I survived Black Friday shopping....anyone else?

[live4christp1]

DH and I made it to Walmart (yeah I know) at about 4:15 this morning. After pouring over the ads we decided that's where we would go (had Nintendo DS for $98 and that's what DD wants) and get price matched on a couple of things in other ads. We got all we went after except Madden10 for $25. Needed it for XBox360.....the special was only for Playstation 2. Took the longest to get the DS as they didn't start dispensing them until 5:00 AM. All the other stuff was on pallets/displays in the center aisles and available when we went in so DH stood in line for the DS while I went through the store collecting all the other items. We were out by 6:15 AM.

 

[Planogirl]

I went to Target and that was easy. I also dropped by Best Buy and that took a bit longer but still not bad.

Both stores were very crowded but they were handling the crowds quite nicely.

 

[OK!]

Yep! I went to Best Buy (briefly considered getting there early enough to get one of the free gift cards they'd advertised but no, and after seeing the lingering remnants of time-passing activities used by the people who obviously had gotten there early, I'm glad I didn't waste my time. They'd obviously been there looooooong before the 5 am opening) and ended up waiting in line for maybe 20 mins. or so, but it was well-managed and they had someone waiting at the front to escort people up to the next available cashier, which was helpful.

Then I went next door to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to get a bunch of Yankee Candle stuff with their 20% off entire purchase coupon. The store was all but deserted (I'm assuming because people were next door at Best Buy or up the hill a ways at the Walmart) and I got my stuff and had no wait at all.

I'm feeling the effects of the sleep deprivation now, which is bad because I have to work all day, but happy I got in and got what I needed this morning.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I wanted to buy the 32 inch TV at Target and didn't get it. They had only 50 per store. We went to the Target nearest my house at 4:30. When we struck out there, we raced over to a Target in a town that doesn't allow stores to open before 7:00 a.m. Waited on line in the dark and the cold from 5:30 to 7:00 and didn't get the TV.

By the time, we got through trying to get it, all the $3 appliances were gone too. I wanted the sandwich maker and a coffee maker or two. I did get a blender, football and basketball for $15 each. Also got an extra Xbox controller and Call of Duty--Modern Warfare 2.

Went to Costco when it opened at 9:00 and bought a 26 inch Vizio TV for $250--same price as the 32 inch at Target. I don't know if it's the best deal ever, but what's good about Costco is that it can be brought back, no questions asked, for up to 90 days. So if I do find another spectacular deal on an HDTV, I can bring the Vizio back easily.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Today was the first time I have braved Black Friday sales in YEARS! I usually avoid it at all costs but they had a few deals that I couldn't resist this year at Walmart. I was going to go to the 12 a.m. sale at Toys R Us too but after getting there and quickly realizing it would probably take 2 hours just to get inside the building AFTER it opened, I decided it was not worth it as there wasn't anything in there I felt I just had to have. That was a mob scene and the cops were even called at opening due to people trying to rush in in front of those who had already been waiting 3 hours just for the doors to open. No thank you, that's not for me!

I didn't need nor want anything at our Best Buy this year so didn't go to that one but they showed on the 6 p.m. news yesterday that people had actually started camping out in tents in front of the building at noon yesterday...17 hours before the doors were due to open! Now THAT'S just crazy to me!!

So I only went to Walmart and it was a little crowded but not too bad. I got every single thing I had gone there for plus some shopping for nieces/nephews that I had planned to do another time. I found good deals for them too so I feel like I did well. My kids even went with me and we had fun. Met a friend and did a little shopping with her and then went out for breakfast. Now I am home and I just put the kids down for a nap and I bought a few things for dh on JCPenney.com with good Black Friday prices there too. I think I'm ready for a nap now too, lol! All in all, it was a nice day and I am pleased that I was able to get everything I wanted/needed at reasonable costs without a hassle today.

 

[ORMom2Four]

I slept. I'm pregnant with twins and there is no way you could have pulled me out of bed that early! Dh went to Target when they opened though. He spent an hour and half in line to pay!!! (not quite sure if the savings were worth his time.....)

He called me to tell me about a lady with an "emergency" who tried to get to the front of the line. She said, "OMG, I have an EMERGENCY! I forgot to bring a sippy cup, so I NEED to buy them NOW. Can I get in the front of the line?" (her sippy cups AND her entire cart full of items, lol) Nobody would let her in, and someone working there told her she could open the cups in line while she waited like everyone else.

 

[palmtreegirl]

I did my shopping online.

 

[DisneyCP2002]

I did survive. I went to Penney's for my snowglobe, then bealls, big lots, and lastly belks before coming home to crash.

