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Black Friday 2012 - Visiting from the UK - Help needed

JimmyT85

By JimmyT85
in 2012

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JimmyT85

JimmyT85

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Hello all,

 

I've got a few questions regarding Black Friday sales.

 

Me & my other half are visiting Orlando from the UK, and we're there over the Thanksgiving period. We've been a couple of times before over Thanksgiving, and have loved the experience. We've been shopping during "midnight madness" a couple of times at the Outlets in Florida, but we've never bought anything from one of the bigger supermarkets. This year we're looking on buying a new laptop, as they're much cheaper in the US than the UK.

 

So what I was wondering was, how do Black Friday sales actually work for the big supermarkets? Do you have to get in line incredibly early? Is there some sort of ticketing system? Are the chances slim we'll get a laptop on a good deal?

 

By the looks of last years ads, it looks possible we'd like to go to Walmart or Best Buy, as they looked to have good laptop deals.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks so much

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Marcster

Marcster

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Jimmy -- welcome to the forum!

 

I'm thinking there might be a tiny lingo issue between UK English and USA English. But we refer to supermarkets as large stores they sell groceries (milk, eggs, produce, etc.)

 

"Big box stores" are the places such as Walmart, Best Buy, HH Gregg, and the like. Yes, those places use a ticketing system. Yes, you certainly have to get in line incredibly early. Best Buy is the most heavily trafficked on Black Friday it seems and people will start camping out in line on Tuesday or Wednesday for the best deals. Other places that sell laptops, such as Staples, OfficeMax and Office Depot won't require overnight camping stays; maybe just arriving an hour or two in advance of the opening, but it'll depend on the geographical market (I think the more obscure physical locations are less busy).

 

Be sure to check out our forum, we'll get you up to speed.

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JimmyT85

JimmyT85

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Jimmy -- welcome to the forum!

 

I'm thinking there might be a tiny lingo issue between UK English and USA English. But we refer to supermarkets as large stores they sell groceries (milk, eggs, produce, etc.)

 

"Big box stores" are the places such as Walmart, Best Buy, HH Gregg, and the like. Yes, those places use a ticketing system. Yes, you certainly have to get in line incredibly early. Best Buy is the most heavily trafficked on Black Friday it seems and people will start camping out in line on Tuesday or Wednesday for the best deals. Other places that sell laptops, such as Staples, OfficeMax and Office Depot won't require overnight camping stays; maybe just arriving an hour or two in advance of the opening, but it'll depend on the geographical market (I think the more obscure physical locations are less busy).

 

Be sure to check out our forum, we'll get you up to speed.

Hi Marcster,

 

Thanks for the welcome.

 

It seems there is a lingo issue, my apologies! Our version of Walmart (called ASDA) is called a Supermarket as it sells food, but also basically everything else (clothes, electronics etc etc). Again, apologies.

 

Thanks a lot for your reply, much appreciated.

 

I guess our best bet might be to look at places like Staples, OfficeMax etc, because I'm not sure I could justify spending a couple of days holiday in a queue, in the hope I may get a cheap laptop. A couple hours is fine, but days might be stretching it a bit.

 

thanks again

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tinkrbel

tinkrbel

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When DS went to Manchester University a few years go he and his g/f LOVED Asda and Aldis too:yup:

 

He is actually planning on going for his MBA at Kings College in London in September 2013...he loves the UK!

I agree. I worked as ASDA during my time at uni and was so excited when Aldi opened locally a few months ago. They make it affordable to get veggies and they're always so delicious, their refrigerated pizzas aren't bad either and much cheaper than takeout anywhere here.

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2chia

2chia

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Welcome to our forum ! Just give a yell and one of us here would help. We love nothing then helping someone else SAVING money and beat the crowd at Black Friday ( day after Thankgiving) and like Laddhorn say , stay here for the comparsion charts.
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JimmyT85

JimmyT85

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Stay with the site. We will have a comparison list for the laptops so you can pick the best one for your situation.

Wow, that's awesome, thanks for the heads up :)

 

Unless ASDA has changed much in the last 5-6 years, be advised Walmart is very little like ASDA. I suggest you watch some BF mayhem videos to prepare. I'm sure we'll start reminiscing on our favorites in no time.

ASDA has changed a lot, for the better :) I didn't mean to make a direct comparison with Walmart (Walmart rules), I just meant with regards to the type of store it is.

 

I agree. I worked as ASDA during my time at uni and was so excited when Aldi opened locally a few months ago. They make it affordable to get veggies and they're always so delicious, their refrigerated pizzas aren't bad either and much cheaper than takeout anywhere here.

