stacya Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 This will be the first year that we've stayed home, and I get to shop our local outlet centers, which will be open at midnight...I'm planning to take a nap on T-giving day, so I will be rested enough to shop there, and then continue on to my regular places like Kohl's, Target, etc., that open anywhere from 4 to 7 on BF morning...for those of you that shop starting at midnight, do you get there early to make sure you get a parking place, or if you show up at midnight, is it not all that crazy just yet? I'm just looking to find out if I need to be parked at like 11, or if I show up closer to opening time, will I be OK? When I lived in FL, I shopped on BF at the outlets there just once, and got there at like 9 a.m. (this was before the days of them being open at midnight), and it was an absolute zoo, but I got some AWESOME deals, so I'm really looking forward to the insanity! TIA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeIU Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 We went to the outlets @ Jeffersonville, OH last year. We went early because we wanted to get in line to get the $500 gift card (we didn't get it though - d'oh!). I would say that the stores started to get crazy at midnight (bath & bodyworks especially) - lines outside of them just to get in the door. Parking seemed to be reasonable, though. I know that even though the 'official' opening time for a lot of the stores was midnight, some were open before then & I saw people walking around with bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princesschaos13 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 i've thought about heading to jeffersonville, but i heard that the traffic was so bad trying to get out of there that you wouldn't make it to the regular stores! were you able to go anywhere else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacya Posted October 22, 2008 Author Share Posted October 22, 2008 i've thought about heading to jeffersonville, but i heard that the traffic was so bad trying to get out of there that you wouldn't make it to the regular stores! were you able to go anywhere else?That was the other thing I was afraid of...one outlet place here has multiple exits, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue, but the other one has one exit/entrance, and is pretty much always a mess...luckily, they only have OshKosh, B&BW, and Gap there that I would go to, but I would STILL like to try to get there...but it's not worth screwing up the rest of my plans, whatever they turn out to be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperMommy Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 This will be DH's first time with their mall opening at midnight, but he was told that one outlet was so bad that they had to shut the interstate down and people were getting out of their cars and jumping the fence to go shopping. Not sure where that was though. I'll check with him later. It probably depends on the malls advertising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cincygurl Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I went to Jeffersonville 2 years ago when we decided to do "24 hours of shopping." We started with CompUSA at 9 pm and then drove to Jeffersonville. We got there around 11. There were a few cars, but parking wasn't a problem. We decided to take a nap since we were driving back to Cincy afterwards to get in line at Staples. When we woke up at 11:45, it was a mad house. Cars parked on the expressway and people driving through the lot in hopes of finding a space. It took us about 40 minutes to get from our parking space to the expressway which is literally adjacent to the outlet. We easily got back to Cincy in time for the stores to open there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamandjaw Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I have been to Commerce, GA the last two years. The first year was not bad at all but last year was horrible. We almost got into a fight with a couple because of a dumb parking space. The sales are usually good especially in the children's stores (Children's Place, Carter's, etc.) We do have fun though. It is usually a bunch of girls together so as soon as we finish there we head to Target or Wal-Mart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess7915 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 We've considered doing the big outlet thing here but it's a geography problem! The outlets are about an hour away from our regular shopping! There is no way we can do the midnight opening, shop, and drive an hour to be back for a 4 am opening to Kohls (where we always start). I would love to do the outlest one year though - but most of the outlet shopping would be for myself and not for gifts which is why I always pass it up. But the ones in Williamsburg are great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beccasbank Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I'm from Flint, MI and I actually gt my DH, sister, and BIL to go shopping with me for BF sales last year!!!! We started at the outlets. Got there around 11:00pm. I'd say the ones with the longest lines were KB Toys, Nike, Columbia, and Big Dogs. The other stores had people, but not as many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairydustcrissy Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Here in Dawsonville, GA it is insane. There is a coach store that does 10% off, and that sale alone has the entire center blocked with a HUGE line, not to mention parking. They had 400 blocked (if you are in GA, you understand how big of a deal that is). I had to park across the hwy, about 1/4 mile away. It was madness. But, i racked up at Timberland :) lol. I say if you are going, try to get there a little before midnight so you stand a chance at getting a parking spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamlynn98 Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Ok, I am lost, what is the big deal about the outlets on BF? Are the sales really that good?