Do you shop on black friday?

[nova mama]

I don't enjoy shopping on a regular day. There is no chance that I'd start my holiday season with the chaos that is Black Friday. Blech.

 

I shun crowds and almost all drama of any kind. Black Friday holds no appeal for me. But I do admire all of you who get the good deals!

[stacim]

As much as I love a great deal, I don't like crowds! I also like sleep. :D Just not for me. I'll continue to find my good deals elsewhere.

 

~Staci

[Vanna]

Wow! After the stampede that killed that poor young worker at Walmart in NY, I'm so glad I don't shop on Black Friday.

 

I love having a cup of "joe" (coffee) and my computer to shop online. Great deals and free shipping with all the conveniences of home. Love it!

[LaxMom]

Wow! After the stampede that killed that poor young worker at Walmart in NY, I'm so glad I don't shop on Black Friday.

 

Don't forget the two wackos that killed each other in a gun fight in a Toys-R-Us. :eek:

 

Middle of the night, a bazillion freaks, all hopped up on "deal crack"... Count me in the "Not just no: He** no!" category.

[caryn]

Not typically. It has to be really good to get me out early in the morning. Yesterday was no different. We just enjoy the day as any other day.

Caryn

[PrairieAir]

I've gone only 4 or 5 times when things on our list were being offered at a great price. Each time, I bought hikers (shoes) for dh and both boys at Walmart as well because those are the kind of shoes they were wearing and they were under $10. I think I actually got extra pairs knowing how fast my dh and boys go through shoes. Oldest ds doesn't care for those any more and I haven't been to the Black Friday sales in the last two years.

 

Items I can remember going to Black Friday sales for:

bike for dd

trampoline

basketball goal

CD players

I can't remember what else.

 

The only bad experiences I had were at Best Buy and Circuit City and they weren't that bad, just very, very crowded and crazy. I also didn't like going with MIL because she wanted to make it some kind of fun shopping day instead of get in and get out.

 

Walmart has actually been the most sane place I've been on Black Friday. The Walmart stores I have been to haven't been all that crowded and it is the only time of the year I can find a Walmart employee to help me. Several times they've had donuts and coffee for early shoppers. Seriously, the last few times I went to Walmart on Black Friday, it was less crowded than it is on a regular Saturday or Sunday. Maybe I was just hitting it at the right time by going very early when other shoppers were still lining up outside of Best Buy.

 

I do not see shopping during the holidays as a fun adventure or enjoyable pastime though. I only go if it's going to make a big difference. This year I had my kids main presents before Thanksgiving. I just wish I had known that Overstock.com would be doing a Black Friday sale. I could have gotten dd's comforter set for $40 cheaper. Ugh. Oh well. I'm just going to be thankful it's bought, paid for, and wrapped already.

[siloam]

No, no, no, no....did I mention my Christmas shopping was done a week ago? There is no temptation, no amount of savings is worth the loss of my sanity and time. :D

 

Heather

[3lilreds in NC]

I don't go every year, because I hate crowds. However, my mom and I did go this year. My girls assumed we were going to celebrate Christmas while my parents were here for Thanksgiving, but my mom and I had planned not to do that. We decided to brave Black Friday for the girls' sake. We didn't go to many places; we didn't really want any of the "door busters" so we didn't get up with the chickens, quite. Some years, there has been a ton of stuff for the kids or whoever that made it worth going. Most of the time I'm OK skipping it. Emma was disappointed that she didn't get to go this year, so if my MIL wants to go next year, maybe the girls can come too and decide if Black Friday is really "all that."

[Tree House Academy]

I did this year for the first time. I got some great deals...but I was in line at 5am with the others at Wal-mart. Some of the items cleared out in MINUTES and, well, you can really only grab so many things with that many people. You have to take someone with you if you want one thing on one side of the store and something else on the other side of the store...especially if one of those things is near the electronics stuff! Insane is just not the word. I did manage to find the not-as-sought-after stuff as I made my way to the checkout with my printer and digital picture frame (Reg $99, on sale for $39!). I got kids pjs for $4 a pack and they were licensed character pj's. a kids bath robe and pj's for $10 (my son hasn't taken them off in 3 days :(), and a Eureka stick vac in PINK *LOL* for $9. :)

 

After wal-mart, we headed to the mall. It was around 6:30 when we got to the mall and while it was busy, it was not totally insane. I got 8 body lotions/shower gels from Victoria's Secret for $35! That was a deal and a half! I also got some cute fur trimmed boots from JC Penny for $44 when they were regularly over $100.

[runamuk]

No. I don't like crowds. I braved them the Christmas before my husband went to Iraq for a dvd player for him, but haven't been out since.

 

I don't do much in-store shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas, either, because of the crowds. It's much easier (and calmer) to shop at home. :)