 

[momof1princess]

no problems for me. i bought the $25 HP printer and $29 digital picture frame at walmart.com at 2:30am CT and went back to bed

 

[lynxstch]

no problems for me. i bought the $25 HP printer and $29 digital picture frame at walmart.com at 2:30am CT and went back to bed

and when we left there just before 11..they still had both of those specials on pallets near the infants dept..there were still tv's, blue ray players, and the $398 computers..the only things they did seem to be out of were the $200 computers and some of the video game stuff (which we aren't into so didn't bother me)
we got to the registers..everyone was open..and I got behind a lady that had 1/2 cartfull..and we were out of there within about 20 min after getting in line!

JCPenney's seemed more crowded than Walmart for some reason!..we live in a very small town..where the SuperWalmart, Penney's, and Sears, and a Big Lots and Roses are our only real choices!

 

[nikkistevej]

I got almost everything I wanted- didn't get everything because I had to be to work by 8:30am- and went to 5 stores before then. I just had to go to the local scrapbook store- that took some time.

 

[curious3069]

We survived today too...was really suprised at the lack of crowds. Places were busy, but not horrifically crowded. The only place we didn't do was Target, the lines were awful. We walked and and walked right back out. Other than that, the longest line we stood in was for a pretzel at Auntie Anne's!!

 

[Angelhalo]

We had an awesome time, no meltdowns. The worst place we went was Wal-Mart and thats just because A) they are unorganized and B) no one who works there knows where anything is.

But we went to:
Kohl's
Target
Wal-Mart
K-Mart
Bed Bath and Beyond
World Market
Lowe's
Northern Tool
Burlington Coat Factory
Old Time Pottery
and
Radio Shack

and had no problems anywhere. Plus, we got almost everything we were looking for

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

I luckily survived. Did my doorbuster items on Target.com last night and got up at 2:45am to get the doorbuster TV from Walmart.com. Did Kohl's at 4am (and waited in the check out line for an hour!), the mall for various stores. Did Target for the stuff I couldn't get online and Kohl's again. Finished up at home with Victoria's Secret and Nine West online. Then took a 3.5 hour nap!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Slept in, drank coffee. We looked over the ads and then went at the last minutes of the sales. Got a few things from WalMart, the 50.00 bike for my college dd, she wants a bike for campus. DH got his doorbuster garage stuff from Sears. I got Left for Dead 2 at Gamestop for 49.99.

Mall was not overly packed this afternoon. It was crowded but not bad.

 

[HelenePA]

I did Sears,Lowes, Boscovs, dunkin donuts (lol) Walmart, Kmart, FYE all with NO problem there were 2 things on my list I didn't get.. I needed 3 Fur Real Friends at walmart but only found one, and I wanted the Creepy Crawler Maker at Kmart but they were sold out. I didn't make it to walmart until after 7:30 and they still had a good supply of all of their door busters (except the fur real friends!) TV's, Tom Tom's Computers, I'm not sure about the DS's I didn't pay much attention since I didn't need them this year. Oh rereading the thread there was something else I didn't get at walmart the skateboards for $5 which might have been for the best lol. I pick up my layaway at kmart next week and get some odds and ends for their stockings and I AM DONE! YAY!

 

[Cindy B]

Lets see we started at midnight. Disney Store and aeropostale and then back home for a nap. Then on to Target and Kohl's. Home for another quick break than on to a local skateboarding shop and custom bike place. Then onto Staples for the free batteries deal. Home for a short bit then went to Target again. Went to another bike stoe to price check. Finally bought bike at shop #1.

We also did some online shopping as well.

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

We slept until 11am lol, then got up, ate, bought Remy an Ipod online, decided to go see how the town survived BF since we were bored. Went to Target got the girls some PJs, then the mall..bought nothing just people watched (some frantic people out there lol), got lunch and finally ON where I got Holly some much needed pants for 10.00 a pair. Not a bad day.

PS next year I may do a "real" BF shopping trip, but being over 7mo preggo this year it was just NOT gonna happen lol.

 

[AllisonK]

Only went to the Apple Store. I did come out with what I intended to buy, though - the new white MacBook. It was CRAZY in there, though! And my parents and I went in at 3:30! My dad came out with a new Touch, as the battery on his was dead.

 

[eliza61]

Dh & I decided to drive to the Premium outlets in PA today. Now we don't have any small kids to buy for so black friday is not a big boohaha to us. Definitely didn't get up at 5:00 am for any special sale.

Anyway,
I thought it was a waste. The prices were not that great IMO. Sure they had 50% off sale but it was 50% off of the manufacturers suggested price (which I would never pay in a million years).
For example I went to the Eddie bauer outlet. They had some nice long sleeve waffle shirts for men, half off at 20.00 bucks. I've seen that on the eddie bauer web site.
On and On. They did have some gorgeous Kate spade bags for $200 bucks but I wasn't looking for a gift for me.

All in all, I was less than impressed with the prices.