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cincygurl Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Honestly, I didn't think the deals were that spectacular. However, for those in a frenzy to shop, it gives you something to do at midnight. It's a filler activity between Thanksgiving day shopping and Black Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacya Posted October 22, 2008 Author Share Posted October 22, 2008 Ok, I am lost, what is the big deal about the outlets on BF? Are the sales really that good??It depends on what you're looking for...last time I went to the outlets on BF, it was after I'd already been everyplace else that had the doorbusters, etc. Honestly, I didn't think the deals were that spectacular. However, for those in a frenzy to shop, it gives you something to do at midnight. It's a filler activity between Thanksgiving day shopping and Black Friday.Again, depends on what you're looking for...in my case, they've closed all of the Disney stores around here, but we have one in our outlet center that's been open for under a year, and they always have AWESOME bf sales, with an extra % off on their sales, and I tend to spend a lot, and save a lot, there...plus ours also had a Children's Place outlet...I like to buy ahead for my kids for the following year...but you're right, it'll also be a filler (for me, anyway), until the "big guns" open... But I'm also thinking that it'll be MUCH easier to just stay up and shop, than to try to get to sleep (which is difficult with all of the anticipation of the actual event ), and then have to GET up, and drag my butt, so that's why I'm eager to get out there early this year!! Thanks for all of the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shappol Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 (edited) We've considered doing the big outlet thing here but it's a geography problem! The outlets are about an hour away from our regular shopping! There is no way we can do the midnight opening, shop, and drive an hour to be back for a 4 am opening to Kohls (where we always start). I would love to do the outlest one year though - but most of the outlet shopping would be for myself and not for gifts which is why I always pass it up. But the ones in Williamsburg are great!If you really want to go to the Outlet in Williamsburg and you want to go to Kohls also, you can try the Kohls store in Hampton. It is on your way back to VABeach. Also if you are a Walmart and Target shopper the Walmart is about 5 minutes away and Target about 10 minutes away from the outlet. Between the Peninsula and Tri-City area you will have completed all of this and next year's Christmas Shopping by the time you reach home. Edited October 25, 2008 by shappol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cincygurl Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 But I'm also thinking that it'll be MUCH easier to just stay up and shop, than to try to get to sleep (which is difficult with all of the anticipation of the actual event ), and then have to GET up, and drag my butt, so that's why I'm eager to get out there early this year!! 2 years ago when we did the "24 hours of shopping" the adrenaline kicked in and I felt fine. However, when I had to wake up at 3 AM to get in line at Staples last year, I felt like I was dragging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacya Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 2 years ago when we did the "24 hours of shopping" the adrenaline kicked in and I felt fine. However, when I had to wake up at 3 AM to get in line at Staples last year, I felt like I was dragging.Exactly what happens when I have to get up in the morning...hoping to experience the adrenaline! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christy Garner Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Last year, I went to Midnight Madness at Tanger Outlets in Locust Grove, Georgia. Got there about 10ish and found a parking place with no problem. Most everyone was sitting in cars waiting and around 11 is when things began to get crazy. Everyone began getting out of their cars to line up in front of their chosen store - I was about 5th in line for Aeropostale (They have 50 percent off everything). At midnight, the line just to Aeropostale was insanely long and they were only letting about 25 to 30 in at a time because of fire safety concerns. Parking was also an issue - when I left about 12:45 (I got in an out) people were indeed parking on the side of the interstate, etc. Go early and expect it to be crazy but it was alot of fun. I had plenty of time to get to my first stop, Toys R Us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaInNC Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I've done the midnight madness now for the past 2 years and the one in Smithfield, NC is crazy. Like other outlets, people park on the expressway because they get tired of sitting in traffic. I know it took me twice as long as normal to get there last year. It really depends on what you are looking for. I love to hit the Banana Republic outlet because they run a take 40% off the entire store, and that includes clearance items. Last year the line to check out was running about 45 minutes and the line to try on was just as long. The Gap outlet is also another one with huge checkout lines. The Yankee Candle outlet limits the number of folks inside the store, so you always have to wait for that one. Since gas has come down almost $1 a gallon, I might just do it again this year. It's about an hour from my house, so with gas at over $4 a gallon, it was a no-go. But gas is now down to $2.50 a gallon, so it might be worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaInNC Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 FYI .. you can go to the outlet malls website and find your local outlet. They always put up a flyer that shows what everyone is doing special! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladybing Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 I'm from Flint, MI and I actually gt my DH, sister, and BIL to go shopping with me for BF sales last year!!!! We started at the outlets. Got there around 11:00pm. I'd say the ones with the longest lines were KB Toys, Nike, Columbia, and Big Dogs. The other stores had people, but not as many. So is this the outlets at Birch Run? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beccasbank Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 So is this the outlets at Birch Run?Yes. I also remember they were only letting a few people in at a time at KB Toys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeIU Posted November 5, 2008 Share Posted November 5, 2008 i've thought about heading to jeffersonville, but i heard that the traffic was so bad trying to get out of there that you wouldn't make it to the regular stores! were you able to go anywhere else?We were able to get right out of there. I was back in plenty of time to get some food & shop at Kohls, Toys R Us, and Target in Columbus. I wasn't trying to get any super duper doorbusters, though. I did, however, get everything I wanted. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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