genoandkiddo Posted October 16, 2004 Posted October 16, 2004 Actually it is funny that you say your hubby would like it, because I got my hubby some stuff from Menard's for our anniversary. He was happy. Alot of men go there. I think you would like it. I am getting so mad a yahoo. I type in Black Friday and it still brings up last years and 2002 ads. The only site for 2004 is well...... you are on it. Not that I mind. But come on, by this time last year they were everywhere. Where are the ads!!!! Who is holding out on us. Someone confess!!!!!
Guest waggy Posted October 16, 2004 Posted October 16, 2004 heh when they had the GF3 ti-200 on sale for what was it? $50? anyway i got the last one. well they also had CD burners and something else on sale. I had a stack of stuff and i was waiting for my wife to finish what she was doing. Well anyway i Had the stuff stacked next to me with my arm on it. Well some a-hole tried to take it! i grabbed the box (of course the GF3) and asked him what he was doing. He just said oops didn't think you wanted it. bah idiot! after that there has not been any good BF sales to go to.
starshine Posted October 16, 2004 Posted October 16, 2004 I have gotten 2001 ads! I hope they are not putting the lock down on the ads this year.
genoandkiddo Posted October 16, 2004 Posted October 16, 2004 I don't think they will, because honestly I don't think they can. They are "rumors" and because they are rumors there is no copyright infringement. But I am right, right? Some ads were out by now? I am getting older so maybe I am wrong, but I could've sworn there were some ads.
BFQueenofNY Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 I have so much fun Black Friday shopping. I think of it more of a sport actually. I cook Thanksgiving at my house each year so I can adequately prepare. Last year was a trip cause I wanted the dvd player at Walmarts. I got up at 3am and made my coffee. I got my niece,sil and sil's frined who stayed with us up at 3:30am. I set up the cocoa and coffee and we were off. We got there at 4:15am and the line was from the door to about the end of the parking row - we still had 1.5 hours to wait. I figured that since there was 3 doors to get in they had to, for fire regulations, open all 3 doors so I convinced about 7 people standing in the back that we should stand by the side door. Well the walmart people kept telling us the door wasn't opening go back in line - now I kept my sil on line so regardless we wouldnt be last and her friend got 3 shopping lists for Joann's fabric shop and she waited over there. Well the ladies and I got yelled at, cursed at, people threw water bottles telling us they would not let us in before them. We thought a few were going to come punch us actually but we stayed there. Now it was just about opening and as we realized we would have to make a break for the front door, this woman had her boyfriend or husband come and stand in front of us to keep us out (silly silly man) The walmart clerks came to unlock the door, we all yelled and ran as a team around the corner of the store (taking this man with us no less) and entered the store being squished and pushed and the pictures Walmarts took with their cameras must have been hilarious. My niece was still with me and she ran for a cart and I ran around the store getting the dvd player and the leappad. Threw them in the cart and then we went after the smaller items we wanted. Some of you might feel angry saying I didnt wait my turn but I have to tell you I have waited on line and not gotten what I went in for so I doubt I will do that again, but we had an adrenaline rush that no drug could imitate. Funny thing is that on our way home we noticed that Radio Shack had it's lights on and someone was outside so we ran in there and picked up everything we wanted that usually sell fast only to find out that the store wasnt open, the guy had just got there and was having a cigarrette lol thankfully he let us buy the stuff though. Can you tell how much I enjoy this. hee hee it is like my own personal holiday
genoandkiddo Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 BFQueen, Let me tell you something, there is nothing wrong with standing in line infront of the other doors. I say this because I did the same thing at kmart. People were waiting in line at the Automatic door, but nobody was infront of the push doors. So we walked right up and stood there. Well they opened those doors first and we were first in the store. Ever since then, people have stood at both doors. This is for my daughter Gigi.
