NewDoc

Just 100 miles? Closest one for me is several hours and over 1000 miles away. Consider yourself lucky.

For everyone complaining about how cold it is going to be, try -25 if I am lucky that day. In the past, it has been as warm as -10. That is in the interior of Alaska for BF.

If it is above zero here (Alaska) I will be surprised. Just depends on how good those deals are this year.

I go shopping alone most every black friday, unless I am visiting family. I have taken friends with me before, but they are usually not into it as much as I am so I would just hear complaining about wanting to go home or some other stuff. That is why I choose to go it alone. It works best for me. ND

I agree that you will need more RAM to go with the computer, but the protection plan on a $149 desktop? Save your money and use it on the memory or something more useful. Also, I would disregard the prior comment questioning why you should care about sales when you have $5000 per person to spend. Maybe it is because they care about an extra $100 here or there that allows them to save up the money over the year to spend later. You would be surprised at the number of well to do people who are cost conscious along the way, but then splurge on the holidays. ND

Don't forget Alaska, as the shipping is extra up here as well. ND

I'm not going to turn this into an argument either, just simply clarify things for you, since you appear to need it. How much is my time worth? When consulting it is at a rate of at least $200/hour, though I have worked with people for much less, depending on their circumstances. Supply and demand determines this for me. How much did I charge when I drove over 350 miles (each way) to pick up thumbdrives, hard drives, media cards, computer cases and dvds for people and then delivered the items to them where the people worked? The price listed on the register receipt. How much did I charge when I picked up dvd drives on clearance at Staples, which I found with no assistance from any website or anyone else, then brought them back to people 3000 miles away? The price listed on the register receipt. How much did I charge the person looking for a digital camera at the office supply store (which many people will be boycotting this BF) when that person was unsure about digital cameras as they were being pushed by the salesman to believe that the Kodak cameras were the absolute best buy at $250+? Nothing. I spent some time telling them about the $100 MIR on the Fuji3100 which they were able to buy for $50 AR when I could have used the camera myself. I even gave them a competitor's coupon to use to offset the taxes on the camera. I received an e-mail from the guy months later thanking me for all my help and he said how much they loved the camera, especially the fact that it cost them $50 AR, but most of all he appreciated the help I gave him in finding it in the first place since the salesman would never have pointed him in that direction. There are many more instances of this over the years. You are not the only one who does things for people without any other compensation. It doesn't matter to me if the person is a member here, at another website, or have never been online before in their life. It also doesn't matter if using the information that is freely available to make a profit off my fellow man just "doen't" sit right with you either, just don't make yourself out to be holier than thou when you know nothing about anyone other than words in a posting. If people want to spend their time waiting in line, buying up the sale items and then reselling them on ebay or through other channels that is their own personal choice. If someone winds up being #11 in line and there are only 10 sale items in the store, oh well. It has probably happened to all of us at some point in time and it can be disappointing, but life goes on though. If you really want the item, show up earlier to get your spot in line. As for knowing what an entrepreneur is, you just might be surprised at the number of people, including yours truly :), who do know what an entrepreneur is today. I have worked with and advised a number of them over the years. You, of course, obviously are so much more enlightened than anyone else could ever hope to be. ND

It will depend on what time they make the items available in the store. They may wait until the last minute to bring certain BF sale items out to the customers. It pretty much depends on the individual stores. I have seen some stores in the past bringing out the items early, while others wait until the "official" BF starting time for the sale. Good luck with your shopping. ND

I personally don't care what other people think. If you do then that is your own choice. The same way that people pay for a lawn service or a housekeeper, a person can pay someone for their time in line, a service that they are providing. Sure they could simply give the item to someone else for what it cost them, but that would be their choice not anyone else's. Why should it be viewed as screwing over a guy who waited nearly as long? Just like you said, first come, first served. I suppose that selling the item on ebay to someone who did not want to venture out on that day would be screwing over a guy too? Spirit of deal hunting? Give me a break. Entrepreneurship is alive and well and I salute the people who are creative in their ways of providing services to others. Bottom line: How much is your time worth? ND

So if someone camps out in front of the store, waiting for several hours to get items it is somehow wrong for them to offer this item to someone else in exchange for compensation? Is that person's time not worth anything? I would gladly pay someone to wait in line for me so that I could get the items that they did not want. ND

I am visiting Alaska right now. Was around -30 a few couple weeks ago. Actual temp, not windchill. It's a big difference between actual and windchill. The wind may die down or stop, but when it is cold, it just stays cold. Once you get used to these temps though, 20's and 30's are a heatwave where you can wear a t-shirt and shorts without any complaining about it being cold. If you want invigorating you will find it here. Coldest temp I have experienced has been -59. Ice fog at -40 is a trip too. It's pretty much like covering your eyes with your hand and trying to drive. If you can see the front of your vehicle, consider yourself lucky. I've also done the cup of hot water tossed in the air and watched it vaporize without hitting the ground. With food coloring you can pretty much create a rainbow effect. If you use bubbles (like kids use with the wand), try popping them, and at -30 they will turn into snowflakes. All sorts of things you can do when it gets *@%! cold. Enjoy the warm 20's, 30's, 40's and above wherever you are located. ND

