happyhomemaker25 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 We went to Walmart last night at 10p.m. Now, we have this nice quiet little Walmart about 30m from my house and it's never been crowded on Black Friday. We've gone every year for 4 years. We pulled into the parking lot last night and I thought maybe we were at the wrong Walmart. People were parking a mile away, I'm so not kidding! We thought we'd give it the old college try, walked in and literally stalled because you could not move any farther. Turned around and walked out. Went to McDonald's because I'd not eaten anything since lunch and we wanted to see what our little never crowded Target looked like 2 hours before it was supposed to open. Line wrapped around the building! We ate at McDonalds and talked over our Christmas list. There were two things (non electronic) that we knew we were going to save some good money on if we dared go back in. Went back to Walmart and it was waaaay less crowded (I guess people were going to get in line at Target LOL) I did want Epic Mickey and Cars 2 at Walmart so we made our way back to electronics. I checked my watch and I still had 10 minutes until they tore the plastic wrap off the 12a.m. deals. Epic Mickey was hanging out in a full of 12a.m. video games buggy and the sales associate slipped me one. Everyone was lined up in the center with their hands on the stuff wrapped up. Walmart associates at my little never crowded Walmart were lined up behind them with a deer in the headlights look. They never anticipated this. I ran around and asked someone where the Cars 2 DVDs were she grabbed one for me and told me to find a safe place. I. AM. Not. KIDDING. DH and I went down an aisle with Light bulbs and watched the next 30 seconds just happen. They took off the plastic wrap and people started grabbing stuff. I saw a lady get punched for snatching something out of another lady's hand. I saw another one chase someone across the store because she took something out of her buggy. I saw two adults break down sobbing because they could not get the T.V.s they wanted. I saw no one with less than 3 T.V.s in their buggy. I heard shouting and cursing. At one point one of the associates started singing It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. We grabbed the other three things we wanted from toys and left. Went back to Target where the crowds had thinned a lot. Grabbed the three things we wanted there and stood in check out line for about 15m. Had a nice chat with some employees there who said they never expected the turn out. It's always been so quiet there on Black Friday. Then, the credit card readers started acting up. It was crazy. We had cash for ours so we were in and out. Everyone seemed to be taking it all in stride and I did not see any tempers. Last night I saw things I'd only read about before. Crazy. Dh and I had a good time, even if we did not get a T.V. Dh asked the lady at the Walmart door where his complimentary T.V. was since everyone else had one. She laughed and told us we were the first people she'd seen in half an hour who did not have a T.V. Today we are taking the kids hiking in the woods. I need some time to get over this. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supertechmom Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) Where you at my Walmart?????Black Friday has been so uneventful that I started taking my oldest with me to help shop. This year was madness!!!!! I had to stand on the shelves to look over the crowds (the short half shelves) to locate my kid and direct him through the mess to me. Those 10 dollar videos..... Oh my!!!!! It w as like there were never going to be videos ever again. The people in the front would literally reach in with both arms and scoop up videos and then just run and knock people down. I saw a fight, two people get knocked down and several bloody people. They were making announcements to be nice, watch out for people, and don't fight. It was total madness. I did like how they handled the big items. You stood in line, got your ticket, paid, and then picked up in the tier and lube section. I saw one truck with 4 tvs and he picked up an even bigger tv!!!! I saw most people carting around at least one, if not two tvs. The one funny is my kid's name rhymes with a very nasty word!!! ( totally unbeknown to us at the time we named him) So when I was yelling over the shelves to find him, it became dead quiet as everyone tried to figure out what i was saying and he called out "here I am mom" and I gave him directions to get through the crowd, they let him through. We even had one woman get items for us. We were standing back and wound up entertaining her daughter while she was in the madness over ........ Sd cards...... (really, those created a kill people over it issue) and she snagged two for us for making her daughter laugh and not use her phone those 10 minutes or so. But it was a very ugly scene several times last night. Edited November 25, 2011 by servin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I slept in, ate a great breakfast with lots of coffee, did some dishes, threw in a load of laundry and in a little bit we're hitting some antique stores and eating turkey sandwiches. