msomnipotent

I was really out of my element this year because I had a horrible cold. I forgot to go through my online shopping portals and missed out on quite a bit of cash back, I didn't make a list and forgot 3 people I need to buy for, and I forgot to buy extra gifts for my daughter's various birthday parties she gets invited to. Next time, I will make a list, remind myself to use the cash back sites even if I have to staple a note to my forehead, and wait until BF to order anything from Ulta. Their free with purchase gifts were MUCH better on BF. I had to re-order several things and wait for them to shlp to me to return. I will also be extra careful ordering from them because you cannot alter or cancel an order online. Such a pain in the butt!

I had no plans to go out because I am just getting over a horrible cold, but found myself in desperate need of headphones that could only be found at the mall at 10pm on Thanksgiving. There were some people, but not much. I found myself at Farm and Fleet on Friday and people were going ape crazy over the half priced bird seed. I saw 4 full pallets disappear in less than 10 minutes. It was pretty crowded but everyone was well behaved except a woman that was trying her best to start a fight with me. Honestly, if she would have jumped in front of my cart and stopped just one more time, I would probably still be in jail. Costco seemed like a regular week day. Pep Boys was a real let down. I ordered a Razor pocket mod and a jump starter online Wednesday morning and never got a pick up notice and the order somehow disappeared from my account so I had to call the 1-800 number multiple times and kept getting hung up on. Finally got through and she said everything was fine but I would have to pick it up on BF, which I was trying to avoid. There were two registers open with only one person each in front of me, yet it still took 10 minutes just to get some help. Then they tell me that they are charging my credit card after I was 100% certain I chose the option to pay online. So I hold up the line calling Chase to make sure it wasn't charged yet, then the cashier holds up the line because their systems are down and they have to call every credit card order in over the phone. So what should have taken 5 mins took over half an hour. We get the stuff home and not only are both items obviously used, but the pocket mod is broken. At this point I just send my husband back to return them because I have had it. The employee gives him a "new" pocket mod that has a huge rip from one end of the box to the other and tries to hide it by only showing the good side and offering to carry it himself to the car. My husband just decided to take it because you could clearly see everything inside the box and the plastic didn't look damaged. All in all, never going there again.

Thanks for the advice. I went back and forth so long on the decision that the sale almost ended before I bought it. I think being large is a plus for its longevity. I don't want her dragging this around to her friends' houses and she doesn't need one for school yet. We have an old red Samsung tablet she can carry around. I'm kind of concerned about her getting used to Windows 8 since everything we have is the older versions.

I bought this one for my daughter http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/463726/HP-Pavilion-Laptop-Computer-With-173/ It is a lot more than I usually spend on her for Christmas, and more than I think an almost 10 year old needs, but I'm tired of her being on my computer or phone when I need to use them and this seems like a decent deal after rebate. Plus, my husband can also use it for work since it is much better than the one he has now. I'm assuming it is fine for Minecraft and stalking her movie star crushes, but I'm technologically inept.

A can of spam. Spam is a must have for any kind of "pocolypse".

I bought a 50" Panasonic Viera 11 or 12 years ago and I still get compliments about the picture quality. I still love it. It is only 720p but we have HD cable programming, which makes all the difference. We never had a problem with it, but I get panic attacks when my brother in law stays over because he can't sleep without the tv running. I have to wake up every few hours and turn it off so the screen doesn't get burn in. I wish he never figured out the sleep timer!

I buy things for the house that my husband considers gifts for me. I have no idea why a coffee maker or a vacuum would be just for me when he uses them too. This year I am looking for a waffle maker and a set of dishes.

My number one is ordering something online thinking that you are getting a good BF deal only to have the order cancelled 3 days later due to a "pricing mistake". Number 2 is my family insisting I host Thanksgiving dinner just so they can spend the night at my house and do their BF shopping. Number 3 is houseguests that wake you up at 1am asking you to go shopping with them after you just knocked yourself out preparing for and cleaning up a feast for 30 people, or worse, asking you to do their shopping for them because they are too tired to try to get that laptop that they should have been in line for hours ago.

My 8 year old daughter is getting a yo-yo, a book about yo-yo tricks, a Sigg water bottle, Chapstick, nail polish, a pomegranate (because fruit is traditional!), and a few silver dimes for her war chest. She always gets a tube of lip balm, fruit, and silver every year but everything else changes.

I just bought the copy cat brand from the front page deals from dailysteals.com I hope they are decent quality. I have a feeling my daughter will make a few of these and lose interest.