Keebelf Posted October 19, 2004 Posted October 19, 2004 I sent DH, Chris, out the year before last (well, last year too but nothing exciting on that one). We have a Jeep Wrangler and so he used that height clearance and smaller dimensions vehicle to the max! He was going to Walmart to pick up the digicam they had on sale. He pulled into the actual parking lot and found a spot between a pine tree and a telephone pole that only a Wrangler could fit into. So, he hopped the curb and parked there....climbing out the back (we had the top off so no biggie). He went straight back to the camera dept. and asked the lady behind the counter for it....she had them and gave him one. Then Chris made the comment that he would ahve to wait in such long lines just to purchase the one thing....the casheir took pity on him and checked him out back there even though she wasn't supposed ot. All in all it took him longer to get OUT of the parking lot than it did to get in! This year, my son's second b-day is that Friday so Chris is taking off work for the whole day! I am going to be making my list early and he is going to be taking the Jeep and hitting the stores I specify for the deals I specify. Last year we got all of our deals at Toys R'Us for the kids.
mjjandz Posted October 20, 2004 Posted October 20, 2004 I totally agree with you on Circuit city,they bring coffee, the manager comes out and will even tell you how many of an item they have. Allison I don't exactly have a "war story" but I have to vote for our Circuit City as the most "BF-friendly store" in the area .... for the past two years they have brought out Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts and coffee, passed out maps of the store so you can locate the BF specials and just generally been nice people! Sure beats the Target next door who literally corralled their customers into a cart maze .... not pretty when the doors opened!
RossMAN Posted October 20, 2004 Posted October 20, 2004 I am learning so much about Black Friday and certain retailers from this forum. Thank you to everyone contributing!
genoandkiddo Posted October 24, 2004 Posted October 24, 2004 I tell you one store I will never wait in line for and that's Taget. It must have been 3 or 4 years ago. We had already gone to Kmart , Menard's and We had decided that Target had better sales than WM. While we were waiting in line, someone came out and was asking people if they had a Target card. I have one so I said I had one. I was after there boom boxes, and some christmas pj's for my girls. My MIL saw them first and yelled at me to get one quick. So I did. We were in Target a total of 30 minutes. That includes the check out time. While we were checking out they asked us again if we wanted a Target card. No I said and paid for my stuff with cash. As we were leaving another person ask us if we wanted a Target card. WHAT? Hello, I have one. If I want to use it. I do. Anyways to make this long story longer LOL. On christmas morning we unwrapped the boom box and tried it, well the Dern thing did not work, the volume button was messed up. Oh man, let me tell you I was so mad, that the next morning, I took it back of course, but they would not let me exchange it because they didn't have anymore. Okay so I was out a 20, but that is not all. 2 years ago, my MIL bought a DVD player and it broke. I am not saying that all Target's stuff is bad, but heed the warning when it comes to their "sales for electronics" Be ware. Oh and grab them by the throat when they ask three times "Would you like to sign up for our Target Credit Card?"
dolan007 Posted October 25, 2004 Posted October 25, 2004 Newbies to Black Friday, Be warned store employees will hide the good items on you the customer. Wal Mart for example, hid the $79 gamecube with zelda deal in various places, i found one (supposedly no more left) in the pillows bin. Best Buy will lie about their being no more special buy laptops, I went there and wanted the $499 toshiba laptop and was told oh we have no more, then another employee oh we have 1 left , the manager came and said no the 1 left is a broken one, other employees said , no no no yes no no, well I was there for 2 hours looking in the store I found one hidden and turned around in those glass things that are locked up. I said hey, what model is this one , oh thats not it, well i want to see it anyway, well the bozo opened the case it was the special one I wanted the manager came over and said he couldnt sell it to me cuz they needed one as a "backup" incase someone got a defective one, I said well then get your District Manager on the phone and you can have him tell me you refuse to sell me this laptop. oh well blah blah blah, they caved but now it was after noon and the special was over but they had to give me the laptop at the special price because I don't give up and neither should you !!!! Remember employees have relatives and they will take all your specials !!! by the way I consider myself to be a professional Black Friday buyer, its my favorite day of the year ( even more than my birthday or any holiday or vacation)
CrayZMama80 Posted October 26, 2004 Posted October 26, 2004 Last year at WM it was totally nuts in there! As soon as the doors opened up.. everyone was pushed inside. My eldest daughter, got pulled from my arm and was sent over to the backs of the registers. She's 19 but as small as a 12 yr old. We were yelling back and forth as to where to meet and I told her to keep the walkie talkie's on. Just as I told her that, a man came flying back at me (backwards of course), I guess some man was just a bit upset with him over something. So much so, that he punched him and that's when he fell into me! Crazy ppl.. that's why I go shopping on this day! Love to laugh at the ones that act dumb and argue over stuff! Well second to getting bargains on this day! We normally get everything we go after, sometimes more than that!
