Wal-Mart Black Friday Vent

[Maridw]

Just got back from Wal-Mart. My DH wanted to pick up one of the Emerson TVs that were on sale at Midnight for his work Christmas party to use as one of the give away items.

YEAH RIGHT!!!!!

Got there at 11pm and the "tickets" for this item were already handed out. They were already gone before the employee watching the line came to work at 8pm.

Maybe I am confused, but when I read that an item isn't going on sale until midnight than it is not going on sale until midnight. When we talked to the manager, he said all Wal-Mart's were doing it this way to provide a "safe" event. He said that those customers that had tickets did not actually have a tv. I told him that actually they did, because they had a ticket that guaranteed they got a tv prior to the sale time.

No where at the store or in the advertisement did it state that tickets would be available for certain items prior to the sale time. To me something going on sale is NOT available by any means until the sale time.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

. Would you rather have a mob scene with pushy shoppers trampling people to be the first to the TVs?

People line up early for these deals. You weren't early enough. Personally, I like when they hand out numbers because that assures that those who got there first get the items they came for and it makes things safer for everyone.

 

[kwelch10377]

That is what some of the larger retailers (Walmart, BB, Staples) do for BF and they have done it for several years. The tickets are given out to make sure that there isn't a huge rush of pushing and shoving to the key BF deals and to ensure the fairness of the people in line first get first dibs at the products they want.

Not to sound snarky, but do you read any of the BF threads on the DIS or even watch the news with people waiting in line?

 

[tasha99]

I love the ticket system. Without tickets, you would still not have gotten a TV unless you were pushy and pushed past someone who go there before you (and how would that be right?).

 

[Maridw]

No I did not read the BF threads on the Dis, but I saw the news last night and today and while they showed the lines at Target, Best Buy and one or two other stores, they did not show any lines at Wal-Mart at all.

My DH & I were at Wal-Mart at 4:30 and there were no lines anywhere. They were just starting to put out the merchandise for tonight. I did see that they were giving tickets out at Best Buy, but again I have never heard of this for Wal-Mart.

I understand getting in line, but I still do not agree with tickets given out for an item prior to the advertised time. And to top it off, given out more than 6 hours to the advertised time. I know that Best Buy were not going to give out tickets that far in advance!

 

[disneychrista]

This is why I do not try for the door busters, in most cases you can get the same or similar items for sometimes less the week before Christmas.

 

[kwelch10377]

No I did not read the BF threads on the Dis, but I saw the news last night and today and while they showed the lines at Target, Best Buy and one or two other stores, they did not show any lines at Wal-Mart at all.

My DH & I were at Wal-Mart at 4:30 and there were no lines anywhere. They were just starting to put out the merchandise for tonight. I did see that they were giving tickets out at Best Buy, but again I have never heard of this for Wal-Mart.

I understand getting in line, but I still do not agree with tickets given out for an item prior to the advertised time. And to top it off, given out more than 6 hours to the advertised time. I know that Best Buy were not going to give out tickets that far in advance!

The tickets are given out based on where people are in line, so whether they gave them out 6 hours before the items went on sale or 5 minutes, you still wouldn't have gotten that item since there were already people who had lined up for it before you got there.

 

[YodaGirl]

The tickets are given out based on where people are in line, so whether they gave them out 6 hours before the items went on sale or 5 minutes, you still wouldn't have gotten that item since there were already people who had lined up for it before you got there.

This.

 

[palmtreegirl]

We got one of those TV's tonight. We arrived at 8pm, there were balloons in the air throughout the store, letting you know where to line up. Once you got to your balloon, there were marks on the floor for the number of each item available. We were #21, there were 67 spots total for the Emerson TV's and they were all taken by 9:20. People brought chairs and sat on their number. When it hit almost midnight they handed out the tickets to the people in line. We then paid for it and picked it up in the oil change docks outside the store. Very organized, I was impressed.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I just think the OP is hilarious .

People line up hours and sometimes days before to get a high ticket item. I really can't believe you thought you could get to the store just an hour before the TV's are to go on sale and get one.

And then mad the store handed out tickets? Again

I guess its better to be trampled and run over people just to get $100 TV? And as another poster stated, even if the tickets werent handed out , all those people were still lined up in front of you and you still wouldn't have got one.

I just tried to get an Ipod docking station from Toys R Us for DD online. It was in my cart and I didnt check out fast enough and lost it.

Thats black Friday!

 

[Maridw]

We got one of those TV's tonight. We arrived at 8pm, there were balloons in the air throughout the store, letting you know where to line up. Once you got to your balloon, there were marks on the floor for the number of each item available. We were #21, there were 67 spots total for the Emerson TV's and they were all taken by 9:20. People brought chairs and sat on their number. When it hit almost midnight they handed out the tickets to the people in line. We then paid for it and picked it up in the oil change docks outside the store. Very organized, I was impressed.

This is should how it should have been done in our store, but it wasn't. As I said my DH & I were in the store at 4:30 til almost 5. We decided to go home and be ready for later. If we had seen any lines starting 1 of us would have stayed and waited, while the other went home and changed. They we would have changed roles. We did not have trouble be in a line. The balloon for the Emerson was not up when were there in the afternoon. At least in your case, they did not hand out the tickets until midnight. If our store had done this I would not have had a problem at all. But they gave the tickets out prior to 8pm and that is what we have a problem with.

 

[cornflake]

I don't understand. The line formed between 5 and 11.

What would it matter whether they handed out the tickets at 8pm or 11:59? The line was already formed and the spots were already gone by the time you got there at 11. I don't get what would have changed had they not handed out the tickets to the exact same people who were in line until a couple hours later.