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I did Black Friday online. BTW, if you have a dd in AHG, they have free shipping today in the AHG Attic. Then I realized that I had to get an item by tomorrow, and I could get it another item I needed at Wal-mart, so I decided to risk going to Wal-mart. With 2 kids. We got there about 10am and it was very busy, but we were able to get what we needed easily since it was not sale stuff. I did find dh a pair of jeans for $10 on a nearly empty display on the way out. Register lines were not very long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 And THAT is why I didn't even try to get the tv I need for Christmas. :) I was surprised at the line at Kohl's. It was wrapped around the building. We dutifully went to the back of the line. What made me mad was seeing people come out of their cars and try to merge into the line as we got near the doors. I think there must have been some employees out there though because a crowd of people was standing at the curb while the rest of us pushed through the doors. There were so many people in that store, but I didn't hear one unkind word. I heard lots of 'excuse me' and laughing. I guess I got lucky and experienced a nice crowd. Target had many people inside the store but I didn't see many sale signs. We walked around to look but left after 15 mins. It was a boring place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I wonder if in the end, this will backfire on stores, with people less interested in shopping on the days around Black Friday and ultimately spending less. We had a lovely dessert with friends, slept late, went to the gym, etc. I might stand in line for a cure for cancer or to get a chance to use a phone when on deployment, but there is no way I'm standing in line for electronics. (Though I will confess that we did wait in line for 90 minutes at the last big library book sale. :lol:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I was amazed that the stores around here were actually opening last night! I have BTDT with the Friday morning shopping and it is utter chaos so I slept in and shopped the black friday deals online at amazon. I had a little trouble with checkout right around 11am, otherwise it was simple, I had my oldest DD stalk the computer since they are all timed deals. :) The hard part for me is watching out for the UPS guy. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Drove to 2 different Walmart's last night and left immediately when I saw people parking across the street and walking in. I don't need anything that badly! I went back this morning around 11 and got a few things that I wanted. I have never done black Friday before and I don't think I will ever do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I woke up at 7:50 (The Drama came in & got me up). I checked online and my two online items were already sold out (cest la vie--I figured they would be & I chose sleep over a Crockpot). The Drama, The Love, and I waltzed over to Toys 'R' Us at about 8:10 and wandered. The stuff I wanted was gone from the aisles, but I found each one on a special display tucked away elsewhere. So I got the Blood & Guts game for The Sponge, the cleaning set (toy broom, mop, etc) for The Love who keeps carrying the full-size ones around the house, and some art supplies (Crayola buy 1 get 2 free?! Hello!). Then we left, came home, and had breakfast. The end. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I saw two adults break down sobbing because they could not get the T.V.s they wanted. <<>>At one point one of the associates started singing It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.:lol::lol::lol: I wonder if in the end, this will backfire on stores, with people less interested in shopping on the days around Black Friday and ultimately spending less.:iagree:I bought one thing online. That was it for my Black Friday shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Woke up at 5 this am headed out to Kohls, got a parking spot right next to the handicap spots (so pretty much the front) and headed in. There were a ton of workers and not very many shoppers. Went over to get what I wanted everything I wanted was in stock. Got to check out where the workers were waiting bored for someone to come up. Check out and was done. By 6:30 I was headed over to Joannes where I wanted to pick up pinking shears with my 25% off. Got in and out waited like 5 mins in line to check out. Was home by 7 am. It was actually really nice. The interesting part was that both of these stores only opened this week for the 1st time since they were flooded at the end of Aug so they were beautiful and well stocked but not packed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymommy Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 No shopping in stores here. Dh had to go to work this morning, I just made a pretty plain breakfast for the kids and guests and ate a slice of pumpkin pie for me! I did order a new Macbook online though, that pretty much blew the budget for any thing else!