Walmart put a kink in my Black Friday plan

[alwaysmom]

Was planning to go to Walmart at 11:30 with a friend to sit, BS, play cards and keep each other awake until 5 am. That was until we found out that the laptop she wants and the one I want are on complete opposite sides of the store. Mine is in the food section her's is in lawn & Garden. We can't even sit near each other. I called and they weren't very nice at all. Informed me that that is the way it is and to keep in mine that once you get a ticket if you leave the line you lose it. They will be offering 1 bathroom break an hour Now I've always enjoyed going but not 5 hours prior. No way am I going now. I'm afraid I'll fall asleep and no one will wake me.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, in fairness, I don't know how 'nice' you expect them to be able to be. Store maps have been printed, rules have been designated, and it's genuinely unfair to the other shoppers who'll be waiting for the same two items that the two of you want, to expect one store to make any exceptions.

 

[mum4jenn]

Well, in fairness, I don't know how 'nice' you expect them to be able to be. Store maps have been printed, rules have been designated, and it's genuinely unfair to the other shoppers who'll be waiting for the same two items that the two of you want, to expect one store to make any exceptions.

 

[hambirg]

Eh. . .go anyway. I find it's kind of fun just talking to people in line with you. There's usually a certain camaraderie. . .hey look how crazy we all are. . . It reminds me of standing in line for concert tickets as a teen. It's how I met my first love.

 

[*love*2*shop]

Sorry OP, i have to agree...this is Black Friday for you...you can either go and deal with how the store is doing or dont.......

Well, in fairness, I don't know how 'nice' you expect them to be able to be. Store maps have been printed, rules have been designated, and it's genuinely unfair to the other shoppers who'll be waiting for the same two items that the two of you want, to expect one store to make any exceptions.

 

[alwaysmom]

Well, in fairness, I don't know how 'nice' you expect them to be able to be. Store maps have been printed, rules have been designated, and it's genuinely unfair to the other shoppers who'll be waiting for the same two items that the two of you want, to expect one store to make any exceptions.

Certainly didn't ask for an exception. Just clarification that online map matched the store. It did. I asked how come they did that. I imagine they've had many inquire. I simply asked about the map, she offered the rest less than cheerfully.

Personally I would have thought laptops would be in one area, tv's in another, etc. (not necessarily in electronics, but in same vicinity. Not each different model scattered all over the store.

 

[luvmy3]

Certainly didn't ask for an exception. Just clarification that online map matched the store. It did. I asked how come they did that. I imagine they've had many inquire. I simply asked about the map, she offered the rest less than cheerfully.

Personally I would have thought laptops would be in one area, tv's in another, etc. (not necessarily in electronics, but in same vicinity. Not each different model scattered all over the store.

Thats why they have the maps. You could just text your friend all night and talk to the people stuck in line with you

 

[alwaysmom]

Eh. . .go anyway. I find it's kind of fun just talking to people in line with you. There's usually a certain camaraderie. . .hey look how crazy we all are. . . It reminds me of standing in line for concert tickets as a teen. It's how I met my first love.

It is fun! But we usually go around 3 or so. DS14 loves going and is begging me to go for the videos.

 

[SandrA9810]

I'm surprised that they would have all the entrances to the store open at the same time. I figured they would've had just the main entrance open at 5am. Then you both could be in the same line. But if one is going to be by the grocery entrance and the other at the lawn and garden entrance... that's no fun at all.

 

[PlutoPony]

We were at our 24 hour Wal-Mart last night about 10:30 checking out the crowd for entertainment. There were already substantial lines for a whole lot of items then. Because they had or were expecting such long lines for electronics, am guessing they spread those items throughout the store just for crowd control. A number of people were trying to maneuver through the people with carts full of stuff and having problems already, can't imagine how they were able to navigate at midnight when the doorbusters were released! Ran into a friend who was waiting for one of the laptops < $200 and the manager had told them how many the store had; by 10pm there were more people waiting in line for this item than there were laptops. That was probably true for other items as well.

 

[Alexander]

I'm sure the customer service person you talked to has had sooo many calls about the rules, maps, etc. that they are just beyond frustrated. DH came home yesterday and told me that one of the guys at work called and asked a question and I yelled at DH because the rules are clear and the maps are available, and why would the guy he works with bug those poor people at Walmart with a question he already knew the answer to, or could find out online. You couldn't pay me $100 an hour to work at one of those stores today! Okay, maybe a $100/hour, but no less!

