What are your Black Friday traditions?

[Brad]

Do you shop with the same people every year? Go to the same restaurant year after year?

 

I update the site until around 10am Friday and then go to sleep. Great tradition...

[theboyzmom]

My tradition USED to be:

 

After hosting Thanksgiving dinner, guests are gone, and clean up is done I would sit down to pool over the ads and talk to my sister-in-law on the phone. Of course I already knew where the best deals were and where I wanted to start thanks to GottaDeal, but it was part of the tradition. Then we would go to bed for a couple of hours, get up, I would pack the ads (stapled so pages didn't get lost) with my 'wish list' for each store attached to each one, pack chocolate and Diet Cherry Pepsi, then my sil would pick me up (her car had the bigger trunk) and we would go to our first store (typically Walmart). We would split up and grab all the door busters we could; a minimum of 2 of each kind, then meet up in a spot in the store to decide what items we wanted. We would often invite a few friends, but nobody could keep up with us and we would go and go and go all day long. Usually lunch was in the mall food court (Chinese food!).

[lcplwinkerswife]

i always go with the same group of friends... we normally go to ihop for breakfast and get starbucks somewhere in there last year we stopped at mcdonalds and they werent serving breakfast yet which drove my crazy but oh well.... we always start at walmart and end either at lowes/kmart/or big lots we have a great time   

[Kanyon71]

We normally make our final checklist on what we WANT (we end up with things that catch our eye also) on Thanksgiving evening with the actual ad's in hand, we get to bed for a couple hours. Wake up around 1-2 AM then head out to our first store. Usually BestBuy, we shop until about 8AM or so then head to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and recharge, while eating we usually plan our next stops. We will shop until we have all we want or in the case where we have large items till we need to drop at home, if we need to drop our stuff off we will then head back out and  hit the remaining stores (Usually places like JoAnns, Home Depot and so forth. Once we are mostly done we will head home eat leftovers and sort through our haul. We usually crash for a couple of hours then head to WalMart and Target again to see whats leftover. Then back home for a night of bumming around and Christmas movies before a Saturday of house decorating.

[ogadoga]

We start with thanksgiving dinner.  While there talk with everyone to see who is going to what stores.  Then with the new times we usually head out from there.  Starting at Walmart then moving on to other stores on the list.  About 2 AM head home and sleep for a few hours.  Next morning head over to parents house pick up our kids and go out to eat.  We will go out later that day sometimes to see what is left at Walmart and pricematch a few things.  Then back to my parents house to make Almond Roca and watch Christmas movies.

[missjuglia]

Every year we head down to grandma's for Thanksgiving.  We always stop at a gas station along the way and grab a paper.  After we eat a HUGE meal, we lay on the floor and look at the ads for the year to make some final decisions about what we definitely want to grab, what we won't be too bummed about if we miss out, and what we'll pass on.  Then we hand out assignments.  Usually the layout is the same every year at Wal-Mart so it's pretty easy to plan who will grab what.  

 

After we spend some time watching football and planning, we head home and bundle up.  Then we head out to Wal-Mart.  We divide and conquer, check out, then head back to the car.  Last year we had a few hours to kill before we went to JCP but since they'll be starting about the same time as WM this year, we'll head there next.  We'll also hit up any other stores in town that may spark our interest but usually WM and JCP are it for down here.

 

After we finish up our shopping, we head home and crash for a few hours.  Once we wake up, we make a big breakfast and do a little online shopping.  We may head up to the mall this year to see what we can find, but that all depends on how much we spend down here.

[momof3luvs1]

I cook "dinner" and around noonish family comes over , we hang out , have a drink or two, some appetizers and just continue cooking. dinner is usually around 3pm. By the time we have dinner and I clean up it is usually around 5ish. Then we have dessert and coffee. I try to be all cleaned up around 6-7ish. We used to catch a few hour nap until 11pm. Then we would hit midnight madness at the outlets, go to kmart when they still opened at a "normal" time and then drive to have breakfast somewhere yummy! We would then drive to the mall and hit all of those stores and toys r us. Then get back home with about a million bags and pass out for a few hours. Wake up to tons of yummy leftovers and some more family time.

