msomnipotent

My BB gave out tickets last year and some people just ran to the computers and grabbed them anyway. It caused quite a lot of fights. It probably escalated into a fist fight, but I grabbed my printer and took off. I noticed on my way out that they were asking for the ticket as you left with a computer, so hang on to them just in case!

http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/16/news/fortune500/blackfriday_gimmicks/index.htm I have been reading on several sites that stores are really worried about bringing in the shoppers this season, so they are going all out to lure them in. Expect better deals all throughout the shopping season.

I have to go. I really need a new computer ASAP and this will probably be the only time one will be cheap enough. I doubt this Compcrap computer will last until the tax refund.

I give up on Kohl's for toys. They had a choice of 2 Fisher Price toys online the last time they had the 50% sale, and the stores near me do not have a decent selection of anything. Has anyone else noticed that a lot of the popular things disappear from their online store when they are on sale?

What I hate are the tricky software rebates. One title could have 3 rebates, and each need different things. I especially hate it when the largest rebate is only for people who had to software last year and are upgrading it, like the Turbo Tax. Of course I open the package without reading the fine print. Nothing is truly free!

I read that manufacturers pay to be in the sale ads. So if a company doesn't pay, they are not in the ad even if they are on sale.

I noticed they were selling the Camel codes, too. The only people nuttier than the sellers are the buyers!

Their diapers, I am shamed to say, are crappy. They will do the job if you are willing to put up with some stuff, like accidentally touching the Velcro tab to the diaper and throwing the whole thing away, but Huggies are much better. And Huggies sends you TONS of coupons if you complain. Kirkland has other things on their minds. Their diapers should be made out of their paper towels.

I plan on leaving the house at 4 am to drive into corn country to a different Best Buy. I chatted up one of the employees at my BB and they said it was bigger than their store and less crowded. I also plan on looking to see if any of the other stores I need are located near it. I usually don't need the hottest item, so I go directly to what I want the most. I don't grab a shopping cart because one of the employees take pity on me and either get me a cart or bring my stuff to the front for me. The biggest lines are for carts, and there is always a pileup just as the store opens. That would work for you with the Jeep, too. A huge box can just be pushed along down the isles with a bunch of stuff on top, and someone should offer to bring the box (and the rest of the stuff) to the front. A lot of the stores near me are now placing carts throughout the store because there have been so many fights over carts lately.

I like the Kirkland brand from Costco. I used to get Brawny really cheap at Target a few times a year, but Brawny leaves lint on my mirrors.

I have to wait until just before Thanksgiving. I need an ostrich sized turkey and all the stores wait until a week before to start selling them. At least they are on sale by then. I usually get them for 69 cents or 99 cents, depending on the store.

Here too. I get the 20% off coupons in the mail and I have never shopped there. I have no idea how they know of my existence. They also usually have a sales paper with coupon in the Sunday paper.

I am a shareholder. I read that they plan on doing a huge marketing blizt for Christmas time this year. They really want new membership to justify paying Howard Stern 10 bazillion dollars. Watch for great sales.

Oh my. I didn't even think of this problem. My only child is 8 months old, so this is our first Christmas. Now I have no idea what I will do. My parents always said all the presents were from Santa and I always thought they were such cheapskates until I knew the truth. I guess I won't have to worry about it until she learns to read.

My husband's family has always celebrated on Christmas Eve and my family celebrates Christmas Day, so it works out. My family takes turns having the holidays but Christmas is usually at my house. The only traditions that have lasted through the years are: someone shows up as soon as all the food has been put away so we have to unwrap everything, one person gets sloppy drunk, another person pees in their pants (it's never me), and my father starts barking at my dog or cats. Or both. He usually isn't the drunk one, either. It's just the way he is.

That IS a really cool idea! But my father would think there was some sort of eavesdropping or mind-control device on it if it came from the government. Yep, he is one of THOSE people. My grandmother was the hardest person to shop for because she kept saying she didn't need anything. I finally bought a small bike, put it together, took a picture of it, and donated it to Toys for Tots. I gave the picture to her in a card and said I did it for her. She loved it, so now I just donate stuff in her name. My parents waste my gifts. They don't have the money to splurge, so I buy them things that they mention they want but are too expensive. Then they say, "Oh, this is so nice. I will have to put it away for a special occasion." and never use it. I also have a hard time with the in laws. Again, they don't have money to splurge. I want to buy them these 1,000 count sets from Overstock because their sheets have seen better days, but I am worried about their reaction. I do not want it to seem like I think that their stuff is not good enough and needs to be replaced, or that I think "This is the proper sheet set you should use." kind of thing.

Have you tried Pet Edge? It's supposed to be for the trade, but anyone can buy. petedge.com Go to pet accessories, then cat products, then furniture.

I also have a Dyson Animal. I hate it. I loved it when it was new, but it doesn't hold up. It is now just over a year old and acts like an old vacuum. Pieces started breaking within a month, and I'm not about to ship a whole vacuum to England as the warranty specifies. Several people I know love their Kirby brand, but I don't know how expensive they are.

I used to give money to the Chicago Tribune fund every year, but I had a bad experience with them several years ago. My sister is a teacher in the inner city, and the Trib chose her classroom to donate to. The problem was that there were only enough presents for about half of her students and then others went home crying. Our family raced around trying to get gifts because the next day was the last day of school before the holidays. I wound up driving over 1 1/2 hours while it was snowing heavily to get the gifts to them, grumbling about it the whole way there. I wanted to sleep and really thought my car was going to be stolen, but I'm glad I went. The kids were so excited to see me, happy to get presents, my car was perfectly fine, and some of the parents came after class to thank me. You would be surprised to see how many kids are overjoyed to get something as basic as a winter coat (even though they want the Gameboys ) I just check with my sister now to see what gifts are needed instead of giving cash. I also buy a lot of school supplies at the start of the school year.

I think it is horrible how the major stores are now kicking the Salvation Army off their properties. It's not Christmas time until I hear the bells.

I have a large walk in closet that I use. Sometimes it spills out into the spare bedroom that I call the EBay room. I have such a bad habit of buying whatever is cheap or cute at auctions and then throwing it in the Ebay room when I tire of it. I'm just starting to actually put the stuff on Ebay. No room left!

I bought a cheap DVD/VCR player at Best Buy that was supposed to be $49 after rebate. I stood in a line for the player, then stood in a line for checkout for 45 minutes. Then I had to argue about the price. Then the cashier didn't give me the rebate receipts and they made me stand in line again instead of just having the cashier fix his mistake. Then the rebate form was mailed back to me stating that I was missing the receipt. I re-mailed it again with all the receipts attached, including the original sales receipt which was already attached to their form letter. I finally get a reply the following March that I never sent them a receipt so they denied my request. By the way, the form letter still had all the rebate receipts and original receipt stapled to it. Jerks!