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulRidge Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) I refuse to step foot in stores on Black Friday. The fact that they had several people got pepper sprayed at the local Toys R Us only reinforces my resolve. Wanted to sleep in but DS2 had other ideas. Got up, had a nice breakfast with DH and DS1 and now we're lounging around alternating playing Kinect Sports, reading stories, and watching stuff on Netflix. Oh, and I'm doing a load of laundry, just so I can say I wasn't a complete bum today :D Edited November 25, 2011 by theAmbitiousHousewife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Got up a little early to do a little shopping with ds. (I don't have much money to spend this week, because our car needed repairs, so I wasn't planning to spend much, but ds loves to shop together on Black Friday.) We went to the mall 5 min. from our house. The parking lot was pretty full, but I didn't have any trouble getting a good spot. Lots of shoppers carrying bags. We bought some Yankee Candle stuff for my sweet SIL. DS bought himself a $4 t-shirt at Hot Topic. We admired all the puppies at the puppy store. Twice. Looked at the game store, and found out there's a Lord of the Rings card game!! And took a picture of the hands-free gizmo I want for using my iPhone in the car, so dh can see what it looks like. On the radio on our way home, we heard three different stories about incidents happening at Wal-Marts. Then when we got home, dh shared one he heard, about someone pepper-spraying people around her when they unwrapped the stuff at midnight. Seriously. What is it about Wal-Mart?? Shopping at the mall was festive, busy but not too crowded to get help, perfectly pleasant. And we were home by 10:45. We'll probably go for a hike later. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I hadn't planned on going, but then I found this digital picture frame I really wanted to grab for my MIL at Kohl's. So, at 10:30 am (NOT pm, lol)I got to the store, was able to grab the last cart (with a stroller!) which my tired seven yr old wanted to crash in, asked for help finding the frame and had it in the cart within 5 min (I got one of the last 3). Then I went back to get a couple of cute mugs for only 3.99, and was heading up to the watches when I saw the BEAUTIFUL purse that I've been lusting after. It was the last one and it was 60% off (merry christmas to me!) Then I went to get a watch for my DH that was on sale, but not a doorbuster sale or anything, so I figured there would be plenty, but no, I got the last one! AND was able to check out at the watch counter so I didn't have to wait in ANY line! Plus the weather was nice. And I got right out of the parking lot and had all green lights on the way home. :D:D It was awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 No shopping in stores here. Dh had to go to work this morning, I just made a pretty plain breakfast for the kids and guests and ate a slice of pumpkin pie for me! I did order a new Macbook online though, that pretty much blew the budget for any thing else!:D What kind of MacBook? I just got a refurbished 2008 MacBook Pro 15". I love it! Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I have to say I LOVE the fact that stores opened at midnight. Here's why: I slept until 7:30 and went to the stores around 8:30. Everything I needed for early Bird specials was still there and there wasn't anymore people than on a normal weekend. Every register was opened so I could simply pick a lane, check out and leave with no waiting. The stores all said it was crazy 6 hours before that but all those people left and I got to have a normal shopping experience with great deals. I'd love to see the midnight trend continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 No Black Friday shopping here. I think I stopped around 1999 or 2000. It just got too crazy, and I wasn't really getting good deals as I noticed the same or better prices in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Black Friday is the day merchants typically go in the black for the year, not necessarily the day shoppers get the best prices. That's why it's called Black Friday. So, my Black Friday - slept in, did some laundry, mopped the kitchen floor, had turkey leftovers for lunch, and plan to do some reading on my Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRG Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Stayed home. I bought stuff from Rainbow Resource yesterday and 2 things from Amazon today but they weren't Black Friday deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 No Black Friday shopping here. I think I stopped around 1999 or 2000. It just got too crazy, and I wasn't really getting good deals as I noticed the same or better prices in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Black Friday is the day merchants typically go in the black for the year, not necessarily the day shoppers get the best prices. That's why it's called Black Friday. So, my Black Friday - slept in, did some laundry, mopped the kitchen floor, had turkey leftovers for lunch, and plan to do some reading on my Kindle. :iagree: with the bolded above. I think you need to never forget that the stores' goal is to sell stuff and make money. They aren't your friend, hooking you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Found out thursday morning that most stores offered their Black Friday deals on line. I figured my time and sleep was worth more than the $10 I paid in shipping. I did most of my black Friday shopping Thursday morning. Then this morning I only needed to go to K-mart so I slept in and dh and I left the house just past 10 to get to the 5-11A early bird specials. Found everything we were looking for and were in out in about 20min. We went to a nice lunch and came home. Now, we are finding many electronic black friday deals on line. we need to upgrade our TV and our GPS so it's been kind of fun seeing how much money we can save on these items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted November 25, 2011 Author Share Posted November 25, 2011 I would not have gone had I not had such nice experiences the previous 4 years. This was crazy. Even the associates said they never thought it would be like this. We went the night before because