My husband always braved the crazy stores for me ( like target and walmart) if there was something in there I really needed but now with online shopping and crazy opening times I dont really make him go out anymore. 

 

The only exception was last year since my bf best friend buddy was in Canada visiting his sister. So last year I just slept in until 4am and hit the mall at 5am since I didnt want to be out in the dark alone. Still got almost everything on my list =)

 

So this year we are sticking to our regular traditions and I feel confident we will still get everything we need without sacrificing any family time =)

[Jen08]

Stay at inlaws most of the day and then eat lunch around 2pm. Afterwards we look over the ads and everyone makes a list of things they want to buy each other. Afterwards I head to my parents and stay awhile. Once we leave there I normally go home and go to bed but the last 2 years I've went to walmart for a couple of items and then back home to get a few hours of sleep. Not sure if I'll have to go to walmart this year. Maybe not which will mean a couple more hours of sleep. I'll get up around 2am and leave the house by 2:30 to start my shopping. Im usually back home around 2pm Friday and exhausted!! I have to sound the rest of the day relaxing.

[Iliveforblckfri]

Thanksgiving morning

9:00 Start Turkey, make sure all cold items are finished

10:00 Prep items that need to be cooked, but do not start cooking.

11:00 Family breakfast at Denny's  We will have at least two papers as we have learned, that I may already have the information -- But I don't share well.

3:00 eat dinner, others clean up.

5:00-3:00 am People are allowed to go wherever they want.  Younger family members will hit the earlier stores.  We all buy for each other.

3:00 Breakfast at Denny's

4:00 Hit the stores.  Do not whine about being hungry if you are with me.  I have offered to feed you earlier.

 

This is the day that I become the most militant, but my family is very loving and allow me to do it.

[jgm8]

We normally make our final checklist on what we WANT (we end up with things that catch our eye also) on Thanksgiving evening with the actual ad's in hand, we get to bed for a couple hours. Wake up around 1-2 AM then head out to our first store. Usually BestBuy, we shop until about 8AM or so then head to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and recharge, while eating we usually plan our next stops. We will shop until we have all we want or in the case where we have large items till we need to drop at home, if we need to drop our stuff off we will then head back out and  hit the remaining stores (Usually places like JoAnns, Home Depot and so forth. Once we are mostly done we will head home eat leftovers and sort through our haul. We usually crash for a couple of hours then head to WalMart and Target again to see whats leftover. Then back home for a night of bumming around and Christmas movies before a Saturday of house decorating.

 

I started having people meet me every few stores, depending on how large the purchases were, to unload.

 

If it was something for my immediate family, or a gift we were giving, DH would transfers the items to his vehicle. My aunts would load their vehicles, as I did lots of the shopping for them. DH would be great and deliver Starbucks and a bagel.

[Iliveforblckfri]

I started having people meet me every few stores, depending on how large the purchases were, to unload.

 

If it was something for my immediate family, or a gift we were giving, DH would transfers the items to his vehicle. My aunts would load their vehicles, as I did lots of the shopping for them. DH would be great and deliver Starbucks and a bagel.

 

This sounds like a hubby that everyone needs.

[tmcws]

I used to sit down with my family and enjoy a nice Thanksgiving meal, take a nap, and hit the stores around 2 am.  The last couple of years, I've eaten one of those weird turkey lavash rollup things from the deli instead.  

[ilikefree]

After dinner, my sister and I sit down with the ads and make a list of what we hope to get. Before the stores started opening on Thanksgiving night, we would sleep for a while, then get up at maybe 2:00 and head out to get in line. Now, depending on what is on sale during the early sales, we might go out in hopes of getting something during those sales. For lunch, we always stop at Arbys.

