bigjimslade Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Let me pose this question to all of you and get your thoughts. Do you think Black Friday will be different next year and then in years past? The reason I ask this is that Black Friday has changed so much this year then in years past that I can remember. Some of the stuff that has changed that I have noticed is: * Best Buy creating a price matching clause for Black Friday and posting it on there ad. * Wal Mart and Best Buy adding items to there Black Friday line up and posting them on there site and not in printed form. * Some Best Buys pulling there Personal Shopper Program on Black Friday unlike last year where all PSA stores where taking appts. * Stores posting there "Official" ad a week early on there own websites and making them public. * More Black Friday sites getting C&D's from the store. * More media hype then last year Above are some examples of what I have seen. I have a feeling next year might be very different and we will have to change our tactics for BF. I would like to know if anyone else feels this way or not.
theboyzmom Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 I was just talking about this last night! Yes, I think this year is the first in a change of the way things are going to happen. You are right that we will have to change our game plans if that's true...
raymacfla Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 How about a federal mandate that no item can be released with limited intent, in order to drive up sales and hype? Perhaps then we will not see any more shootings over video games, or riots that are primarily the cause of bad security/planning.
Guest JeepMom Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 How about a federal mandate that no item can be released with limited intent, in order to drive up sales and hype? Perhaps then we will not see any more shootings over video games, or riots that are primarily the cause of bad security/planning.Wow, you've never taken an econ 101 class have you? There are too many reasons to get into why this is not possible and a horrid idea.
Marcster Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Personally, I think the more media hype Black Friday receives, the more people go out for it and the the more crowded the stores become and the less intense the deals get.
tptguy Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Wow, you've never taken an econ 101 class have you? There are too many reasons to get into why this is not possible and a horrid idea.What a great reason to continue the stupid trends going on in our country now. The shopping riots, fights and shootings. Let's only have 3 of each item and not care if someone gets hurt because we'll get more $$$$. Everything is about more more more, its pathetic. Sound like Mr. Burns to me.Trust me, I hate that BF deals are going down and how crazy that day is now because of all the hype. I've seen people in wheelchairs pushed over to get a deal. Needless to say, I think with th kinds of crowds BF gets at BB, you shouldn't go if you're in a wheelchair. Its just too difficult even if people are kind to you. All the hype has made more people come out, get crazier than ever, and lowered the degree of deals.
sigrist_2000 Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 will prolly mean less ads leaked earlier..cuz they will post on web instead of print...but times might change this time next year...
sylph211 Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 I think more and more stores will be going the online route. Every year a b&m store comes online and offers their BF items. Its geat and someday we all might be sitting in front of our computers fighting the virtual lines instead.
dswright Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 The bet here is that retail stores will continue to open earlier each year, Wal Mart and Kohls opened at 6 last year, now it is 5. I don't see much before midnight though, as employees would have to be paid time and a half for the holiday. Deals may start to fade as more and more of us are buying things on BF due to low cost, then nobody shops the stores until the last minute rush the week before Christmas.
tdanette Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 From what I'm hearing this year I think stores are becoming more security minded. Wal-Mart is usually a madhouse but this year I've been told that shoppers that misbehave will be escourted out of the store (or line). I think WM and some others will start handing out tickets (or have some kind of system in place) to avoid stampedes and fist fights.
Rebirth Posted November 21, 2006 Posted November 21, 2006 Personally, I think the more media hype Black Friday receives, the more people go out for it and the the more crowded the stores become and the less intense the deals get.I agree. The hype put people through the doors, and everyone will purchase an item before they leave.
bigjimslade Posted November 24, 2006 Author Posted November 24, 2006 Mark my words. It will be different next year. There is a chance the stores might stop a print ad of the BF ad and might go to a online only one. Also I think that people will start to line up early next year. The Best Buy I went too the first 2 people were in line at 10:30pm local time on Wednesday. I was the 7th in line at 12 noon local time on Thursday. We will have to change our tactics next year. Good luck and remember that Gottadeal.com is open year around with tons of deals!
Novac Posted November 24, 2006 Posted November 24, 2006 Do you think Black Friday will be different next yearThere's going to be a Black Friday next year, too?!?!? There is a chance the stores might stop a print ad of the BF ad and might go to a online only one.An unprinted ad can be changed much more easily, one would think, and it would also pass through less hands than a printed ad. Still, people buy the paper on Thanksgiving to look for BF sales. One would think that a store would at least want a 1-page insert with a couple good deals and a message pointing them to their website. The question is: Will the ads for stores who go online-only be leaked, and when?