my mom and babysitter wanted to go today. She kept the kids last night while we went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchel210 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I slept in and got 2 deals online this morning for 2 of my kids...one I got yesterday morning on amazon...and then I went to NY & Co. and bought a bunch of clothes for myself 50% +10% off. I know they always have sales but I didnt have to wait for special coupons! Very happy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I went into the mall food court with about a dozen other Occupy [Our City] activists, all the college-age ones without jobs. We did a mic check (and got cheers and fist pumps) then began singing Jingle Bells. When we stopped, the whole food court -- like 500 bumping, shoving, strangers hauling giant bags -- sang another round by themselves. Then we did some politicized Christmas songs, used the people's mic to remind everyone that this is not what goodwill towards men and peace on Earth looks like, and went to see the mall Santa and do the same thing there. When we were done we went and did it at the other mall in the city. Tonight I'll go do it again after work hours with a different crowd of activists, all the older ones who are occupying part-time because they're working. That's most of the activists, so I expect there will be a bigger crowd to go with and I'm really excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I did order a new Macbook online though, that pretty much blew the budget for any thing else!:D Oooh, so lucky!!! They started her training on Tues night (graveyard) and her first night cashiering was Weds. night. Ugh! She joked that it might be her last night. Talk about setting people up to never come back again. Ha, they were probably all, "Newbie sucker!" I hope she handled it OK though. I give her lots of credit. I never, ever want to work retail again, especially not during Thanksgiving week! Didn't get to B&N in time to grab the educational toy I wanted at 50% off, but had fun browsing. "Good-night IPad" was hilarious. They're doing it all day online too, aren't they? Free shipping on $25 (unless you're a member, then free shipping on everything), and ebates.com (if you're a member) is giving 10% back on B&N purchases. Takes the edge off the shipping, if you have to pay it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 We went out last night for our first Black Friday trip and headed to Target for their midnight opening. We were floored by the packed parking lot and the line with hundreds and hundreds of people in it! We were very impressed with how organized and efficient Target was. No crowding the doors (they were blocked off by a row of carts) because they had everyone in a looooong line. When they opened the doors they let about 25-30 people in at a time, made the the rest wait about 10 seconds and then let another group go in. The line moved quickly and we were in in a very short period of time. Got some great deals. Dh has been wanting a new tv and picked up a 40" LCD flat screen for $265. We already set it up and it's really nice so we're happy with that. Picked up pajama sets for ds for $7 each, a video game for cheaper than Amazon has it, some gaming chairs for the kids that were clearanced out, plus some new flannel sheets for my bed. We spent a bunch but saved a bunch as well. All in all it was a very positive experience. The store was clean, organized, had plenty of workers keeping everything running smoothly. We brought the kids with us and we all agreed we'd like to do it again next year. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 My Black Friday shopping consisted of tracking down the Settlers of Catan game as cheaply as possible at BN.com. Then we all slept late and DD9 and I went out and got bagels for breakfast for all of us. Ahhhhh... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anneofalamo Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 we have been keeping an eye for a used or new to us ping pong table for a while. They have been over $100 from the used. Walmart had one for $67 last night for a brand new one. So, last night at 10pm, we thought we would go pop in and pick one up. Oh hey, lets make it a family affair. We took our van and my hubby's truck. The weather was beginning to cloud up, and although tired from the day... we headed to our Walmart. We came to the light to go into the parking lot, and a sea of cars....I have never ever seen that parking lot filled to the brim. I quickly phoned my hubby who was a few cars back, told him what I was seeing! We made the decision the ping pong table was not to be had. Then this morning, my hubby went over to see if they might have any left. They were all there,in the garden department and they had gotten wet (the box only) so they gave a bigger discount! woot!!!