[mgreen]

Back in the day, it was quite simple:

We would review the ads on gottadeal.com days before, have our lists ready. Get a paper on Thanksgiving, mark our lists on the actual ads. Call my sis on the phone to hash out final strategy. We would get up at o'dark thirty and have breakfast at Denny's. Discuss items we are looking for, etc. Then we would get our hot chocolate to go and head out to wait in line for about 3-4 hours at Walmart. Freeze our butts off until opening time, which used to be about 5am. Most of our shopping was at Walmart. Then we would head out to the other stores on our list. Stop for lunch somewhere in between. We would be finished about 5 - 6pm. A mere 12 hours out shopping.

 

Nowadays it is not so simple:

We still review our ads on gottadeal.com days before, get a paper on Thanksgiving, mark our lists, etc. But now we have to leave the house early in the afternoon on Thursday. Still head to Walmart first. No line, no freezing our butts off, now we have a super Walmart. We have to walk around the store and find a good vantage point and make alliances with strangers to get the items we want. We wait for the sale "start". There is a 10 second spurt of madness, then it's pretty much over. The lines are ridiculous, so we walk around looking for hidden treasures (carts full of sale items that people couldn't afford, or didn't want to wait in line to pay for). We usually get everything we are looking for this way. By then the line has died down. We check out and do our price matching. Then off to a few more stores. We finally get breakfast about 3am, then continue shopping. Hit a few more stores and do lunch. Last year I didn't get home until about 6pm. A mere 24 hours or more out shopping!

 

Boy, I miss the good old days!

[tyreejames]

Since I'm by myself for the most part on Black Friday, my routine is whatever I want to do usually I'll have my list narrowed down by Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. I cook for my family so I get up early but try to take a nap at some point (before I would just nap around 8-9 and then head out...). As the day goes on I check and recheck my list;I'm shopping online the entire day so my list can shorten by a great deal. Once it's finalized, I head out and I am usually home by 8am. At that point, I crash.

[firegirl719]

After spending months on this site, my planning is almost done by the time BF rolls around.  I casually peruse the ads as the Turkey bakes, make my final plans, clean up after dinner, have a few tasty adult libations and off to bed by 9ish.  I wake up, shower, put on my "face", BF outfit (yes, I have an outfit specifically for this day), and head out to Mickey D's at 4:30AM.  Once I pick up my "not so good for me" breakfast of champs, I roll on over to the Starbucks for my annual egg nog latte, and then scurry over to the stores for some good ol' Black Friday fun having.   I can't even believe it's 28 days away!  YIKES!

[nini]

After a full day of Thanksgiving meals, it's off to bed for a few hours. In the early morning, Mom & I head to a neighboring town for shopping. Big box stores, like Target, come first. Then it's off to the mall followed by a fuel stop at Starbucks when day breaks. We round out the morning with craft stores & a few places that don't offer BF deals (like Dollar Tree for stocking stuffers). And finally, lunch at a favorite restaurant & then we head back home.

[LCPanther1975]

Thanksgiving Morning we are usually at Kmart to pick up at least 1 or 2 gotta have items. and the cVS,walgreens, rite aid.

Then home to cook, over to Nanny's for 12 noon lunch, after eating and cleaning, all family members (16) will mull over the ads and make lists of gotta haves, maybes, and get if I can, but no biggie if I don't get it lists.

then we plan who is gonna stand where, we always hit WALMART first about 630pm and then got to where ever we have decided, but wm usually has us for the night becuase of the staggered times. we always hit SAMS, Old Navy, JCP, Kmart. then back home to sleep then back to nannys for leftovers!

[deanabrown]

It's really a Black Friday week for me. First I wear my old gotta deal shirts from previous years throughout the week. I break in my new shirt on Black Friday itself. On Thursday I go to Walgreens to get the buy one get 2 free wrapping paper and usually some other odds n ends that are on sale. I do most of my shopping online during the week and since the start times are getting earlier, I usually hit specific stores about 7 a.m. On Black Friday when it's less crowded.

[sleepster69]

We too have had to change our traditions to match these new times. We live in DFW area and like big Jim, we started off at ihop on bf morning and would "camp out" at about 3am at best buy and be in the first 5 or 10 in line. Keep in mind this was 12 years ago.

