale. We were not impressed. We decided BF was not for us because we were not willing to wait in line for hours. We went home and went back to bed. This year we are not going out there at all.
That being said, I wish all of those who are BF shoppers a great night of shopping! I realized I am an online shopper. That's what makes me happy. Those of you who are in real life shopper enjoy going out there and getting the deals.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm the only one in my family who DOES care.

The rest shake their heads and smile at the thought of me in Kohls at 4 or 5 am. But I get such a kick out of it!! I love the palpable excitement, the comeraderie, the fun.

I wouldn't go near Walmart or Toys R Us-- no bargain is worth the risk of being trampled by a mob. So, no, I won't be scoring a $20 TV.

I love shopping and I'm a morning person; if I'm not wide awake by 5 am on a normal day, it's unusual. I won't set an alarm, but I'll be in the stores before 5.

I'll shop at Kohls, hit Old Navy , then on the mall. I'll buy what strikes my eye. I'll chat with other people on line, and wish them a Merry Christmas. And I'll be home by noon, happy and content with a day's shopping while my kids and husband are home.

 

[Chelley00]

I went once. Never again.

I'm not going to wait in long lines, freezing my butt off, get trampled, stand in check out lines to save $20. Plus, I don't have anyone to go with and I'm definately not going alone.

Instead, if there is a huge deal on something I need, I'll sometimes send my list to my mom who goes with a group of people she works with and ask if they see one to grab it for me.

 

[scootch]

I haven't even looked at one ad. We just got from WDW on Friday, I am still recovering from that. I went one year but really didn't save much and it wasn't all that fun... so never really interested to go again. Now cyber monday sales, I do enjoy.

 

[Pigeon]

I have no interest in it at all. I'm cheap and love a bargain. But I'm not willing to ruin my holiday to stay up all night in the cold waiting for a limited supply of stuff and engaging in a stampede to get it.

 

[MinnieForMe]

No BF for me either except online! However, I will be at CVS at 7 am tomorrow morning and Walgreens at 9 am. It'll take me about 30 minutes at each store and I'll have at least 40 items for free. Woo Hoo! I love rolling ECB's!

 

[WheelCEO]

Thankfully I can afford to buy whatever I want without a black friday "deal. I also agree with the OP, the majority of the electronics offered are old models and low quality.

 

[butterfly71076]

I have been doing BF for years! I always have so much fun! I am never part of "the stampede" and usually get all the things I want. There is just something about being up so early, the cold morning air, knowing it's the start of the Christmas season with carols blasting in the car. I really do enjoy it. I don't mind hanging back and letting the crazy people run for the TV's, video games, and whatever else they want. I don't even mind standing in the checkout lines, although the lady at Walmart two years ago was kinda PO'ed when I paid with 45 singles! We just got back from a wonderful 10 day stay at SSR in WDW on Monday night, are having 14 people over for Thanksgiving, and going out Black Friday shopping! What can I say, I love every minute of it!! Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

 

[southern_redhead]

I've done BF twice. Neither time was that exciting for me. For one, I am an early shopper (I'm already done, right down to the stockings, with my Christmas shopping.) Two, the things I am looking for are either not on sale, or aren't much of a discount. The first year, I went with my husband and a friend of ours. It was okay, but the friend was an "uber" electronics shopper and we spent 90% of that day in Best Buy. Not being a huge electronics shopper, I was kind of bored (although they had recliners set up so I hung out in one of them while DH got the big eyes at the tv wall.) The second time, I went with a group of women from work. I wanted to sneak away to a bathroom and kill myself. 3 hours....THREE HOURS...in Gordman's. ARGH! I had looked at that store, front to back, 100 times before we left. I can't really see me doing BF again. If I could save some serious money, maybe. I've just never found a deal good enough.