Demontooth Posted November 24, 2006 Posted November 24, 2006 It doesn't matter what they do next year, I'm not getting out of bed.
heavenlysshine Posted November 24, 2006 Posted November 24, 2006 How about a federal mandate that no item can be released with limited intent, in order to drive up sales and hype? Perhaps then we will not see any more shootings over video games, or riots that are primarily the cause of bad security/planning.How about parents/other caregivers who will raise children properly to become respectful young/grown adults who don't maim or kill over a video game? Government has nothing to do with it. People should take responsibility for their actions.
elena_398 Posted November 24, 2006 Posted November 24, 2006 I just hope stores like Walmart learn to get better sales. The toys section was only filled because people were price matching items.
theboyzmom Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I couldn't believe the number of YOUNG adults in all the lines and with the sole intention of buying the limited items and reselling on certain auction sites or becoming the 'middle man' for people further down the line....I know this because they were ALL announcing it! This was at SEVERAL stores
majesty1900 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 The ads are planned long ahead of time. They are supposed to have enough on hand for the anticipated demand or advertise the number of units available.
Euler Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I would like to see stores post in the windows the quantities for the things that they are going to give out tickets. I hate hearing stories about a person who stood in line for 7 hours only to walk away empty handed.
J_Man Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I'd like to see them have enough items in store to last up to at least 2pm the first day on the 2 day sales items. It's stupid to have so limited a stock that you sell out in 5 minutes of items that should last for a while. But maybe next year there won't be the people thinking about reselling the items they got for more cash. Those people taken out of the line would be great. Then there will not be the console Ebayers thinking they're going to make thousands of dollars online cause the news told them so. If it's just as bad as this year or worse, I gotta rethink how I shop Black Friday.
kitty34 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I hope by next year the economy in my area is better (metro detroit). I really think the fact that MI's economy is so recessed atm actually led to longer lines due to people trying to get the biggest bang for their buck as they could around here.
derek12123 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 yes the publicity is going to keep growing and growing best buy is already unbelieveable
ckemp7 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I think more and more stores will hand out tickets. I think they should have multiple lines outside the stores; ones to get in the doors for not so hot items. and a line for each hot item. 1 for the portable dvd player another for the tv. what do you guys think?
felixdacat Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Interesting discussion. I would add my voice to the people who dislike the limited supply doorbuster; however it is not going away because….IT WORKS. Best Buy was the leader in this category and they were rewarded with lines snaking around the building at possibly all their locations. In the meantime Wal-Mart, which I have always been impressed with because almost all their doorbusters have a very solid supply on hand, seems to have taken a big hit on their BF customer volume (there’s another thread that has Wal-Mart as the biggest loser for this BF). One good trend in regards to the limited supply doorbuster is that just a few years ago, it was acceptable to have less then 10 of each item per store, with the golden number being 6. This year BB seems to have set the number at 18, and I would guess that next year this may be in the twenties. This number being higher combined with better security practices are the likely reasons we’re hearing less stories this year about violence. I would also guess that Wal-Mart will increase their limited supply doorbusters next year. Instead of 1 or two items, I would venture they will compete with Best Buy and have a dozen special items with an announced minimum supply per store. Maybe next year, the trick to BF will not just be to stand in line the earliest, but to find a small town Wal-Mart to shop at. I saw a greater internet BF involvement this year. This includes the BB & Wal-Mart surprises, but also more in store pickup options, especially with CC. CC was interesting because they initially had their Olevia LCD doorbuster available online Thanksgiving morning for in store pickup, and then pulled it, and if I read the thread correctly, it was available again overnight on Friday, and then pulled again. One possible trend may be to have doorbusters available for in store pickup, but not immediately. You would make the online purchase, but would have to wait till they emailed you back with pickup information. This way, the stock on hand is available for B&M shoppers, but they will know how many of what items they need to send to each location. As for the “surprises” I see this happening again next year. The point of BF is to build up excitement and get people in the stores, in a buying mood. As much as I love this website, it both helps and hurts the retailer’s strategies. Note the “Are you disappointed” thread that sprung up a month ago. It also seemed that GottaDeal had more cooperation with the retailers this year and less threats. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention but I can only remember one set of ads being pulled off the site. However, maybe the stores will study whatever Frys did, because their ads never made it (along with HH Gregg and Macys). But change is the one thing you can count on, which to me makes BF exciting.
dissident Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 that would be funny, a virtual best buy game like a video game where you can walk around in a 3d store, wait in a 3d line, even create a custom 3d character to look just like you. lmao
buytoday Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 Black Friday is becoming a hype as years passing by..have not seen good deals for past 2yrs..may be i am expecting more or retailers are doing less...
bargaingal2 Posted November 25, 2006 Posted November 25, 2006 I hope more use the Thanksgiving Day early online purchasing! Worked great this year for me
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