Because north ga deserves it! I always enjoyed the snow and cold in the south when I was there. It was so amusing to watch those people attempt to drive on it. You would have to take pictures as your friends in the north would never believe you when you told them about the things that were going on. I'll trade you temps though. There is a forecasted high of 2, low of -2 with snow showers here. It is amusing to hear people boo hoo'ing about it being cold when it is less than 50. 50 would be a heatwave here and maybe around mid-April the temp will hit 50. ND

Thanks onion. I had e-mailed the zips to all who requested them. Let's stick it to OD any way that we can.

Don't forget the parkas and bunny boots for Alaska. ND

One time I saw a fat actress wolfing down the entire KFC buffet. She just parked herself up at the feeding trough and gorged herself. I asked if she had been shopping somewhere earlier in the day and she just growled at me, and everyone else, to stay away from the buffet or else we would lose a hand in the process. I think she did the halftime show at several football games, disguised as a blimp. Most of the famous people probably have their assistants out there fighting the crowds for the cheap items. I would hire someone to do it for me, but then I would miss out on all the fun myself. Definitely taking my digital camera with me this year to take pictures of the feeding frenzy at the stores. Like the time I yelled, "Hey, up there on the top shelf, it's more tickle me Elmos", then ran like hell in the other direction to avoid the stampede. You have to love the gullible though since they make things so darn amusing at times. Enjoy BF one and all. ND PS If anyone else would like to see the OD zips, just PM me with your e-mail address and I will send them out on Saturday.

I have the zip files from OD and can send them to others via PM. Let me know if you want them and I can e-mail them out to a group later tonight. ND

How about if we all give Jill a call and let her know what we think of her BS? Wouldn't it be nice to fill up her answering machine with all of our inquiries? ND

Actually, it shouldn't be $99 to ship, but it is. They make there money on these somewhere along the line and the shipping is the easiest place to sock it to people. ND

CSI all the way, though I'll have to tape it since I'll be on the road for the BF shopping. ND

For all of you "complaining" about how cold it is or might be and how it might snow, try shopping on black friday in Alaska. It's been -30 already in Fairbanks and Anchorage has been around 0. Probably about those temps on black friday. The diehard shoppers will be lining up at BB in the freezing temps, possibly enjoying the snow too. Anyone care to join me? ND

If you want to get some good deals on jeans, try the local salvation army, goodwill, or other thrift store. I have gotten many deals on jeans for $1 or $2 a pair. Most are in good condition, while others have some small nicks or tears in them. If they are going to get ruined the first time wearing them, check out the thrift stores for him. Just my opinion based on my own experience. ND

Wouldn't this (holding places for people while they left the line and then re-entered at their original place) be the same thing as line jumping at the amusement parks? Hey, I want to go _______ (fill in the blank with whatever activity you choose, get a drink, go to the bathroom, etc.) The parks have their policies posted, which I have actually seen enforced, but there is nothing stated at the stores. It all depends on the people around you in line. If they make a stink about you leaving and re-entering the line in front of them, then that is something you have to deal with. As for camping out for 5 hours, I'd like to see people try that up here in Alaska. Wind and rain? Mere child's play. Only the real diehards will attempt it at below zero temps for that length of time. How many shoppers will there be camping out all night at BB in Anchorage? ND

A friend of mine, Mr. DEPENDable, is always prepared when he ATTENDS these sales where he has to wait in line. He'll usually bring a 2 liter to enjoy. First he drinks it, then he "refills" it. Some people may not approve of his ways, but he never loses his place in line. He also wears pants that are a few sizes too large for him to have "extra room" if needed while waiting. It never hurts to bring along some noseplugs as well, since he is a hardcore shopper and refuses to leave the line for anything. And I do mean anything! ND

Some of the rebate companies even brag about how many rebates they deny (can you say TCA?) to save the companies even more money. Today it seems like the rebate company blames the store, the store blames the mfr. and we get left waiting for our money. Definitely make copies of everything and beware the double or triple rebates when there is only one upc available. That's where officemax tries to get sleazy. Staples' easy rebates are #1 in my book. ND

I would not go as far as the Lexus and Kia comparison, since Kia does not really have a comparable car to Lexus in terms of quality. However, I do agree that the Ipods are a name thing to many people today. Is the Ipod worth the extra price? I have friends who swear the Ipod is the greatest thing since sliced bread, while other friends just swear at their Ipods. Yes, you are paying for the Apple name, but is there added quality too or just the image factor? If you are getting the mp3 player for a child, look to see how they have taken care of other items they have already. If you know the kid tosses things around at the drop of a hat, maybe the nano with its scratch issues is not the best choice. Bottom line: Everyone will make their own choice and hopefully enjoy many hours of listening to their favorite tunes on whichever player they buy. ND