You guys have Aldi over the US also?! That's awesome. I love Aldi!

 

 

Welcome to our forum ! Just give a yell and one of us here would help. We love nothing then helping someone else SAVING money and beat the crowd at Black Friday ( day after Thankgiving) and like Laddhorn say , stay here for the comparsion charts.

Thanks a lot :) I'm getting really excited. I'm really glad I found this forum, it looks like it could come in very handy ;)

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jade2002

jade2002

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Hello all,

 

I've got a few questions regarding Black Friday sales.

 

Me & my other half are visiting Orlando from the UK, and we're there over the Thanksgiving period. We've been a couple of times before over Thanksgiving, and have loved the experience. We've been shopping during "midnight madness" a couple of times at the Outlets in Florida, but we've never bought anything from one of the bigger supermarkets. This year we're looking on buying a new laptop, as they're much cheaper in the US than the UK.

 

So what I was wondering was, how do Black Friday sales actually work for the big supermarkets? Do you have to get in line incredibly early? Is there some sort of ticketing system? Are the chances slim we'll get a laptop on a good deal?

 

By the looks of last years ads, it looks possible we'd like to go to Walmart or Best Buy, as they looked to have good laptop deals.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks so much

You should be able to get one of the $199 (this is what the cheap ones usually go for) laptops at Walmart if your there in line around 9 or 10 Thursday night.

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mcwalker

mcwalker

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Thanks again all for the help :)

 

I have just noticed that Office Depot and Office Max both open at 6am.

 

Is there anyone here from Orlando who could have a rough idea of what time I would need to queue in order to get a good laptop deal?

 

Cheers

I can't directly answer your question (and it is always a guess as it varies by year, location, and particular store. But I will point out that, while I have gotten many of the great deals, including electronics, by getting in line just a couple of hours before opening, I think that the cheapest laptops are often the single most difficult item to snag on BF, requiring you to be one of the earliest in line, whenever the line starts. I have never directly sought out a laptop on BF, but sometimes asked if any were left, and they never were when I got in the store.

 

Be sure to study the features of any laptop you are interested in--you may be better off buying something not on BF special, and also try on Thanksgiving Day to see whether you can order it online at the BF price.

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extreme peak

extreme peak

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You need to use the spreadsheets the site makes up to do your investigation into which laptop you want to try and purchase. Can you have a purchase shipped to your friends house before you leave. If you can, many of the black friday laptos can be ordered online, granted you have to stay up and purchase in a hurry, but I've scored them that way. So make sure you have all the information for shipping, payment, address, and be logged into the site, before it goes up live for purchasing. Most use ticketing systems, as its a way to track inventory and make sure every one that was there gets one. I think that last year on black friday at bestbuy items left unsold after 11 am are free to purchase bye anyone. Most of the time the cheapest laptops get sold first, so if you looking for a good laptop as opposed to just a cheap one, may be able to get one and show up a little later in time. Orlando is a big market so take that into account, as they'll have more of the items than smaller markets. Also look into the store putting limits on how many can be purchased bye one customer. Best advice is try talking to the staff at that store, you may be able to get them to tell you how many of said laptop they got in to sale. If your going for the absolutely cheapest laptop I'd suggest 6 hours early at walmart, bestbuy could be days. It all depends on what the prices of all the competitors laptop prices are, and who has the best laptop for the cheapest $$$. And Not only on who has it, but what other big offers they have in their Ad. Remember you don't have to be the first in line, just close enough to make sure you get one.
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JimmyT85

JimmyT85

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I can't directly answer your question (and it is always a guess as it varies by year, location, and particular store. But I will point out that, while I have gotten many of the great deals, including electronics, by getting in line just a couple of hours before opening, I think that the cheapest laptops are often the single most difficult item to snag on BF, requiring you to be one of the earliest in line, whenever the line starts. I have never directly sought out a laptop on BF, but sometimes asked if any were left, and they never were when I got in the store.

 

Be sure to study the features of any laptop you are interested in--you may be better off buying something not on BF special, and also try on Thanksgiving Day to see whether you can order it online at the BF price.

Thank you for the help :)

Hopefully I'll be able to get a better general idea once the ads start filtering through.

