jaymacfla

KB toys used to be one of my main reasons to even step foot in a mall. Does anyone remember Zayres or Ayr-way?

We have to do uncle sam's opsec every year. Good stuff with a bit of humor mixed in.

I think that Len has a valid point. The only way for people to get the spirit of Black Friday back is to get out there and shop local. I see all too many people getting smarmy about all of the online deals, but where is the adventure in that? This is a once a year event, and if you let the online component take that away from you then you might as well petition for Cyber Monday to be your big event and give up on this Black Friday thing. True fans of Black Friday get out there for the TRADITION. Take a bestie, spouse, an older child or any group of friends and MAKE it a yearly tradition. Don't get me wrong, I love the online component but it has ruined the best of what Black Friday had to offer, which was an old time honored tradition of actually going out, not sitting there in your pajamas and then bragging about a lightning deal that you snagged. With that said, there is an impressive list of stores that intend upon upholding a traditional Black Friday experience and will open on Friday. I suggest that you do your best to support them where and when you can if you truly love this event and what it stands for.

Would anyone like to have a meet and greet webcast where we talk about predetermined items/questions about Black Friday before the ads hit?

I have been first at CompUSA and for nine years running at Best Buy

I finally changed out my old HD webcam for the Logitec 615. What a difference, especially in poor lighting conditions!

I just wonder how many will even notice whether the drive is even there, and then realize later that a better laptop in the same ad could be found for that $20 more with the DVD drive. lol.

Yes, it is that time again! Time to check on your cards to see what you have, what you need and what is in need of replacing. Here are a few of the checks and suggestions listed below. Chime in with your own suggestions for a safe and sane shopping experience: 1: Check for worn out credit cards that are hard to swipe. If you need to use a bag trick to swipe, replace them now. 2: Replace any card that does not have a V chip where banks already use them and cut up the outdated one. 3: If you use a bank card/debit backed by Visa, find out the daily limits and change them if you can to suit your needs. 4: Call your financial institution and let them know that you will be purchasing items that are above your normal daily usage just before Black Friday so that they will have a record of it. 5. Know the limits and use the Bank card accordingly. Many people do not know about this and wrongly assume that debit and credit are the same. Use Credit and run the card again if the debit side does not work. (Rule 3) 6. Make sure your credit cards are paid up on time to avoid any denials. keep your credit-worthiness sound. 7. Use gift cards where practical and load them up to back up your plan in case your institutions servers are down. Check for expiration dates! 8. Use store credit cards (activated, of course) if you need to increase your spending power until the next payday where you plan to pay it off anyway. There are some instances where you can qualify for interest free purchases for certain items. Check the details carefully, as these fluctuate depending upon the price and promotion. 9. PayPal as a backup. You may be able to load up your PayPal business debit card (MasterCard) as yet another alternative. 10. Best Buy credit cards. There are two different ones offered and read the distinct difference between them. They can be used on more than just Best Buy and one is backed by Visa. You will also get bonus points if you activate the card within 14 days of Black Friday. (Rule 8) 11. Cash. A limited amount of cash is always required to bump that purchase or last minute purchases into the win column. How much you bring will depend upon your own personal needs and safety factors to consider. Always divide your cash up among family members if you can. 12. Receipts. Always keep your receipts and check them at the register. Get gift receipts where offered.

Yes, Google maps has become indispensable for routes and Google Earth is even better for surveying parking lots, buildings, and a virtual drive through the area where mapped.

I am okay with going back to Friday. I have a new oil-less turkey fryer for Thursday!

We might have to say to Brad: "When were the ads deleted and who did you originally get your leaked ads from?"

CompUSA used to come out and greet the customers with a smile, flyers/ads and hot chocolate back when they still had decent management that cared about their customers. They were also the pioneers of the safe and sane Black Friday experience. Tickets were handed out and line etiquette was enforced.

In addition to the stores we have lost, sometimes we miss the older stores when their newer counterparts took over. Remember the old Walmart stores where you could see all the walls from the entry? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using GottaDeal mobile app

Do you have any favorite stores and memories from stores that are no longer around? Do you think that there are enough voids created by their departure to influence your shopping inclinations or to make you feel nostalgic for the "good ole days"? One of my favorites was CompUSA and they will be missed. What was your favorite?

Gotta love those gift cards! They are also a great way to have a backup in case the financial institutions fails us early in the morning. Remember those times?

You can get good prices on smart watches on Geek and Wish.com.

Perhaps Wikileaks can leak them early..... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using GottaDeal mobile app

I hope he chimes in soon, once we know for sure I will need some prep time.

With predictions of sub $200 laptops just be careful to read the specs. Many of these budget types come with no dvd drive. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using GottaDeal mobile app

I will have a light work schedule and some extra vacation time to burn. Perhaps I could get some feedback if anyone would be interested in listening in to shows from the bunker. All as a contingency mind you. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using GottaDeal mobile app

This will be my 10th year camping out and 12th year being in line on Thanksgiving. This has always been my choice and nobody ever cared until the switch, then the blame game started. The media even tried to insinuate that campers were the actual cause! Think how absurd that is. We are one to two percent of the shoppers! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using GottaDeal mobile app

We hired our mother in law. Loaded her up with snacks, a warm bed and a great meal afterwards. It was a tradition for many years to come.

Doesn't appear so, but then again there is the annual rumor that BJS and Brad are one and the same....

Believe it or not, I would even go for a 75 inch 1080p deal if it also included 3D.

Please, no shopping cart on the hat unless it is on the back as a souped up mean machine with drag pipes!