steve42 Posted October 26, 2004 Posted October 26, 2004 Not really a war story, but I've had some pretty good experiences. The SuperWM in my town is PACKED because it's the only game in town. We've started spending Thanksgiving night (BF-eve) at my mom's house so we are closer to a larger town that has Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Radio Shack, Goody's, Bath and Body Works, and a couple of others. The first year we went to mom's, I got tied up and couldn't get to the stores early. We made it to Goody's about 9 AM and found the clothes we needed to buy. By the time we got out of there, it was after the WM sale was over, so we just walked through the other stores and got to WM about 11:45. They still had all of the pallets out in the main aisles and there were still several TVs, VCRs, Computers, and most of the toys and small appliances in place. I asked a blue-vester about it and she said, "yeah, we're keeping them at the sale price till the end of the day." We picked up most of the things we were hoping for anyway and paid happily. The next year, I tested them on it again. Sure enough, they had most of the things still in stock after lunch. The third year, I didn't even rush to them. My dad and I went up to Birmingham to Lowes because they had some good Shop-Vacs and a mitre saw on sale. At 9AM, we parked right next to the store, walked in, grabbed the mitre saw and two shop vacs, browsed around for a few minutes and went back to the house. After lunch, the wife and I went to Wal-Mart and still found what we wanted. Of course, everyone in my family that wants a DVD player or a computer already has one, so I'm not ususally looking for the hot-sellers, but we've been fortunate to find everything we wanted (even the $5 Lego sets) by waiting a bit for the crowds to thin. I'm going to attempt to cooperate with a few friends this year who can get to a Best Buy or Circuit City, because I want a DVD/RW and a Digital Recorder. Otherwise, it's back to mom's. I think the stores in her area don't sell out as early because the majority of the shoppers in that area feel they'll get better stuff in the next bigger city. Works out well for us though!
Neosolace Posted October 26, 2004 Posted October 26, 2004 Steve42... perhaps we need to work out a deal to take Bham by storm on BF! I work over in Fairfield and live just south of town. Hmmm....Perhaps it would be beneficial to work together?
steve42 Posted October 29, 2004 Posted October 29, 2004 Steve42... perhaps we need to work out a deal to take Bham by storm on BF! I work over in Fairfield and live just south of town. Hmmm....Perhaps it would be beneficial to work together?Hmmm. Mebbe so. I live just south of Clanton and my mom's place is in Childersburg. We're not really big Christmas spenders. Last year was the most we ever spent and it was under $800 for the whole extended family. It was only that high because I bought DW a ring. Most of the big ticket items I want are things we've wanted at home and put off until they come down in price. I just bought a CDRW last year and a 2nd DVD last Christmas.
elena_398 Posted October 31, 2004 Posted October 31, 2004 I go to KayBee Toy store every year and it is so great. Lines are ridiculous, but they run that store like the military!! Only 10 people are allowed into the store at a time (this is a small store inside our mall). They have all their employees at the front of the store besides the ones manning the registers). They give you a clear plastic bag and ask to see your list. An employee is "assigned" to you and go around the store and fill your order so you don't have to run around looking. As you are waiting, you can go around store yourself looking for any extras as they always have surprise items for sale. They put footprints on floor telling you which way you are to go up and down aisles so you don't collide with other shoppers. As you leave, the next bunch goes in. One goes out of the store, one comes in. Very professional and organized. BUT this means you HAVE to be the first 10 as stock is limited. Thats why I go so early (opens at 5am/in-line by 1or2am. Im in and out within 15 minutes. Target is a mad house. I try not to go there if I don't have to. They haven't figured out any organization on checking out at all. MAD HOUSE! Last year, I was about 15 in line (Target opens at 7am and Im out of KayBee by 5:20am) to get 3 items. They passed out pastries and coffee to everyone which was great, but when 7am hit, it was ridiculous. The line wrapped around the store and people who were just coming to store from their cars, rushed the doors and several people were pushed to the ground. They obviously didn't care about the line who had been waiting for 2 hours and literally ran passed us into the store. I finally got into store, got my three items and then had to wait over 1 1/2 for checkout. Worst check out experience EVER!
