lucyismycat

They're back in stock at bestbuy.com, I just picked one up after our local store didn't have any in stock. Free shipping still applies.

I hope you're right. I wanted a tv for my kitchen this year, but the prices were higher than they were last year for the same thing. It's not something I absolutely have to have, but I'd like to see those prices come way down next year.

I could be wrong (and I know this is unpopular), but I think this is where BF is headed. Before long these stores are going to wise up and realize that if they can get at least one really wanted item into a lot of customers' hands, that's a lot more happy customers who will be more likely to buy other stuff. And I don't think they'll stop at computers...I think it will be one ticket, per person, period. So you'll either have to bring your entire family along, or start prioritizing. That would cut down on the ticket selling, and the eBay thing, and a lot more people would be happy because they were able to get at least one thing they wanted. If I stand in line all night and don't get a ticket for something, I go to the next store. I don't buy anything at that store during that holiday period, and in the case of CC it's been 2 years since I set foot in one of their stores due to a particularly horrible ticket experience. I would think that the store would realize we'd be a better asset to them if I'm able to get even one thing on my list.

I'd say it was worth it for me. I pay myself $25 an hour to shop, so if I can't save at least that much I don't bother on BF. I got a kitty condo for our kittens at Meijer for $40 (half off) and an entryway Christmas tree at Michaels for $50 (half off), and was done with those 2 stores in less than a half hour. I also went to Shopko and saved $20 on a doll, the line there was the longest one I stood in, and even that was <10 minutes. So in less than an hour I was done and had saved over $100, which makes it worth it to me. No electronics this year that I really was excited about or I would have saved more. Maybe there will be good after Christmas sales on small LCD tvs. I waited about 15 minutes before Meijer opened, so I guess you have to factor that in, timewise, but I still felt like I did pretty well.

How did everyone do at Meijer this year? I went on Thursday and got everything on my list. They brought out the toys all at once and it was a real mob, some people were upset that it wasn't more organized; so on Friday they put up a tent outside and had all of the DB items in that. You walked in a single file line through the tent and everyone was extremely helpful. The whole experience was great, and just confirms my everyday shopping experiences there. The store manager was visible and extremely helpful, knew where everything was. Employees were a lot more friendly this year than last, and I love not having to wait outside. There was a really nice letter to the editor in our local paper today praising Meijer for their BF efforts. Just Say No to Walmart :)

I had never gone to TRU on BF before, no kids here, but I had a little Angel Tree girl who wanted a baby doll. I picked up a doll and a bunch of accessories. Got in line, waited for 10 minutes at the back of the store (the line went from back to front, to back and then to front again) and never moved so I left my stuff where it was and went to Shopko. Got everything I was looking for there. I don't think our TRU is very organized on a good day, BF is just too much for them to handle.

I've made pj bottoms out of them before, but they didn't last very long, I even serged them and they kind of fell apart at the seams. However, I've used it to back quilts before and had reasonable success. Some people make those raggy quilts that are supposed to have frayed edges, that would be a great use for this flannel! Another idea might be to cut up strips and tie them around a wreath frame (I saw a lady at Hancocks doing something similar last night as a demo). Pillowcases are wicked easy and might be a good use for this, especially the little travel ones. Those make good gifts on the cheap. Good luck!

My Mom was always a stickler about that with me, no gifts before Christmas eve, and I usually had to beg to open that one. DH, on the other hand, can't stand to not give things away as soon as he buys them. One year he had several things for me that he'd started buying around the first of December. 2 weeks before Christmas he was pestering me to open them, so I opened something every day for awhile. Now I tell him to either buy things early and give them to his Mom so the temptation isn't so strong for him, but he still struggles. Last year I got a leather jacket a week before Christmas, he just couldn't stand it. I need to ask his Mom if he got to open gifts early when he was a kid.

Okay, now we have the Joann ad (and mine just showed up in my mailbox yesterday!). Does anyone know if Hancock Fabrics does BF sales? I'm guessing they do, but I'd like to see their ad ahead of time so I can decide if it's worth fighting mall traffic to go. I never thought I'd say this, but with the crummy ads so far this year, fabric stores are topping my BF list!

I'm not sure if I'll even mess with going out way early, now. I'll probably hit Joanns just for nostalgia's sake, but that's it. DH will want to go to Meijer on Thursday to pick up Pepsi, but that's not really holiday shopping (well, to him it is!). I just am finding that I can't get excited about any of the ads, nobody's really wowed me yet. I was hoping for a good deal on a small tv for my kitchen, but the one I'm interested in at Meijer is $50 MORE than the exact same thing they had last year, so I think I'll hold off until after the first of the year maybe. I doubt if I sleep in, but I equally doubt that I'll spend more than $25 all day Friday.

2.5 yards would make a blanket 90" long and roughly 55-60" wide, since fleece varies in width. I make a lot of quilts, and my twin sized quilts are usually 70" x 90" or so. If you sew, you could add a border to the fleece to make it wider.

You might want to look at the ad again, I thought that flannel was .99/yard, and fleece was 2.79/yard. That's still a good price on fleece, so far this year they haven't had many sales where it was even 2.99/yard.

I'm thinking about adding a tv in my kitchen. It would probably need to be less than 25", the kitchen is on the south side of our house and has a LOT of light coming in. Last year I got my Mom a 20" lcd at Meijer for $100. This year they have what looks to be the same thing for $150 (different brand, of course). The only difference I can find is that this year's says it has an "HD capable component". Is that a big deal? We have an antenna for major networks, but this one would only be hooked up to the satellite dish, so I'm assuming that the whole "digital vs. analog" thing would be a moot point for me. Anyway, is there a better deal somewhere out there? I hate to think that I'd be paying more for something a year later! I guess my questions are: Would an lcd screen work well in a room with lots of sunlight? Is the $150 an ok buy (or does the hd capable make any difference?) Is there a better buy? Thanks so much!