 

[Planogirl]

ITA. With people already lined up, it doesn't matter when they hand out the tickets. They did this at Best Buy tonight just before they opened but it wouldn't have mattered if they'd done it hours before. When they ran out of tickets they ran out and at least at Wal-Mart the people in line knew in plenty of time whether they could get a certain item or not.

 

[Imzadi]

A Walmart employee in Long island, NY was trampled to death in when the door opened two years ago. Although the following year, Walmart added much more security at the door, the news clips showed people still running, shoving, pushing and tripping on the way in.

It sounds like this year, they went out of their way to change their whole system and make it much safer. I say kudos to Walmart.

Sorry OP, that you didn't get your TV. But there is a family now, in which the day after Thanksgiving will always be considered a tragic event as they are missing a father/son/brother.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Just got back from Wal-Mart. My DH wanted to pick up one of the Emerson TVs that were on sale at Midnight for his work Christmas party to use as one of the give away items.

YEAH RIGHT!!!!!

Got there at 11pm and the "tickets" for this item were already handed out. They were already gone before the employee watching the line came to work at 8pm.

Maybe I am confused, but when I read that an item isn't going on sale until midnight than it is not going on sale until midnight. When we talked to the manager, he said all Wal-Mart's were doing it this way to provide a "safe" event. He said that those customers that had tickets did not actually have a tv. I told him that actually they did, because they had a ticket that guaranteed they got a tv prior to the sale time.

No where at the store or in the advertisement did it state that tickets would be available for certain items prior to the sale time. To me something going on sale is NOT available by any means until the sale time.

I'm sorry you didn't get your TV. It really stinks to go to a place and not get the item because of small quantities. But here is something to think about. The people that got tickets were lined up before you got there. So they would have been in front of you whether they gave away tickets or not. And it wouldn't be fair to those that lined up and waited for hours to have to make a mad dash with everyone else that wanted a TV and showed up later would it? Moreover, your safety and that of others would be a huge issue. Yours is yet another experience that illustrates why I hate the practice of huge discounts with quantities that are so limited so as to be gone before they even go on sale.

Also some advice for the future. Stores that are open 24 hours are usually the worst places for limited item events like this. Some stores have a place to wait, others aren't so organized and inevitably, the line forms where people don't expect it to and some people that were there earlier than others end up getting jobbed because of the disorganization. Some actually tell you how many they have, others don't. Our Walmart is notorious for not having its act together on these things. So I don't even bother.

 

[HelenePA]

We got one of those TV's tonight. We arrived at 8pm, there were balloons in the air throughout the store, letting you know where to line up. Once you got to your balloon, there were marks on the floor for the number of each item available. We were #21, there were 67 spots total for the Emerson TV's and they were all taken by 9:20. People brought chairs and sat on their number. When it hit almost midnight they handed out the tickets to the people in line. We then paid for it and picked it up in the oil change docks outside the store. Very organized, I was impressed.

This was exactly how it was at my store as well. We were number 55 out of 89 for the TV's. There was a lady who came 10 min to midnight asking if this was the line for the TV and if there were any left... we told her no and laughed... its hard to believe that no one knows how black friday works... why else would people get in line 3 hours before hand if they had 100's of them... its low quantaties at low prices... first come first serve... get there early next year.. you'll have a good time you meet lots of nice people.

 

[duffy]

Just got back from Wal-Mart. My DH wanted to pick up one of the Emerson TVs that were on sale at Midnight for his work Christmas party to use as one of the give away items.

YEAH RIGHT!!!!!

Got there at 11pm and the "tickets" for this item were already handed out. They were already gone before the employee watching the line came to work at 8pm.

Maybe I am confused, but when I read that an item isn't going on sale until midnight than it is not going on sale until midnight. When we talked to the manager, he said all Wal-Mart's were doing it this way to provide a "safe" event. He said that those customers that had tickets did not actually have a tv. I told him that actually they did, because they had a ticket that guaranteed they got a tv prior to the sale time.

No where at the store or in the advertisement did it state that tickets would be available for certain items prior to the sale time. To me something going on sale is NOT available by any means until the sale time.

I don't know why you got there at 11, what did you think would happen in the hour between then and midnight? Did you think at the stroke of midnight, suddenly simultaneously everyone who wanted the tv would suddenly POOF! be handed one?

What did you plan on doing for an hour? Wait in line? And so did those who were there before you. Only, they got there first.

 

[Nancyg56]

Lines form early for a reason. Makes no difference when the tickets are handed out, if folks get there before you they get the ticket first.

 

[JVelasquez]

My DH went to Walmart last night for the 10pm opening. Well the store didn't open until 4am!!!! The ad in the paper said they opened at 10pm for the toy sale then @12am the electronics went on sale. All the people in line were upset bc they had waited for hours just to find out they weren't opening at the time they said.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

But they still got their before you, right?


Whether they gave out the tickets before you got there is moot since they got there before you regardless.

First come, first served is the rule.

I have to side with Walmart on this one.

Also, ticket distribution helps mitigate the affects of line holding/cutting.

Just got back from Wal-Mart. My DH wanted to pick up one of the Emerson TVs that were on sale at Midnight for his work Christmas party to use as one of the give away items.

YEAH RIGHT!!!!!

Got there at 11pm and the "tickets" for this item were already handed out. They were already gone before the employee watching the line came to work at 8pm.

Maybe I am confused, but when I read that an item isn't going on sale until midnight than it is not going on sale until midnight. When we talked to the manager, he said all Wal-Mart's were doing it this way to provide a "safe" event. He said that those customers that had tickets did not actually have a tv. I told him that actually they did, because they had a ticket that guaranteed they got a tv prior to the sale time.

No where at the store or in the advertisement did it state that tickets would be available for certain items prior to the sale time. To me something going on sale is NOT available by any means until the sale time.