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Went to Walmart at 10 am and got everything I wanted...no crowds and no lines. They still had a ton of DVD's, wii's, TV's, Blu ray players, video cameras, laptops,etc from the ad. Went to Gamestop after that and got what I wanted from there. I saw almost all the big stuff from the doorbuster ads still in the displays. I would never ever go and fight the crowds and wait in hours of lines to save even a hundred dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I finished listing all my auctions on Ebay. Cleaned the house. Took down fall decorations and am taking a break before breakin' out the Christmas decorations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 The only deals we were looking for were for electronic items that draw big lines and we missed the online specials. I did just return from the grocery store. It was pleasantly empty and I picked up some spiral slices hams and stocking stuffer makeup and nail polish for half off. The last time I ventured to do BF shopping at the mall I couldn't find parking, the lines were ridiculous, and most of the items I was after were sold out. No more for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 The one funny is my kid's name rhymes with a very nasty word!!! ( totally unbeknown to us at the time we named him) So when I was yelling over the shelves to find him, it became dead quiet as everyone tried to figure out what i was saying and he called out "here I am mom" and I gave him directions to get through the crowd, they let him through. . And now we have to guess at this name. I'm guessing it's Horacio or Chuck :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 And now we have to guess at this name. Sounds like a Seinfeld episode. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 There is no thing on earth that I'll ever need enough to risk life and limb. I saw on TV today that a lady somewhere pepper sprayed others to get them out of her way so she could get an x-box or Wii or some such thing. A game. She pepper sprayed people (some of whom could have had allergies, etc. and who could have died) so she could get a GAME box ahead of them. What on earth are all those people going to do with so many TV's? Do people put more than one TV in a room now days? Do they have one in every single room of the house? My goodness.... I get the impression that some people use these sales as a sort of money making scheme, buying cheap and resaling online for more than they paid.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Shopped at Amazon for several things this week. Then, dd and I did the whole overnight thing! We were at Wal-Mart at 9:45 pm. Had to park a LONG way from the store. When the employees started taking the plastic wrap off the bins, mass chaos ensued...madness, just madness. We did get most of the items I wanted from there. Mysteriously, some of their specials evidently didn't come in. Stood in disorganized lines WAY too long to check out. Arrived at Target around 12:30. They still had crowd control going into the store and for check out. Found the items I wanted easily. Checked at another Wal-Mart to see if that one had the missing items-nope. Then we took a Denny's break. (Tradition!) Hit Penny's around 4, only to discover that they opened at 3. Got all the things on my list. Stopped at Sam's to see if they still had the Transformers movie for ds but they were out. Sam's parking lot was a ghost town at 7 am. Came home and slept a few hours. Woke up to grab Amazon's lightning deal on the Transformers movie. I must be nuts! I don't think we'll do Black Friday again...at least we won't try to be at Wal-Mart at opening. Their lack of organization just killed the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I get the impression that some people use these sales as a sort of money making scheme, buying cheap and resaling online for more than they paid.... True. I saw a lady at WalMart and Target (same lady) buying multiple sets of TV show dvds. I said something to her about having lots of relatives and she said that she was buying as many as she could to resell them and make a profit. I wonder how many people came because they wanted a gift for someone and couldn't get it because of stuff like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZooRho Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I did CRAZY crazy I am. I wnet to the midnight opening of Target in my town, PROBABLY never again. I think many think my town is hoodlums. so they would only let so many in at a time, eek, 40 min to get into the store, to do some twaddle shopping. You guys would crack up. What I was in search of was the cheap dvd's. I bought some at target and a pair of pjs. nothing bad, there were some lines for stuff not sure what cause I wasn't looking for that stuff. and mostly just calm talking to people people everywhere. But nothing bad at all. I did see one lady that was oblivious to the huge line ,okay when I was there it wasn't huge, it almost looked like the Target guy would let her go ahead, I said, are you trying to check out, she said yes, I said the line is back there, and a couple of other chimed in too. She didn't look happy. then off to Wally world. IT wasn't bad at all, in fact the parking lot had several open spots close to the front. Ran in there picked up the few things I was looking for again nothing major, dvd's bath mat. got out with no wait in line at all. then home to sleep HA, right I couldn't sleep. Then got up at 4:30 am to go to Lowe's for batteries and poinsettas. again no long lines nice people in line. then to Penny's they had been open a while, I was looking for the blinds there but they didn't have what I wanted SO I picked up ONE shirt for me. I laughed as I checked out. then to Joanne's, about 20 in line 5 minutes before opening. As we were walking in a lady -kind of older too, tried to cut in, the lady in front sort of made a move to block her, and I stepped in behind her, and was like she was cutting REALLY that lady the was trying to cut I heard her going tsk tsk, I was like UNBELIEVEABLE really just wait. any way got back to what I wanted most, knitting needles and then I got some fabric