orangedaisy Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I went to Walmart first and it was a zoo. No order whatsoever and the only thing I wanted (the Gameboy Advance SP for 49.99) was long gone within the first hour. I left, totally disgusted. I met my sister at Target and it was a GREAT experience. Everyone was polite, courteous and the employees had everything completely under control. They deserve major kudos for how smoothly things were running. Items were flying off the shelves, however, they kept coming out with more and re-stocking the shelves. I got the GB Advance SP bundle pack which turned out to be a much better deal than what I wanted at Walmart anyway. I got 2 games that were on sale, and a few other hot toys with no problem whatsoever. I also hit KB Toys in the mall and it was crowded but it was orderly. They had a few good sales there. I will never do Walmart again. I heard there was a major rush through the doors when it opened (I got there shortly thereafter and didn't witness it). Target will be my first stop from now on.
Mara Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I'm glad you had a good experience. I would like them better if the would PM Mara
tapmba Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 The worst for me was Staples. Complete disorder.
pnlcooper Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Target here was also my most pleasant stop. I just had to go in for price adjustments, but I walked right up to the customer service desk,1 minute wait. People were all so polite, so readily available. I did cruise around after that for a few minutes and everyone was getting helped so quickly there was no reason for anyone to get frustrated.
orangedaisy Posted November 25, 2005 Author Posted November 25, 2005 Maybe the disorganized stores will catch on to Target's secret and improve for next year. I wonder if they are specifically trained to be so wonderful. LOL.
cyndim00 Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I agree, Target was calm and a pleasant place to shop. It was nice and quiet. They actually had police at the entrance telling people to get back in line. I overheard one cop tell a girl, "That's how trouble gets started, what makes you think you don't have to wait in line?" They had plenty of cashiers, not a bad wait. The only problem I had was that the gameboy games were locked up and the poor kid working that section didn't have a clue!
fairydustcrissy Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Target was my most pleasant stop as well. All I wanted was the 16.88 printer (son just broke mine) and some of the 3.88 kids games. Well, i didnt get to Target until ~10:00 or so, so I figured it would all be gone. Wrong! There were people with carts of merch constantly restocking. Everyone was so friendly. Even the shoppers in toys. I got my printer, candyland, and my little pony memory game. I spent 25.00. It was crowded, but everyone was great! Especially the employees!
CrisMase Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I have to agree i was in and out of Target within 15 minutes with what i wanted the employees were ready to help and constantly restocking things. On my way out I actuyally saw 2 empty registers and there was a good size line out side when I was driving by earlier.
ccbayly Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I went to get my price adjustments today too, and not only were they sitll restocking things, they were giving out rainchecks for things that were sold out. Not one time buy items, but most of the add items were eligable. Pretty cool.
Illinoismom Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Not at my target, After waiting 1 hout for it to open, they pressed though the doors, nearly crushing the door opener, and we had to run and I mean run to the elsectronics dept to get anything we wanted, Never again,.
UAL123 Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 My Target was CROWDED and lines for the registers were horrible.
tootsieroll23 Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I love my Target. This is the second year we have bought our BF items in advance and then went in on BF for the price ajustment. DH and I went in and were in and out in 1 minute or less. You couldn't pay me to shop in our Walmart on BF
blueyedgirl78 Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 The Target I went to was wonderful... The manager came and gave those of us who were in line some coffee to warm up with. I went right after WalMart, so I was there at 5:30 and there was only about 10 people there. The employees came out and said "Good Morning" to us. Asked everyone to remain calm and please respect the fact that quantities were limited. I usually go to Target after WalMart for that reason. They are very helpful, they replenish their stock, and the check-out lines were reasonable. The only thing that was a "must have" from there was the Gameboy Bundle. I was the 2nd to grab one too! Thanks Target for for keeping your cool on BF!
ramona1992 Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Our Target was a madhouse and everyone was rude! It was just crazy. Also, I'm unsure about whether they sold out of their gameboys or if they just didn't get them - the woman I talked to made it sound like they never had them.
paynema Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 We hit Target at about 5:50, they only had one entrance open, the one by electronics and made everyone go in, those walking up to the store had to wait until the people in line were all in before going in - they had security out there explaining the entire process to everyone, told everyone where to find the different things - compared to what I'm reading about Wal-mart, I would say my Target did an excellent job. They made it clear there would be no running, no fighting, pushing, etc - or people would be escorted out of the store. I wasn't wanting it - but the security person announced that the X-box was all sold-out, which I thought was good to tell us outside rather than inside. I think Target did a great job - at least mine did. How they handled it makes me want to make it a priority to go there again next year...
