MarkRaby

As a kid, I was always the most excited about Christmas, more so than my two siblings, and more so than my parents. Of course, back then, it was because of all the cool presents I was sure to be getting. I'm 19 now, and I still think of myself of being the most excited, but for different reasons. For the past 4 or 5 years, I've really turned from being the wanter to the giver. For example, last year, I believe at least 30% of the 120+ presents under our tree were from me. I got my mom a new computer monitor, a new TV, and more. Got my dad a fancy weather station (really wanted one). Got my sister and brother both a TON of DVDs. Just to name a few of the things I bought. Now I think my parents are as excited about getting presents as me when I was a kid, and they probably haven't been able to have that excitement since when they themselves were kids. So, you parents with old teens and twenty-somethings, when (if ever) has this metamorphasis happened with your kids? -Mark-

I'm only 19, but I've never insulted, yelled at, or even raised my voice to any cashier, manager, etc. I've encountered my fair share of problems, but I always try to resolve it with sophistication and maturity. And when a cashier tells me I can't use a coupon on something, or a restriction applies to something I didn't know about, and it sounds reasonable to me, I'll just say "oh, okay" and comply with it. I always say "thanks a lot" after a cashier gives me my receipt. And I know I'm not the only one like this. I know you have dealt with many, many nice customers like me. But do you remember us? No. You remember that one customer who was having a bad day and took it out on you. How terrible that you let such a very small part of your average workday ruin your life. I agree; this thread needs to be locked. I'm all of the sudden very depressed. -Mark-

If you're going to get a lightsaber, this is the one to get! -Mark-

Every year during Black Friday, I eventually think back to a couple years ago when I was at Best Buy, in their 2-hour-long line, and I noticed a couple about 10 spots ahead of me in the line who had nothing but a Gamecube. The Gamecube was not on sale. I overheard them talking to each other and the guy said it was a good deal because of a bonus disc that was included (which was actually included with all GCs, regardless of where you bought it). The kicker is that the Wal-Mart right next door was selling Gamecubes for something like $10 off. I really felt bad for them. -Mark-

There are 3 big malls within 20 minutes of my house, so I can't even begin to relate with you, but one thing I can say is that I love staying at hotels. I'd imagine it would just be a really cool experience and heighten the "holiday" feeling of BF. And if you've got a free night, it just might be worth it. Although, you will have to essentially pay for that night whenever you go on a "real" trip and can't use that free night anymore. -Mark-

During vacations and holidays, I usually stay up until 1 AM or so, so I'd be content to get my full sleep and not open presents until 10 or 11. But my younger sister, who goes to sleep much earlier, always insists that we open gifts at about 5 AM, so I either usually get very little sleep or no sleep at all. How about you? -Mark-

Never heard of Goody's before... just checked their website and it appears the closest one is 27.7 miles away from me. Are they a good store? i.e. good prices, selection, etc. There aren't really any clothing stores around here that I like that much. -Mark-

I usually end up hitting a store or two that is on my way between two bigger stores, that does not have any kind of special BF sale. Sometimes, it's a small specialty store in the mall. Sometimes it's the dollar store next to Target. One year, I even stopped in Dave & Buster's and used several thousand tickets to buy some Christmas gifts (we almost never go to the area where the D&B is anymore, so I just had to stop while we were there and use all the tickets I never had a chance to use before). -Mark-

It's tough for me to not consider going for it. The Sears here is right next door to the JC Penney, and I always go for their free snowglobes. So I can wait outside Sears fairly early and get the free $10 GC and the JCP snowglobe, or I can wait outside another store that has a really great deal on something I want, but definitely miss out on the GC and possibly on the snowglobe. I guess I just have to wait and see what all the stores are offering. Although, I do have a very sour taste in my mouth about the way Sears did the giveaway last year, leaving me waiting outside for over an hour and not getting a GC because of people who showed up 20 seconds before the doors opened and all got one. -Mark-

Sure we all have a Black Friday horror story or two. But the world does have some good people in it. For every 10 line skippers and cart thieves, there must be at least 1 person who does something kind to their fellow Black Friday shoppers. Here's one of my good experiences: 2004: I was in Best Buy's incredibly long line. I obviously had no cart (it's impossible to get one if you don't wait outside at 3 AM), and I had a 17" CRT monitor that I had to push around the floor as the line continued. After a little while, the guy in front of me (who actually had a cart) offered to let me put all of my items in his cart. He was a really nice guy, and I really appreciated not having to lug around all that stuff through a store-encompassing line. -Mark-

I've got like 3 Kohl's within a 15 minute drive, but never visit them. But I see some interesting early bird specials there that I just might have to check out. -Mark-

For the past 2 years, Best Buy has offered a free holiday CD to Reward Zone members on the day after Black Friday (i.e. "Black Saturday"). If you're collecting these, or if you're a Reward Zone member and want a free CD, note that they've changed it this year. This year, they'll be giving them away on Sunday (11/6). Details: http://www.myrewardzone.com/informationnew.jspx?offerCode=1424 If you're not a Reward Zone member, it costs $10 to join. If you live in certain parts of Ohio, it's free to join. Happy holidays! -Mark-

Right now? In the closet. -Mark-

I think that would be a really smart move by CompUSA. Although, I'd prefer it was Best Buy or something. CompUSA is away from the malls for me and is next to all the stores that I like to hit last on BF. So it'd be like making a big circle for me if we hit them right at midnight, and then I come back after going to Sears/Best Buy/Wal-Mart to hit the other stores near CompUSA. -Mark-

I got one in the paper, so obviously did not get the joy card. I thought I was on their mailing list (have received coupons in the mail from them in the past)... -Mark-

I've been a member of Reward Zone for about 2 years, so I know all about it. -Mark-

Then you're not hanging around the right kind of people -Mark-

. Actually, in order to win a bet in 7th grade (my friends and I had a pool to see who could memorize the most digits of Pi -- yeah, I was in the popular crowd in middle school), I memorized about 75 digits. I can now only recite about 60, but it still makes a fun conversation starter. -Mark-

Ross, you may be geekier than me on every other aspect of life, but when it comes to cell phones, you've got nothin' on me . That, and the fact that I probably have more digits of Pi memorized than you do -Mark-

Ross, you need to learn that phones are no longer just communication devices . On my phone, I've got an MP3 player, a video player, a ton of different applications (like a news/RSS feed receiver and a shopping list program), a bunch of games, and of course all those ringtones. It's funny how little I actually use my phone for making/taking calls in comparison to all the other things I use it for. -Mark-

Well, last year, with the McDonald's Monopoly game, I won about 40 free ringtones, and I won about 20-something this year. So my cell phone is kind of like a MIDI jukebox now . I always have something at the ready when I want to change my ringtones. -Mark-

LOL. Good point . Last year, I got my parents a new landline phone (old one was an extremely basic $15 buy from a previous BF), that had a bunch of cool ringtones installed on it, and no matter how much I tried to convince them otherwise, they just went with "Ring #1", the traditional, boring, so 20th century ringer. I can't be the only person who is such a ringtone fanatic. -Mark-

Aw, come on. You are just like my dad --- you old people just don't get in to the customizable ringtone craze. -Mark-

I've got about 6 or 7 different Christmas ringtones on my cell phone. I always change all of my ringtones (i.e. different tones for different people calling me) around Thanksgiving or so to stuff like Jingle Bell Rock and Winter Wonderland. That way every time I get a call, I'm put back into (or kept in) the Christmas spirit! -Mark-

And by the way, if you live in Ohio, just wait until November 1. Reward Zone will be free to join starting then. -Mark-