 

You need to use the spreadsheets the site makes up to do your investigation into which laptop you want to try and purchase. Can you have a purchase shipped to your friends house before you leave. If you can, many of the black friday laptos can be ordered online, granted you have to stay up and purchase in a hurry, but I've scored them that way. So make sure you have all the information for shipping, payment, address, and be logged into the site, before it goes up live for purchasing. Most use ticketing systems, as its a way to track inventory and make sure every one that was there gets one. I think that last year on black friday at bestbuy items left unsold after 11 am are free to purchase bye anyone. Most of the time the cheapest laptops get sold first, so if you looking for a good laptop as opposed to just a cheap one, may be able to get one and show up a little later in time. Orlando is a big market so take that into account, as they'll have more of the items than smaller markets. Also look into the store putting limits on how many can be purchased bye one customer. Best advice is try talking to the staff at that store, you may be able to get them to tell you how many of said laptop they got in to sale. If your going for the absolutely cheapest laptop I'd suggest 6 hours early at walmart, bestbuy could be days. It all depends on what the prices of all the competitors laptop prices are, and who has the best laptop for the cheapest $$$. And Not only on who has it, but what other big offers they have in their Ad. Remember you don't have to be the first in line, just close enough to make sure you get one.

Thank you for the heads up regarding the spreadsheets, I didn't know such a thing were getting made. That will help me massively! I don't have any friends in the US I'm afraid (boo hoo), so couldn't get anything shipped anywhere. I could get something shipped to the hotel I guess, but I'd be scared incase it didn't arrive in time for me leaving. With regards to what I'm looking for, I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest, just the one I think is a good deal. There is a maximum I want to spend, and a minimum spec set I'd want to have aswell. When we arrive in Orlando, I was going to visit Office Max/Office Depot and hopefully speak with a member of staff and try and pick their brains to see how their system works, what they have in stock, how many people they expect etc etc, and hopefully get some info that way.

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laddhorn

laddhorn

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You may want to consider Circuit City. There is one in Orlando. They usually have good deals all year round. Sometimes they are refurbished, though. They were closed down back in 2009, then bought up by TigerDirect. They have recently (starting 2010) reopening some of the stores. You may want to look into this. I am not sure how the stores are fairing on Black Friday now. They used to take alot of Best Buy's business and I expect better deals from them than Office Depot/Staples/Office Max.

 

Anyone out there visited a New Circuit City on Black Friday?

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JimmyT85

JimmyT85

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You may want to consider Circuit City. There is one in Orlando. They usually have good deals all year round. Sometimes they are refurbished, though. They were closed down back in 2009, then bought up by TigerDirect. They have recently (starting 2010) reopening some of the stores. You may want to look into this. I am not sure how the stores are fairing on Black Friday now. They used to take alot of Best Buy's business and I expect better deals from them than Office Depot/Staples/Office Max.

 

Anyone out there visited a New Circuit City on Black Friday?

Cheers for the info on Circuit City. I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled for their ad!

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JimmyT85

JimmyT85

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Sorry to ask another question

 

Is it worth visiting th e big box stores (like Best Buy and Walmart) during the day time on Black Friday? Can some good deals and bargains still be had? Or is basically everything gone by the day time, seeing as they're opening at Midnight?

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riven3d

riven3d

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Walmart everything will be gone within a few hours of the sale starting. Best Buy, it depends, some deals might still be there, but being in the Orlando one i doubt there will be anything decent left.

 

It really depends on what your looking for at them.

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tinkrbel

tinkrbel

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It really depends on what your looking for at them.

Very true, most of the good deals will be wiped out pretty quickly but if you have time it doesn't hurt to drop by without expecting much. I stayed up last year to try and purchase some sheet sets at Walmart online and stopped by a store straight after 1st stop at macy's and they were wiped clean but at a different store we were able to get some at later opening and even go back for more around 7pm BF night. BestBuy dvd/games/blank media is usually wiped clean but you may find a misplaced one if you care to look around.

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Scott

Scott

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Sorry to ask another question

 

Is it worth visiting th e big box stores (like Best Buy and Walmart) during the day time on Black Friday? Can some good deals and bargains still be had? Or is basically everything gone by the day time, seeing as they're opening at Midnight?

By UK standards, there will still be deals to have. In general, electronics items are significantly cheaper here.

 

Depending on what your budget is for the laptop, you may not have to wait in line as much... It is typically the absolute cheapest laptops that have a wait. Many others can be had throughout the day.

 

There is also the option of ordering something online and having it shipped to a stateside address if you are going to be there long enough. Many times, you can avoid additional taxes that way.

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bfshoppergirl

bfshoppergirl

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Hello I spent last BF in Orlando it is such a big area I'd say it depends on what area if Orlando I was in Winter Garden last year and the target was a zoo 3 hours before opening as was Best Buy I'm from Jax FL and always had no problem in target but I didn't even get oblast year
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