Mursilis

Yes it is. As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate the value of my time much more.

My max is 30 minutes. I don't like lines and I don't like standing around in the cold. There's nothing I want or need to wait more than 30 minutes.

Retailers aren't in the business to give you good deals - they're in the business to make money. Back when I first started hitting the BF sales (mid-1990's), they had to offer great deals to draw the crowds early on a cold morning the day after thanksgiving. Now, people camp out for mediocre deals, so where's the incentive to give bigger discounts? Of course the deals have gotten worse - retailers don't need to offer great deals anymore, because people will show up anyways.

I still miss Black FRIDAY, back when it was on FRIDAY! Personally, I won't go to the stores that open on Thanksgiving. It's probably a pointless boycott, but I'm still not going out on Thanksgiving.

Not a soul outside my local Best Buy at 5PM, as expected.

The only true human needs are food, shelter, and clothing. Black Friday is all about WANTS, not NEEDS. An HDTV is never a need, no matter what anyone thinks.

The deals definitely aren't what they were 20 years ago, when I first starting hitting the sales. Back then, the stores really had to work to get people to show up at 6AM on the day after Thanksgiving, so the discounts were much bigger. The prices really were prices you'd only see once per year. These days, with people willing to camp out to save $100, if that, it's just not worth it. The stores have seen that most people really don't follow prices and just fall for the hype that these discounts are amazing, so they don't have to offer much to get uninformed consumers to camp out for weak deals.

Samsung 60" 4K LED TV $799.99 To be continued . . .

I simply don't go anymore to the stores that draw the crowds and the campers. Stores like Best Buy, Target, Wal-mart, etc. are off my list these days, unless I can get it online. Otherwise, I just go to the secondary stores, where the crowds are manageable and there's plenty of stock of the things I want. The crowds and lines just aren't worth it at the big stores anymore.

1. About 20 years 2. Probably spending about the same. 3. Definitely plan on shopping online. 4. About 8 people. 5. Smaller crowds, better deals. It's not nearly as good as it was.

Thanks Brad!!

I've never waited in line more than an hour for anything. I've just never seen a deal that's worth waiting any longer than that. My time is just too valuable to me.

I find no "thrill" in dealing with huge unruly crowds, long waits in line, standing in the cold, etc. I'm happy to order online and not leave the house. Last year I still went out, but it was only to the 'lesser' stores, like Home Depot, which had a great deal on a pre-lit Christmas tree. We got there ~30 minutes before opening, were first in line, and got served coffee and donuts by the store manager. More people showed up later, but it was still a very small crowd, and no one went crazy when the door opened. It was a great experience. I haven't done Best Buy, Walmart, or the other local stores which attract the mobs for years, and I don't really miss it either.

If it really matters to you whether Black Friday falls on a payday, you probably have bigger issues.

This is why the BF deals have declined over the years - the rubes will line up anyway, so why should the stores cut prices drastically when they can get the suckers with very little discounting. It reminds me of when my local Circuit City liquidated. They brought in a liquidation company which changed all the price stickers to reflect higher prices, and then gave 10% off that. They actually had a line out the door and around the building full of people who fell for the "liquidation" deals which were actually higher than the regular prices had been the week before!