 

[NewCrew42]

Certainly didn't ask for an exception. Just clarification that online map matched the store. It did. I asked how come they did that. I imagine they've had many inquire. I simply asked about the map, she offered the rest less than cheerfully.

Personally I would have thought laptops would be in one area, tv's in another, etc. (not necessarily in electronics, but in same vicinity. Not each different model scattered all over the store.

They try to spread these high demand items out over the entire store for safety reasons as well as crowd flow.

 

[Starbrite]

Ran into a friend who was waiting for one of the laptops < $200 and the manager had told them how many the store had; by 10pm there were more people waiting in line for this item than there were laptops. That was probably true for other items as well.

That is just so wrong. I spent the night in Aisle 6....one of our "line guards" kept a count of people waiting & would tell those coming - there are only 52 TVs and there are already 52 people in line, you can wait but I cant guarantee you'll get one. They came thru & counted for those actually buying TVs vs those just there keeping a friend company.

Oh and our line was full & tehcnically sold out by 2:30am.

 

[jessica52877]

What a bummer. I would have expected that you could wait together in one line, although I figured it would be outside, so inside with strangers might be better then outside with friends.

 

[eduk8r26]

The Walmart we went to had lines for the computers at midnight, but no computers (laptops) in sight. Someone said they were giving out tickets for them. I wanted one, but not badly enough to wait in line for 5 hours. This morning we talked to someone else who had gone to another Walmart and there were no tickets. People just stood around until they went on sale and grabbed one.

 

[alwaysmom]

They try to spread these high demand items out over the entire store for safety reasons as well as crowd flow.

This IS the reason they did it.

So here's an update. I did end up going got there after 1 pm and went to were the map I had, from online said. Low & behold it was a different HP laptop. Grabbed a store map and headed to were it said, which I might add was where the e-machines were suppose to be. Saw my friend who was there for the e-machine (she was in the wrong line). By the time she and others found them they were gone and she was directed to the HP. Fine & dandy but for over an hour she sat in the wrong HP laptop line. She and a few others high-tailed it back to to the $298 HP line and got tickets. They handed out 50. Turned away many. We were only allowed to leave for 15 minute increments. If you left the store you had to come back in the other door. One was for entrance one for exit. They took your ticket and gave it back if you came back in time. So we couldn't shop the midnight sales. Our aisle was pretty calm and orderly. Lots of children/babies. When they opened the wrapping on the laptops there was well over 100 of them. Once word got out people starting getting ugly. One women did collapse in our aisle when she stood to leave, it was so stall and hot. Anyhow, it was to say the least confusing, many thing were not where the maps said they'd be. Some workers were short tempered, others nice. I got what I went for and some and was home & sound asleep by 6:30am.

 

[wgqual]

My wife and I decided to just take a peek inside wally world at 10:30P on thanksgiving day. We already had scored 2 of the $288 laptop from Bestbuy 2 weeks ago so if we couldnt get the $198 one it was no big deal. We were 34 and 35 out of 37 they had. We decided to stay till 5am and give ourselfs back $200

While im not a Walmart fan they did have everything running smooth. Our "line leaders" did lets us take a bathroom break whenever we wanted. We did make a trip over to the camping section to get some folding chairs during one of our 15 minute breaks

 

[luvsJack]

I have never bought any of the computers that walmart always has for their bf deal. One of the reasons for that is that I always see a ton of them in the return lines after the holidays. Are the $198 lap tops really any good?? Or the desk tops?

I have a Toshiba that I paid around $600 and dd has a Dell that we paid $500 for and these are far from top of the line. So, I really am just curious if you are really getting a deal with those things.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

What a bummer. I would have expected that you could wait together in one line, although I figured it would be outside, so inside with strangers might be better then outside with friends.

AGREED
I went with 2 other people and we all ended up in 3 different lines scattered thru out the store. It was warm and dry inside. Outside was around 30something and raining. So, I would take being inside with strangers any day. Besides after being in line together for so long you are no longer strangers. We always make a fun time of it.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

I have never bought any of the computers that walmart always has for their bf deal. One of the reasons for that is that I always see a ton of them in the return lines after the holidays. Are the $198 lap tops really any good?? Or the desk tops?

I have a Toshiba that I paid around $600 and dd has a Dell that we paid $500 for and these are far from top of the line. So, I really am just curious if you are really getting a deal with those things.

I bought the $198.oo laptop from Walmart last year and it is still running great. We haven't had any problems. And I'm one of 4 of us that bought them. All are still fine.