steve42

You know, I really meant to ask about who did it LAST year so I'd have an idea. That's what happens when you think faster than you type.

OK, does anyone have a summary of the stores that will sell their BF items online as well? I just can't get to some of these stores, and I'd like to buy a few items online if possible. Steve

Hmmm. Mebbe so. I live just south of Clanton and my mom's place is in Childersburg. We're not really big Christmas spenders. Last year was the most we ever spent and it was under $800 for the whole extended family. It was only that high because I bought DW a ring. Most of the big ticket items I want are things we've wanted at home and put off until they come down in price. I just bought a CDRW last year and a 2nd DVD last Christmas.

31" TV for the living room DVD/HD Recorder DVD/RW New Motherboard & Processor Barbie stuff Task Chair for my daughter's desk (so she'll stop taking mine) Thomas the Tank Engine toys Some neat kitchen appliance for my wife (no joke, she's got a milkshake maker, waffle iron, etc.) Hunting/fishing gear for my brother

Not really a war story, but I've had some pretty good experiences. The SuperWM in my town is PACKED because it's the only game in town. We've started spending Thanksgiving night (BF-eve) at my mom's house so we are closer to a larger town that has Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Radio Shack, Goody's, Bath and Body Works, and a couple of others. The first year we went to mom's, I got tied up and couldn't get to the stores early. We made it to Goody's about 9 AM and found the clothes we needed to buy. By the time we got out of there, it was after the WM sale was over, so we just walked through the other stores and got to WM about 11:45. They still had all of the pallets out in the main aisles and there were still several TVs, VCRs, Computers, and most of the toys and small appliances in place. I asked a blue-vester about it and she said, "yeah, we're keeping them at the sale price till the end of the day." We picked up most of the things we were hoping for anyway and paid happily. The next year, I tested them on it again. Sure enough, they had most of the things still in stock after lunch. The third year, I didn't even rush to them. My dad and I went up to Birmingham to Lowes because they had some good Shop-Vacs and a mitre saw on sale. At 9AM, we parked right next to the store, walked in, grabbed the mitre saw and two shop vacs, browsed around for a few minutes and went back to the house. After lunch, the wife and I went to Wal-Mart and still found what we wanted. Of course, everyone in my family that wants a DVD player or a computer already has one, so I'm not ususally looking for the hot-sellers, but we've been fortunate to find everything we wanted (even the $5 Lego sets) by waiting a bit for the crowds to thin. I'm going to attempt to cooperate with a few friends this year who can get to a Best Buy or Circuit City, because I want a DVD/RW and a Digital Recorder. Otherwise, it's back to mom's. I think the stores in her area don't sell out as early because the majority of the shoppers in that area feel they'll get better stuff in the next bigger city. Works out well for us though!