Neosolace Posted November 1, 2004 Posted November 1, 2004 Hmmm. Mebbe so. I live just south of Clanton and my mom's place is in Childersburg. We're not really big Christmas spenders. Last year was the most we ever spent and it was under $800 for the whole extended family. It was only that high because I bought DW a ring. Most of the big ticket items I want are things we've wanted at home and put off until they come down in price. I just bought a CDRW last year and a 2nd DVD last Christmas.Yeah...i know the feeling there. My wife just finished college and finally got her a real job, so we're just now getting to the point where we can afford some new stuff maybe. We're not that well off, but we've gotten so used to being on a shoestring budget that anything seems like alot. Most everything lately has been going towards fixing up the old farmhouse on my Grandpa's place. Nothing like buying lumber to replace floors to break the ol' budget.
Secret Squirrel Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 1000% TOTALLY agree! I'll do my Mom's list, but she couldn't find her way out of a wet paper bag, so will never be entrusted with mine! Unless you and your mom are on the same page, there's usually a huge generation gap and they just don't get it. Trust only those who 'get you' LOL! A word of BF advice.... If you happen to decide to go with your mother because you are visiting for Thanksgiving, and she offers to hit Wal-Mart and grab what you want for you while you wait in line at BestBuy... Never EVER think that she will be able to pull it off. "All the digital cameras looked the same to me." "But Mom, I gave you a copy of the ad with the one I wanted circled." "But I got a great deal on this VCR." "VCR? What the heck does anyone need a VCR for anymore? They had a DVD player for the same price! Why didn't you get that?" ... but I digress...
mugs Posted November 3, 2004 Posted November 3, 2004 Man, I wish all stores did it the KB way. One of the things that turns me off to black friday is the kind of people that were at your Target. Scum bags have no respect, care about no one but themselves. I see it every day on the road the way people drive, and it's 100 times worse at stores on black friday. Makes me want to climb a tower somewhere and... nevermind. :) I go to KayBee Toy store every year and it is so great. Lines are ridiculous, but they run that store like the military!! Only 10 people are allowed into the store at a time (this is a small store inside our mall). They have all their employees at the front of the store besides the ones manning the registers). They give you a clear plastic bag and ask to see your list. An employee is "assigned" to you and go around the store and fill your order so you don't have to run around looking. As you are waiting, you can go around store yourself looking for any extras as they always have surprise items for sale. They put footprints on floor telling you which way you are to go up and down aisles so you don't collide with other shoppers. As you leave, the next bunch goes in. One goes out of the store, one comes in. Very professional and organized. BUT this means you HAVE to be the first 10 as stock is limited. Thats why I go so early (opens at 5am/in-line by 1or2am. Im in and out within 15 minutes. Target is a mad house. I try not to go there if I don't have to. They haven't figured out any organization on checking out at all. MAD HOUSE! Last year, I was about 15 in line (Target opens at 7am and Im out of KayBee by 5:20am) to get 3 items. They passed out pastries and coffee to everyone which was great, but when 7am hit, it was ridiculous. The line wrapped around the store and people who were just coming to store from their cars, rushed the doors and several people were pushed to the ground. They obviously didn't care about the line who had been waiting for 2 hours and literally ran passed us into the store. I finally got into store, got my three items and then had to wait over 1 1/2 for checkout. Worst check out experience EVER!
Guest Luckycharm Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 When I was Younger, I worked at Target. One BF and this was during the Cabbage Patch Kids rage, I unlocked the doors and got TRAMPLED by customers trying to get them. I came around to an EMT examining me. I had a concussion. A few years back I was at a Target trying to get the boomboxes which they were out of, I remembered my days working there and went poking around in the clothing section. Found two of em hidden there by employees inside a rack of clothes. YES I bought em! This year, I'll just go the day before to the Walmart's and have the photo center employees hide what I want in the photo center. I work for Fuji. Pays to have friends in strange places huh?