bbnbama Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Target was also nice here in North Alabama. They were constantly re-stocking the shelves and were really very nice even when their lines were extremely long. My "gripe" store for today was Old Navy. I didn't really have anything in particular I was looking for in there but just went in to see if I might find some bargains. I found boys Old Navy logo long sleeve shirts for $10 and long sleeve polo shirts for $10 so I thought I would pick up some for my 12 year old son. They had 2 lines waiting that reached the back of the store. I stood in line for 35 minutes and maybe moved 10 steps forward. I ended up leaving my stuff there because I would have been waiting 2 hours for 4 shirts! The employees didn't even seem to care either! No thumbs up for Old Navy today!
JazzMama Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 the employees were ready to help and constantly restocking thingsThis was very evident in our store too. I saw so many employees going over the sales paper with customers and then radioing to the department to find out if there were any left. The lines moved pretty quickly too!
cotejb Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I agree...I got to Target around 10:00 a.m. and there was a lot of people but it wasn't chaos. I winded up spending $194.00
timber Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 bbnbama ... i agree with you i was in line at old navy for over three hours with the 10.00 deals and after about 3 and a half hours they did come through with some breakfast bars for the long lines. I too am in N. alabama so we were possibaly at the same store. As for the target here I was in and out in about 15 minutes and that even includes me babysitting a friends shopping cart so she could get to the video games and get what she wanted. SO KUDDOS to Target in N. Alabama for a job well done. GOt everything I wanted there!!! Love my Target!
eleventhletter Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I'd have to say I've never had a bad experience at Target on Black Friday. This year was no different. I was going in just for price adjustments but decided to check out that 15" LCD after a last minute decision and not able to find it at 2 different retailers and they had stacks of them. All the employees were helpfull and even the customers were pleasant. Target needs to give lessons they were great !!!
snakeswiff Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Amen! I had a great experience at Target today! Even the people shopping were polite....as was the "staff" ,very helpful too. This is the 3rd year I have done bf at Target and it most certainly will not be the last!
pnlcooper Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 I just took the time to submit a comment on the target website, I think all of you that also had great experiences should as well, to let them know it was worth the effort they made. Here is what I sent. "I just wanted to let you all know that my experience today on the busiest of all shopping days was outstanding. The deals offered on Black Friday must normally be weighed with the hassle and chaos that will be required to obtain them, My Target changed that for me this year. I walked into a calm environment, that was well staffed and supplies constantly being replenished. Your staff performed well above the call of duty, making sure everyone was finding what they were looking for and if not available escorting guest to a similar item for them to consider. My Target store today made this holiday shopping something I can look forward to now. I can tell you this, come next year I will definitely be shopping the Target ad first. Thanks for allowing me to convey my experience, you have exceeded my expectation and created a customer loyalty today. I will look forward to shopping frequently at my local Target. Elizabeth Cooper"
medicineman Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Here is the link to contact Target: http://www.target.com/exec/obidos/handle-generic-form/ref=ref-tag/602-2894819-9933437?action=next%2dpage&target=help%2fself%2dservice%2demail%2dform%2ehtml&display=tsq&browse=1041342&method=GET
orangedaisy Posted November 25, 2005 Author Posted November 25, 2005 pnlcooper - great idea - I am on my way to the website now to give my input. BTW - the Target I went to was in Springfield, PA.
JennyWLS Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Target here was GREAT too (Harper Woods, MI). I didn't go in expecting to buy the DVD player for the car, but after talking to other people in line, I ended up getting it. The screen is bigger and it's a nice looking machine instead of some chintzy off brand. There was a rumor that they only had 25 of them, but I saw carts and carts of them being pushed to electronics from the back. I went to the toy section to get a few games for my son, and there were employees in almost every aisle helping people locate stuff and also get things from the overhead areas. The DVDs were nice and organized so you could find the sale ones quick and know you were grabbing the sale ones. All told, I walked in and out of there in 15 minutes flat.
mhystycmom Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 Target was my last stop on the way home, and I still got everything on my list from there. It was very calm, and to my surprise, they still had LOTR for $5.88. :)
Guest general41391 Posted November 25, 2005 Posted November 25, 2005 If anyone needs a GBA SP, you can buy mine off of eBay!!! It comes with two games, a case, and a ton of other extra accessories.
jamieva Posted November 26, 2005 Posted November 26, 2005 Target was probably the best experience because they did not do any doorbusters this year. Doorbusters usually equal pandemonium.
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