Anything Evel Knievel!!!!! I wish I kept my toys! And I second the chemistry set. I made gallons of India ink with mine and my sister ruined the pool table mixing my chemicals together. Happy times!

I don't have time to shop on Thanksgiving! I'm cooking for 20-25 people and entertaining them. They never leave. I would like it if my husband and BILs would go out and do some shopping instead of leaving all of it for the women to do, but they don't want to shop when they could be eating and drinking.

Talked to my sister who is a manager at a relatively big Wal-mart. They are scaling back on seasonal clothes because they just got a HUGE shipment and can't even fit it all in the store. It has nothing to do with seasonal merchandise like toys or decorations, which she has heard nothing about scaling back. They are expecting business as usual for Christmas.

Good to know. Thanks.

I think I started in the mid-1990's, but I didn't know it was "BLACK FRIDAY!!!" until 1999. I just got married a few months prior and moved to an out of the way exurb. I was able to get to some computer store (that has since gone out of business but I can't remember the name) just before they opened and still get a cheap computer and a few other hot things. I doubt that will ever happen again! I stopped shopping during prime time a few years ago after 3 different people purposely tried to start fist fights with me at Target. And really, I was just standing in line inside, minding my own business. Too many people think it is an excuse to go ape crazy, so I either shop online or wait a few hours after the stores open.

My daughter is all gung-ho about something called Scribblenauts. I have Rainbow loom bracelets down for a stocking stuffer. She came home with 3 of them from her friends already.

My family is irrational when it comes to BF. I spent the whole week cooking a Thanksgiving feast from scratch for 20 people, cleaned up, hosted overnight guests, made out my shopping lists, and as I was headed out the door the next morning my BIL asks me to swing by Best Buy and pick him up a lap top that was on sale. This was already 10am on BF because I didn't need any hot items! And half the family was mad at me because I wouldn't even try. So from then on I just leave the ads out on the table and do not even say I am going out. I get my list done well before the first guest arrives.

I just started clearing out the old toys and making a list. I wind up giving the gifts early if I buy them early. I have already given my husband the one gift I already bought!

I thought my daughter would be all over the Furby booms, but no. I'm so happy! I'm sure they will be big, though. I went crazy nuts getting a regular Furby for her last time and she played with it for 5 minutes.

Only the Wii, and I'm not certain I bought that on BF because we bought it so long ago. My daughter went from Disney princesses last year to wanting an iPod touch and a tablet. She is 8 going on 18.

I think Winx dolls.

Don't forget a voltage adapter.

Tell her LED's throw off a lot less heat, so she won't get overheated while she dusts it. You are only thinking of her comfort. I am hoping for good quality pots and pans in the $100-$150 range. A decent camera for $40 or less for my daughter, and cheap Wii games would be great. I would say cheap Disney blu-ray that my daughter doesn't have yet, but I don't think such a thing exists. I might buy a smaller tv and/or blu ray player for her bedroom and give it to her for her birthday. The current tv is a giant box that takes up her entire desk.

I predict that we will be seeing "Black Friday in September" and "BF in October", and "BF in December" sales up the wazoo, as there were many "Black Friday in July" sales this year. I would not be surprised to see a Black Friday on Tuesday sale. I predict I will develop a serious eye tick whenever I hear "Black Friday" before Christmas. I don't expect really great door busters this year, but more of the smaller sales throughout the season. I would expect to see $5 Wii games, $5 Blu-rays, and perhaps $90-$100 3D blu-ray players. Costco had one on sale for $160 this week, so why not? I think there will be a lot of really cheap lower quality items and not so much high quality savings. The last time I waited in line on BF (years ago), I got a top of the line 50" Toshiba plasma for several hundred dollars off list price and free financing. I think we will only be seeing 2nd tier electronics this year. I plan to do almost all of my holiday shopping online, and I am expecting shipping delays and stocking problems due to the increase in online shopping. I hope I get all the important gifts delivered before Black Friday.

I bought a french door style GE Profile fridge and a Profile convection microwave from Home Depot last week. The offer was the sale price, plus an additional something (I think maybe $100 or 10% off, I don't remember), a $100 rebate from GE for 2 items, and free financing for 12 months. This week the fridge was $400 cheaper, the rebate was $100 more, and the free financing was for 18 months instead of 12. Home Depot was able to "return" our appliances and give us this week's prices and financing, but they said they didn't know how to give us an itemized receipt! We can't get the rebate without an itemized receipt and I wish I was there when my husband tried to take care of this. Even without the rebate, we come out ahead, but I want that $200 rebate! But I think now is the time to buy larger appliances instead of waiting for BF or closer to Christmas.