Black Friday: Report From The Frontlines

[scfr]

I went to Target and bought myself a $9.99 air popper (for popcorn) and iTunes gift cards (buy one get one 30% off) for my niece & nephew. The parking lot was about 75-80% full, and the store was pretty crowded, especially the electronics department. I arrived at 6:10 so do not know if there was any running or jostling when the doors opened at 6, but I kind of doubt it. The checkout lines were pretty long, but everyone was very civil and waited their turns patiently. They had a "rope line" set up with an employee directing customers which register to go to. All employees that I saw had ad flyers in hand or stuffed in their back pockets. Seemed to be pretty well-organized.

There was a gal working the checkout line trying to sign people up for the Target Red Card. She seemed to be talking to everyone, but when she got to me she looked at me, peeked at what was in my cart, and walked right past me without saying a word. LOL - While I am very happy with my little purchases, she obviously wasn't impressed.

Higher-end items like big-screen TVs and robotic vacuums seemed to be the hot items. There is definitely some big spending going on today in America.

I am happy to report that my Christmas shopping is DONE.

[MonkeyMama]

I didn't even remember that it was Black Friday today.

My husband maybe has some Black Friday plans but has not mentioned. He's asleep right now.

[97guns]

I made a huge mistake and went to the outlet mall today, bumper to bumper all the way there for 30 miles then had to park 8 blocks away, then had to wait in line to get into the store we wanted.... luckily very little wait time to check out but super backed up by the time we were done

All to save an extra $20 from last weeks prices, I'm staying home and watching football next year

[disneysteve]

DW and DD went to DSW to shop for shoes and to Michael's for some craft supplies DD needed. They didn't go because of Black Friday. They went because they needed stuff and this is when they were free to go. They waited until about 1pm to head out. DW said it wasn't bad at all. The roads were fine. The shopping center was busy but nothing crazy. And the stores themselves were okay. Busy but well-staffed and no excessive wait. DSW was having some special deal so she saved extra money on her purchase.

At home this evening, she also bought something on JoAnn Fabric's website. They were having a 60% off sale for Black Friday on an item that she's been wanting so she got a $45 item for about $18 and didn't have to leave the sofa.

[FLA]

I got two puzzles for my mom at kohls.com for 50% +15% off, pick up in store. I want to get to OSJL for some deals but willing to wait until tomorrow. I also bought nightgowns on Lands End for 50% off, free ship. All while waiting for company to come. No stores for me.

[StormRichards]

We stopped at a nearby shopping center to get giftcards for a frozen yogurt shop we frequent. $25 gift cards for $15.

[kork13]

I ended up replacing my cell phone, which is ~3 yrs old, and developing problems with interoperability between apps, firmware, etc., plus battery life issues. Got a good deal I'm happy with... $650 phone for $240. Online, I got a badly needed pair of shoes. We also went downtown for a couple hours, and no matter where we went, it was not nearly as bad as I expected. Same story for my brother in another state, who spent the late morning at the Outlet Shops. Busy, to be sure, but altogether a surprisingly peaceable Black Friday. I wonder if online shopping reduced the foot traffic....because most news outlets were calling today a "strong" sales day.

[FLA]

reports from friends around here said it was surprisingly uncrowded and stores like Target had pallets of the big deal tvs and the like so no grabbing and shoving.

I can't get over that hatching egg toy going for up to 1k on eBay. Stupid.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I bought a welder from Harbor Freight. Welded some rebar today for fun.

[james.hendrickson]

I went by a Target store in Beaverton, pretty much it was mellow. No really big crowds.

I think the offers/discounts this year just weren't that great.

[GoodSteward]

I went to Walmart at 11pm Thursday thinking we would be there just before the mad dash. (I was going to watch). However, they only had one sell this year, it started at 6pm Thursday and that was it. They have pushed this back so far it's now Black Thursday. Either way, it was busy but no drama. Kinda disappointed. lol

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I didn't notice much when I went out Friday to buy socks and stuff on sale. No lines and no people.

[tripods68]

Late post. But our Black Friday was waking up till noon. Didn't go shopping until 1 pm. We stayed locally in town, no traffic at all or big crowds, and went home before 4 pm. Find several deal but nothing special. Great deal we found were online.

[msomnipotent]

We were at a hotel and actually forgot about BF. We went to Walmart on Thursday because we were bored. It was funny comparing a small town Walmart to our's. The parking lot was full and it was pretty crowded because it was really the only place to shop around there, but it was controlled. So many people were on their phones telling others about how crazy it was and how things were out of hand. My BIL asked an employee if things were crazy when it opened (we got there about 30 mins after), and she said, "Oh my GOD!!! Yes!!! They even started slapping each other's hands!! It was SO CRAZY!!!". And we laughed. A normal day at Walmart in Chicago usually involves a fist fight or two and several police calls. Oddly enough, not one person was seen shopping in their pajamas.

I did a bit of shopping on Cyber Monday, but wasn't really impressed with the sales. I'm not the usual shopper, though. I have a set list that is pretty specific and no kids to buy for. The youngest kids always get I Fly gift certs from me and the older ones want gift cards.

[bjl584]

I went turkey hunting. Saw a few birds, but they were too far away to get a shot off at.