YES! This is the last one on my "must have" list! Bring it! Is it too early to start holding my breath? :)

Is it just me, or does anybody else think they completely missed the boat. If they wanted to "stoke holiday shopping excitement early", why didn't they let their ad be shown? <--rhetorical question there, folks.

Yes, absolutely, they have one! Earlier today I was trying to remember how far in advance it arrived (in my mailbox) last year. They don't put them in the paper, of course, you have to be on their mailing list. I'm expecting it to show up sometime this week. They always have their flannel on sale for $1/yard, fleece is usually marked down some, lots of other fabrics. They also have a sale on Christmas ornaments, basically everything is marked down somewhat. They usually have a coupon for 10 or 20% off your total purchase from 6-9am, and then another one for later in the day (or maybe it's for Saturday, I can't remember). I always do my electronics shopping early and then Joanns is my 2nd stop. Last year I was waiting for them to open, mostly just so I could get a shopping cart since they're hard to come by, and next door is an Office Depot where people had been waiting in line all night. They were laughing that anybody would wait in line to get into a fabric store LOL.

What about if there was a one ticket limit, per person. For any item. So, if you wanted both a laptop and a tv, you could only get 1 or the other...unless you had more people with you. BF 2005, I waited outside CC for HOURS, and there were a couple of people in line in front of me. What they didn't mention, and I didn't know, was that they had another 15 people waiting in cars in the parking lot that were going to join them at opening time. When the people came around with the tickets, they all took all of the tickets, whether it was something they intended to buy or not. As it turned out, I didn't get anything I went after, and I still don't shop at CC. Anyway, I think a one ticket per person would be a fair solution...kind of like waiting in line for each individual item, it forces us to prioritize.

We have the same one, my Mom gave it to me for Christmas last year. I love it...we have 2 giant breed dogs and 2 cats and our house is one of the few that my highly-allergic-to-cats friend can spend any length of time in. It picks up everything, and simultaneously fascinates and disgusts me. My only complaints are: 1) no retractable cord. if someone pays $500 for a vacuum, the cord needs to be retractable. 2) no light. I don't vacuum in the dark, but I like a little headlight on the front. DH is threatening to put an led stick-up on it. 3) it sucks (in a bad way) for cleaning area rugs. I have one in my foyer and every single time, it sucks the rug up into the vacuum and makes a terrible sound. You're supposed to use the "bare floors" mode for cleaning rugs, but it doesn't give that "freshly brushed look", so I use my old Hoover on it. If it weren't for that one rug, I would have gotten rid of my Windtunnel. 4) the attachments take a little getting used to, but I'm a pro at it now, it just involved a little bit of practice. Anyway, if something bad happened to my Dyson tomorrow, I'd run out and buy another one just like it. FWIW, I think my Mom got mine at BB&B (not on BF) and paid around $459 with a coupon, it's the DC14 animal.

Meijer wins again! Good ad, I just wish they had a deal on XM and I could avoid BB altogether! I love how they "get it" that showing us the ad early just gets us more excited about shopping!

From what I've seen so far, we'll be spending less this year. Like others, it's due to the deals so far not being what I really expected. There are a few things that I would kind of like to have, but I'm not the sort that will miss Thanksgiving to get them, so I'll probably just pick up some movies and maybe a DS or something if I happen to end up somewhere that has them. That said, I still haven't seen all of the ads I'm interested in, so that plan could change on the spur of a moment! :)

LOL, thanks for that!

I use our local CC's wifi all the time. If I'm standing in the store and want to check the price of something somewhere else, I use it (wireless pda, I'm not carting a laptop around with me everywhere I go). I have successfully used it on BF while waiting to get in, and have also used it in the store when I was picking up an order and forgot to bring my order number with me. I love that they have it available, and end up doing more business with them because of it. BB's wifi isn't up all the time, and so far, the one year I camped out there, I wasn't able to use it. However, this is probably just my area (central IL).

I keep a very small first aid kit in my car, mostly bandaids and antiseptic wipes, and a few headache pills. I've never needed it on BF, but it's reassuring to know it's there jic. Now I'm thinking a little liquor would be handy :) Hey, I live in the midwest, it's COLD waiting in line outside here!

Wow, I agree, if he is counting gifts, it's time to start giving him a token gift and then doing the rest as a charitable donation. Wow. That said, I'm an only child, married to an only child, and my DMIL (and I do mean Dear...I hit the MIL jackpot!) spends a little bit more on me than on DH, but that's because he's difficult to shop for, and I like to go shopping with her! My DM also spends more on me unless there's some expensive tool that DH wants, and even then she'll end up going overboard on my gifts to make up for his (in case you're wondering, we don't have children other than the 4-legged kind, and even THEY get gifts from the grandparents). I've tried telling her not to worry about it, we have too much stuff as it is, but it's pointless. One year she gave me a Jeep because she bought DH some expensive tool. Crazy. So, I think it's a good idea to try and keep things even, but don't drive yourself crazy over it...I think as long as it's within 20% (or more, you figure out what you're comfortable with), nobody should be complaining. Heck, nobody should be complaining anyway! It's Christmas!

I don't shop at Walmart anyway (I have customers that are their vendors, and it's pathetic the way they treat the vendors), but I sent emails to the three addresses listed. So far Tara Steward's email is the only one that bounced. Keep it up, and maybe we'll get through to them that we mean business! Didn't they have a crummy year last year anyway? Maybe this is their way of trying to build anticipation, but I'm thinking that their ad isn't going to be any good this year, either. They probably have a bunch of leftover bathrobes.