Years pass and our camp out has gotten to thanksgiving day and one of our group actually cooks diner and brings it back to the line. Usually in the top ten in line

Finally kids are older and now bb isn't our main stop last year we had dinner at home, went to cvs and shopped then rested till Wal-Mart

Prob same this year

[teej626]

A lot of it is what it "used to be" since stores open much earlier now, but one of my traditions is I always go to Best Buy on Wednesday evening to get a rough idea of how many of the doorbusters they have in stock, get an idea where they will be placed, etc.

 

Turkey day my family always goes to a local flea market at dawn for some great deals (they have new stuff) and some amazing food.  Then over to the parents house to finalize the ads and make the game plan.  When Best Buy would open at 5am, we would camp, but the last few years we were able to get there right at 5am, get inside within 10 minutes and get everything we wanted.

 

Love this time of year.

[maguszxz]

My mom and I would eat, visit family and go over the final plans and then go to bed only to wake up in a few hours then shop, grab some Mickey ds on the way home and talk about how much fun we had. Last year we had to throw that out the window. it was new but we had to adapt to the hours for the love of the day. now we will make a new traditions and I can't wait for the day.

[pogiporkchop]

Tradition dictates:

 

1. that I scout the stores of special interest frequently leading up to BF and plan lists accordingly

 

2. that DH will always come up with at least five things for me to get (kids too)

 

3. that Black Friday is known and recognized as mom's one guaranteed day to get time to herself

 

4. that turkey day morning I go out as early as I can to get the paper, checking no less than three for complete stuffing

 

5. that I remember if it is meant to be it will be on the shelf when I get there and the whole point of the day is to enjoy myself (mostly by people watching)

 

... and several other things I don't remember at the moment.

[ann1e88]

Wake up early 6am on Thanksgiving and look for my paper.    Run through the ads and get my gameplan together.  Cook dinner....we always go somewhere but have to have the main staples at home Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, Sweet potatoes, and a pumkin pie.   Tried not cook and my husband was too upset with the "no leftovers" so I still cook.   

We are going to my In-laws for dinner and a friends for desert.  Usually we would go back home and try to sleep before running out for midnight sales go back home and sleep till 4am get up and start over again.   This year may have to stop a few places before we go back home though......I am really disappointed in the Thanksgiving day sales....I feel bad for the people who will not be with their familys.    Besides taking away the true sport of Black Friday shopping.   

[hack2222]

Knowing the ads and everything else planned, stay up all night Wednesday night and wait for the sales to go live, then do it again.  And finally Friday if have enough energy go out and hit sales for the days out of town.  Knowing can always return anything if you don't get the online orders.  Makes for a very packed out three days then wait for the orders to ship.  Open double check and be done.  Only thing that changes is that if I do local stores, some changes there Friday morning or thanksgiving night.

Edited November 11, 2013 by hack2222

[ObiRich]

Next year we'll have to ask what everyone's new Black Thursday traditions are, as that's what it's devolved into.

[leefamily23]

Ahhhh,.....I wish we could do it the way we had did it for so long.

 

Used to be dinner at my mom's, then my sister and I would make our lists (mom always had to work Friday so she'd add a few items for us to pick up for her).  Then we'd leave the kids w/ my dad for the night.  Get home for a few hours sleep and head about about 2-3am to get in line.

 

We almost always started at Walmart (though back in the day I can remember starting at Ames  for their scratch off's or KB Toys).  We'd shop everything not at the mall first and usually get to the mall around 7-8am and get Arby's from the food court for breakfast (the roast beef and fries).  Make our way through the mall and around noon.  We'd always end by stopping at Fashion Bug on our way home to treat ourselves to a few of their sale items since their sale always ran later.  

 

If dh was feeling it (most years he was) he'd tag along and drop us at the doors then make his way in to look for a cart.  He'd go hang out in an area without sale items (someplace we predetermined as best as possible) and my sister and I would run and grab items and bring them back to the cart.

 

Amazing how so many of the stores we used to go to don't exist anymore along with the tradition of going out Friday morning.

Edited November 12, 2013 by leefamily23