SynthDude2001 Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 Last year was my first BF experience - my best friend and her boyfriend told me a few weeks ahead that they were going to camp out at Best Buy all night for the sale. I thought they were somewhat crazy, but I also thought it might be a fun experience, so I decided to join them. I met them there at 12:30am or so, and they'd been there maybe 30 minutes or an hour already. Not only that, but there were already a good 15 people in line already. So I got in line with them (they were actually first in line), and we waited. We had some food and drinks, but at one point one of us had to run back to his house to grab some blankets and more food, since it was getting quite cold. (It was about 35°F and windy, which is plenty cold for TX :) ) The employees got there at 4am or so; some of them chatted with us a bit, seemed to think we were crazy for having been there 4-5 hours already, but that was fine with us. Unfortunately at the time I was pretty short on cash, so I was only able to get a few things - most notably The Simpsons Season 1 DVDs for $12, and an MP3/CD player for $20. Although, like I'd said, I mostly went for the experience anyway. As 6am drew near, more and more people showed up, and the line was about a block long by the time they opened the doors. A cameraman for a local news station showed up and interviewed us, which was a kinda cool perk of being first in line. As the number of people increased beforehand, people of course felt like they had the right to come to the front of the line (even though we'd been there for six hours), but there was a police officer there monitoring the whole situation, and the employees (one manager in particular) were very good about making other people go back when they tried to get ahead of us. (They'd seen us there at the front when they first arrived, so that was no problem.) When they opened the doors, it was insanity. We knew exactly what we were going to get, so I went in one direction, and the other two went in another. I believe they were looking for the CD burner, some blank CD's, and I forget what else. None of us really had that much money at the time, so when they'd come outside an hour or so before, asking if anyone was buying such-and-such item (the limited stock stuff like camcorders, laptops, etc.), none of that applied to us. In any case, people rushed to every corner of the store, mobbing all the employees and each other, but we just ran up to the registers with our purchases and left uneventfully. I think I remember seeing 6:12 on the clock in my car when I got in it to leave. It was fun, and I got hooked. It looks like we may be arriving at BB at 10pm this year, just to ensure our first place spot in line. In my mind, that's really the only way to do it. I remember some of our friends getting there at 5 or 5:30am, seeing us first in line, us telling them that we'd been there since midnight, and seeing the "WTF, are you crazy?" looks in their eyes. :) Although, since I'll probably have some more money to work with this year, I'm also wondering what other sales there will be...perhaps Fry's, for example. So we may have to split up in groups - we were still planning to do the Best Buy in San Antonio (one of them...there are 3), but the nearest Fry's is in Austin. In any case, I'm greatly looking forward to seeing more deals appear on this site, so we can plan our night of madness!
RossMAN Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 SynthDude2001, Wow you are hard core and I thought getting in line at 3:00 AM was crazy.
SynthDude2001 Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 Yup, I'm ruined already and I've only done it once before. I probably am crazy. It always helps to go with some friends too, you can have long conversations and the time will almost fly by. It also probably helps that we were all going to different universities at the time, in different parts of the state, so we didn't (and still don't) get to see each other all that often. Also, we did fall asleep for a little while. I'm definitely looking forward to it again.
MisterBill Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 Last year I wanted the stuff that Ace had FAR. I had noticed that the rebate form allowed you to purchase starting earlier in the week, so I called my local store and asked if I should come in early, or if they had enough so I could just go Friday. They said not to worry, they had plenty. Then i asked if I needed to be there when they opened and they said not to worry, they had plenty. I was still planning to go Wednesday, but got stuck at work and did not get to leave in time. I got to Ace at 7:30am on Friday, and they were out of all the free stuff, and when I complained about them having told me they had plenty and not to rush in, they could not have cared less. I am happy to say they are no longer an Ace store. Interestingly, the other Ace store in my area (not nearly as convenient as the first one) told me that they had stock of the FAR stuff all day when I mentioned this story a few months later. Oh, and I got a $10 gift certificate from Ace when I wrote a letter complaining about my experience. I was also pissed (more at myself than the store) at CC last year. I spent a long time on line waiting to PM a Gamecube I had bought earlier (which of course wasn't even necessary because they had plenty in stock). By the time I got done with that, I realized that I wanted the lamp they had FAR, and I was told I just missed them, they had them a few minutes earlier (i.e., when I got to the store). And CC also refused to PM Best Buy's ad, and no one else in my area who would PM had the Simpsons Season 1 DVD in stock to PM to :-(.