to make a pillow case for college boy. LONG LINE there, on cutter, AND NO ONE ON THE REGISTER. crazy. Finally another cutter came up. and finally a registar lady came too, but only one so there was a line for that too. FInally a second registar opened, I'm about 3-4 people back, the lady next in line moves over to the open one, just as that lady says I can help someone, I sort of shouted out, JUST HELP THE NEXT PERSON YOU ALREADY HAVE A LINE, otherwise you may have a riot. the people around me nodded in agreement. then a lady starts to sneak up to the new registar, I look at her and say the check out line is back there. YES She didn't look thrilled but got in line. and no one else moved. I'm surprised in some ways, but thankful that others didn't make a jump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Loaded the Suburban, drove to the dog show, set up crate and grooming table, put dog on table, trimmed feet, brushed/groomed/fluffed, sent Molly and Kayak into ring, clapped when Kayak won his class, clapped again when he went into Winners ring and won Winners Dog, then clapped again when he went into Best of Breed ring and won Best of Winners for a 4 point major under none other than judge Dr. Carmen Battaglia! :D NOw I'm home and shopping online... astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 No shopping here. Sick kids. Very sick baby. But I had no plans to shop anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 There is no thing on earth that I'll ever need enough to risk life and limb. I saw on TV today that a lady somewhere pepper sprayed others to get them out of her way so she could get an x-box or Wii or some such thing. A game. She pepper sprayed people (some of whom could have had allergies, etc. and who could have died) so she could get a GAME box ahead of them. Yeah, I agree. There is NOTHING we need so badly that we have to get up before dawn for, or have to fight for our safety to get. DD and I went to the Festival of Trees, stopped by the grocery for a few items, marveled at how full the parking lots are around shopping centers and came home to watch Christmas movies on Netflix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieAnneLevine Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 We did a mic check (and got cheers and fist pumps) then began singing Jingle Bells. When we stopped, the whole food court -- like 500 bumping, shoving, strangers hauling giant bags -- sang another round by themselves. Then we did some politicized Christmas songs, used the people's mic to remind everyone that this is not what goodwill towards men and peace on Earth looks like That's awesome! :D Just after midnight I ordered a pair of snow pants for my son since Lands End had a nice deal (30% off, free shipping no minimum). This afternoon I went to the library, which was not crowded in the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I think it's shameful the way some people act on this day. On the news, they talked about fights, pepper spray, tazzers, shootings, etc. Video footage showed people shoving and pushing. Really, people?? Over some good deals?? The news headline was "Mean Season". We just went to the Mall of America last Saturday. They said on the news tonight that there were 15,000 people outside the MOA waiting to get in when it opened. Fifteen.thousand!!? Can you imagine?? I stayed home all day. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 We had to go to NYC today for an appointment and decided to do some shopping there instead of dealing with looking for a space at the mall. We went to Bloomingdales to buy my daughter Ugg boots. It was busy busy but we had no problem getting what we wanted. Hopped in a taxi and headed to Macys. We got out to walk about 2 blocks before the store. The sidewalks were packed with tourists! It was insane. Macys was busy but we bought my son his North Face jacket and were on our way uptown via subway. Quick slice of pizza, taxi crosstown and home we went. Now we are relaxing watching a Charlie Brown special on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Our Walmart was busy, but I was out by 10:20. I stood in line for about 5 minutes. Target has free shipping if you have a Red card, so I ordered Cars 2 at midnight. I went to Old Navy and a different WalMart this morning (about 8:30) and they were both empty. We went to Menard's this afternoon to get wood to make a new table for the school room. It was busy, but not worse than any other weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I went out around 10AM to pick up a couple of gifts thT my mom wanted me to get & decided togoby a friends house on the way. My friend wasn't home so I headed towards the book store. I didn't pick the most direct route, so I wandered around the countryside a little bit. I passed a produce stand that was selling a yard decoration that I've been wanting for years, so I pulled over to ask how much it was. It turns out that it was display only & they were making them as people ordered. I couldn't get one because we would have headed back home by the time it was ready. The lady asked me to wait a minute & went inside. She came back out & told me she could sell it to me because she could get a replacement display the same day & since I was from out of town she'd sell it to me. She took it apart, showed me how to put it back together & loaded it into my truck. When I took out a credit card to pay, she told me they only take cash or check, neither of which I had. I told her I would unload it & come back for it later. She told me just to take it and bring the money later! So I drove off w/a very expensive decoration. I couldn't believe it! When I brought the cash to her later, they were loading up a Christmas Free for an elderly couple & one of their employees went home with them to carry it in & set it up for them. Such kind folks & wonderful service! