rwking75

The most ridiculous, funniest Ugly Sweater I've ever seen...

And then he pointed towards the grocery section and yelled "PS5s and Xbox Series Xs over there"....

Video game service subscriptions (PSN+, NIntendo Online)

Would rather have new gaming computers but the global microchip shortage ruined those plans like a huge lump of coal....

then I noticed the shipping time frame of 4-6 weeks...

Then I woke up from this dream

I am "one of those people" that need to have the outdoor Xmas decor up on Nov 1. I keep threatening my wife that I'm going to go thru with a CRAZY plan and this year might be it since Halloween falls on a Sunday: Xmas lights go up weekend before halloween but do NOT turn them on. The moment we pass out the last piece of candy, halloween decor is turned off and Xmas lights go ON! I've even threatened to dress up as a dept store santa and my son would be a Xmas elf for halloween. We'd pass out mini candy canes along with regular halloween candy. Lastly, by the time my son came home from school on Monday Nov 1, the Xmas tree would be up just not decorated until he could help. We have a big vacation planned over thanksgiving, we just really wanna enjoy the season this year. These past 2 years have SUCKED with covid and a big loss in the family. We are going ALL OUT this year!

I would fully expect their ad to be a 2 parter like years past. We'll see their online only sales 1st and they will prob publish their VERY limited in-store BF sales the week of TG. They are expecting shortages on their biggest ticket items plus they are still in a covid protocal world. Doubt we will see any PS5s, Xbox Series X, Switch OLEDs this year in store.

My family is pretty large and we have a pretty close group of neighbors and friends. About 20 people. However, I always budget about $50-$75 for my son to purchase Toys for Tots every year. I've been teaching my son about charity the past 5 years. We enjoy going into a store like Gamestop and hitting their sales racks to pickup cool pop culture toys and games for those less fortunate. It's not always the easiest to teach and only child that the seasons is about giving and not about receiving.

Mine: The Santa Clause The Grinch (Jim Carey) Home Alone Home Alone 2 Christmas with the Kranks My Son (10 years old): Home Alone Home Alone 2 The Grinch (Jim Carey) Polar Express Elf

What kind of "Rewards" programs do you use to save up for some extra Xmas shopping? I'm using Ibotta and do the daily Microsoft Rewards to cash in for Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, etc credit. Any other worthy "free money" programs out there?

One thing that I've seen from Walmart, Target, and Best Buy when buying trying to purchase the PS5 last year and back in the spring was a new system where you literally "wait in line" on their websites for items. I predict for big ticket items/doorbusters that more retailers will use this type of system where you can put the item in your cart but will make you wait to checkout until it's your turn as long as the item is in stock. Was successful in both attempts thru Target and Best Buy to score it and avoided needlessly refreshing my screen for 20-30 minutes. This kind of system will help keep their overall websites from crashing during the BF rush. I still think people will try to avoid stores due to covid.

Thank you for another year of BF coverage!

The only stores I see open on Thanksgiving day will be CVS, Walgreens (for obvious reasons of being a pharmacy), Gamestop and Hobby Lobby. GS and HL have horrible ownership and does not care for their employees at all.

Posted this morning on their FB page. Walamart and Sam's will be closed for Thanksgiving day. No word on what time they will open Friday morning. https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/07/21/walmart-invests-428-million-more-in-associates-with-another-special-bonus-totaling-1-1-billion-in-special-bonuses-so-far-this-year?fbclid=IwAR2DNWTI_t4orsiopN_rL42TxkeRQrjKViSIPFxu8RGipsNZFqWq2tkC1kw

Per gameinformer.com, Gamestop closed on Thursday. Not huge news, but 1 less store to have to try to cram in on Thursday night.

1. One of these years, Best Buy will provide us Port-A-Potties 2. The restrooms are this way, let's see if we can sneak these under our jackets 3. Someone farted....

A VERY expensive Beta product. Don't expect discounts on this, maybe a Apple gift card on it. This is still very much a 1st generation release item so Apple won't discount it for Black Friday.

10/17 Ace Hardware

I recall seeing some large cedar playgrounds in years past on sale for BF, but looking back at last year's ad I only saw 1 from Toys R Us. Has anyone bought one on BF before and what kind of savings did you get?

Started Xmas shopping about 2 weeks ago. Prob is that we just moved 2 weeks ago as well so I'm having to stash stuff at work for a couple of months. It's become a tradition to wrap gifts at work a couple days before Xmas then try to hide them until Xmas eve.

You don't see the latest consoles go on sale on BF, however you will see good bundles like an extra game or 2. Perhaps an extra controller or Xbox or PSN credit. If you look hard enough now, you will find Xbox one deals for around $300-$320 on a daily basis complete with a game. Xb1 and PS4 should never be paid at full retail with Amazon, Newegg, and EBay discounting them daily. Avoid Walmart, BB, or Target unless they are giving you an extra game, controller, or a year of Xbox live or PSN. Look for good bundles including Madden in a couple weeks.

All things Star Wars! There is even a midnight release on 9/4 for the new episode 7 toys at TRU. Will be bigger than a frozen toys from the past 2 years since it's a truly unisex genre and transcends all ages... Kids and adults.

A couple of retailers have some out and said they are NOT opening on Thanksgiving day this year, while others have pushed times earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving. As a Black Friday shopper, what's your opinion?

Last year, my wife took the reins of BF shopping and far exceeded my expectations. I'm a vet at this, but for a rookie she taught me a thing or 2 for this year. 1. Shop in groups. She had her sister and best friend with her. They got EVERYTHING on their list and then some! 2. The "then some".... If it's a door buster laying there that nobody else is picking up, GRAB IT! Whether it's for you or someone else, it's valuable to someone. Maybe that person behind you in line missed out on it. Offer it to them. Or better yet, buy it and donate it to a charity! 3. Most stores will put out a map days before BF but don't rely on them. This is where you need a group and Bluetooth headsets. Get into the store early and ask employees that are camping aisles as crowd control. Most of these tips are related to Walmart, but same will hold true to others. Good luck!