elena_398 Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 I got hooked about 4yrs ago and ever since line up by midnight or 1am every year in front of KayBee. My husband and I don't live near our families so its just me. He gets scared for me waiting in line by myself, but Im a talker and love meet other people. So far I always meet new people and have a blast comparing our shopping lists. My friends say Im crazy and NO ONE joins me, but I don't mind. Im so excited to see the toy ads this year for the kids!
peri Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 synthdude, that's awesome! I Didn't realize people started lining up that early. Are you in a heavily populated area? I'm wondering if people will be lining up at my BB that early..
SynthDude2001 Posted November 4, 2004 Posted November 4, 2004 Yeah, SA is a pretty big city. One thing I wonder about is whether the other two Best Buys in the city get as crowded as the one we go to or not. I'm thinking it might be cool to hit a different one this year (one on the north/northeast side of town that's nicer, only a few years old), but we'll see I guess.
pamletx Posted November 5, 2004 Posted November 5, 2004 Yeah, SA is a pretty big city. One thing I wonder about is whether the other two Best Buys in the city get as crowded as the one we go to or not. I'm thinking it might be cool to hit a different one this year (one on the north/northeast side of town that's nicer, only a few years old), but we'll see I guess.Did you go to the one on San Pedro? It was SO cold last year... we went to the Target at 1604 and Blanco - but got there about 6:15 .. the store was NOT crowded... but the "good stuff" was gone..laugh.. we did get a microwave for 25.00 I think. After that we hit Radio Shack at 1604 and 281 and got everything we went for... Maybe we'll hit BB at the Forum this year.. Tho' I'll probably be looking for Legos for my nephews... so it may HAVE to be Toys R Us or WalMart.
SynthDude2001 Posted November 5, 2004 Posted November 5, 2004 Yup, we went to the San Pedro one. Still not sure about this year, but at least we have a little time to form a strategy still. The Forum one and the San Pedro one are both pretty much the same distance from my house (or my mom's, anyway) - not that it really matters too much because I'm at school in College Station right now, so the distance means nothing to me. :) It would actually be closer (by at least 70 miles) to go to Houston instead, but nearly all my friends are either in SA or Austin. Oh...and yes, it was very cold, especially being out for 6+ hours! The wind was pretty bad, but it's part of the experience! (I'm usually not one to get cold easily either.)
tiggy818 Posted November 5, 2004 Posted November 5, 2004 Ok. This is my first post on this site. My fav BF was last year. My sister and I met at my mother's in East Texas. We drove back to Frisco for a fabulous day of Black Friday deals!!! We made lists for every store, and we stapled the circular to the lists. We hit Walmart at 5 a.m. and made alliances for the big stuff. I went to the DVDs and got the 2 for $5 (We price matched Walgreen's super BF deal there). We were out by 6:20 a.m. We went to Walgreen's and then went to Foleys for the free $10 cards. We hit an entire mall in 1 hour. We then went to Circuit City and PMatched the Walgreen ad again!! Then, we went to the evil empire Best Buy, and we PMatched the Walgreen ad one more time!!! (Yes, some of the $2.50 dvd went on ebay.) Then we did Stonebriar Mall and got home in time to watch the Aggies lose to the T-sips. My next favorite one was three years ago when my dd played in a soccer tournament in San Antonio. I did BF shopping before her first game. I think it was near the loop. I hit Target, Walmart, and a mall in 2 hours. It was a blast. All the soccer parents believed I was crazy. I am!!!
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