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 (edited) Black Friday is the day merchants typically go in the black for the year, not necessarily the day shoppers get the best prices. That's why it's called Black Friday. :iagree: with the bolded above. I think you need to never forget that the stores' goal is to sell stuff and make money. They aren't your friend, hooking you up. While I agree that stores aren't your buddies looking out for you (and, in fact, read an article last week that suggested the great prices to be had on Black Friday are mostly an illusion), I have to say that the origin story given above is not, apparently, correct. The term "Black Friday," according to the NPR report I heard today, actually dates to factories complaining about so many of their workers calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving. The idea was that the day caused more illness than the Black Plague. Then, police and firefighters started using it to refer to the chaos and increased trouble that tends to happen after the holiday (especially one on which many people drink a lot). Retail employees used the phrase to describe the crowds and craziness that happened on the first official day of the Christmas shopping season. In fact, retailers didn't used to like the term and tried to discourage its use. Finally, they came up with the idea about it being the day they "got out of the red" in order to try and put a positive spin on a phrase that had a negative connotation. Ah, here's a link to the story: http://www.npr.org/2011/11/25/142767700/the-last-word-in-business I don't "do" Black Friday. I was out today, because my son and I were wrapping gifts at B&N to raise money for his choir's trip to London this summer. I had gone out a couple of days ago trying to buy a book at my local B&N, only to discover they were sold out of it. Knowing I was going to be at the other store today, I put a copy on hold there. So, I did technically buy something on Black Friday, but only because I happened to be at the store, anyway. And, while I did use a coupon from the holiday mailing, the item was not otherwise discounted. The store, by the way, was not at all crowded. In fact, I think it was a lighter than usual crowd. Of course, I suspect that most Black Friday bargain hunters aren't desperately trying to score a copy of Great Expectations. In some ways, I guess I'm lucky. My kids are never especially interested in the kinds of things that go on sale on Black Friday. I actually looked at the ads this year, but couldn't find a single thing any of us wanted. Edited November 26, 2011 by Jenny in Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 (edited) we got a great deal!!! we bought my daughter an android tablet from kohls (arrived at midnight because they were sold out online). plus, we're at the beach this week, so my husband and i went out while my folks were here with our kids. so fun! it was originally 179.99. the black friday special was $119.99. there was a $20 mail-in rebate. then i received $30 kohls cash. so with all of that, the total was $70 in the end. i could have saved another $20 if we had opened a kohl's card, but we didn't want too. i also found a DSI for my son for under $100. those were the kids big gifts this year. i'm excited for them:) Edited November 26, 2011 by mytwomonkeys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abeille Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Tried to order a couple of games from GameStop online last night, but their server kept timing out. Ditto this morning. Happily, after noon I was able to use their site smoothly and the game I wanted was still in stock and still on sale. I also made it through ToysRUs online to snag some Angry Birds plush toys for my younger two. Last stop was Overstock.com, where I bought a refurbished Nook Color for $139 w/ free shipping. It's not their new tablet, but it can be rooted as an Android tablet via the microSD slot. I'm not sure yet if that will be for me, or for one of the kids. I also got the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book for $6, and a Halo Megabloks set that was on sale. I almost bought a Nook SimpleTouch e-ink reader there too - the refurbished ones are $79. I decided that was too much of an extravagance though. :D I'm so glad most stores put good deals online too. I feel like I got a good start on Christmas shopping and didn't have to brave the insane crowds. Every single thing I ordered had free shipping, so it feels like even more of a savings since I didn't have to gas up the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Loaded the Suburban, drove to the dog show, set up crate and grooming table, put dog on table, trimmed feet, brushed/groomed/fluffed, sent Molly and Kayak into ring, clapped when Kayak won his class, clapped again when he went into Winners ring and won Winners Dog, then clapped again when he went into Best of Breed ring and won Best of Winners for a 4 point major under none other than judge Dr. Carmen Battaglia! :D NOw I'm home and shopping online... astrid :party: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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