Anyone else getting excited for Black Friday?

[AuntJamelle]

Or should I say the crazy event that now is going to start at 6AM Thursday morning and run through the whole weekend?

Ugh!

I'm a big Meijer shopper and really had fun looking through their ad today! I have a long list of things I want to try and get! I've been in overload - updating my planning documents!

Listened to Christmas music while planning!

 

[luludou]

It's only been starting around here since the last 2 years and mostly electronics... not worth our while yet.

 

[missjane]

I love shopping on Black Friday. In fact, I enjoy shopping that entire weekend, and DH and I often rent a hotel room on Friday night in Monroe so we don't have to come home Friday night only to get up and go back on Saturday. I'm not sure we'll do it or this year. DD21 and her DH live just 12 miles north of Monroe, so we may ask if we can stay with them Friday night!

 

[MrsSoup]

I have only gone out on Black Friday once and it was when we lived in my very tiny hometown and I only went to Walmart for a trampoline and was in and out. I can't stand huge crowds of rude people. LOL And now that we live in an enormous city, I can't imagine going out here. My MIL and her daughters and some other family go every year. There's just nothing in the ads that is ever on my list or worth it to me.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

we don't do Black Friday here, but if we did I would doubt that I would participate. I hate the jostling and pushing of a big crowd.
The next big shopping day for us will be the Boxing Day sales and I have a lot of friends that religiously get up early to attend. Some of the prices are crazy good but normally on things that I don't need.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I like to go out on Black Friday early in the morning and to the places where there aren't many crowds. Since the sales have started on Thanksgiving, the stores seem empty on Black Friday. It's such an odd feeling to be one of a handful of shoppers at 6 am on Black Friday.

 

[AuntJamelle]

There aren't usually any crowds at stores on our side of town - except for at Walmart - ugh!

We have a very large shopping center on the north side of town and that is where it gets crazy! JC Penney is out there and I'll opt to do their sale online instead!

But the Meijer near us is always pretty calm - like walk right up to a register calm

I usually do Kohls online as well - because they do have a crazy line usually.

I might go to Target? Not sure yet...but Meijer definitely!

 

[housewife2]

yes I love it. I ask for that day off. im working the morning on thanksgiving cracker barrel is so busy. I get a lot of my shopping done. I live 2 minutes from target and the mall.enjoy

 

[ChristmasPir8]

we do some shopping, I just started looking at the ads as they are being leaked on line. Now that the kids are older I don't need the toys and some of the other stuff that is out there. I am not sure if I have found anything that I have to have. In the past we did Walmart, Target and Bass Pro ($10 jeans) Mom and I used to go out at night when it started in the middle of the night. Now DH and I sometimes go out. I always have to work some time on Black Friday

 

[Lolwlias]

I will be at work. I hate crowds, so no thanks. I've done it. I can say I've experienced it. No more.

 

[svenjeff]

I skipped the crowds and got my products online. It's much more convenient and you don't have to argue with people, you just have to be fast clicker

 

[ChristmasPir8]

anyone get good deals? I got some stuff and we went out but we were at stores after they had been open for a bit so no major crowds and I got stuff, we had nothing specific on our list so that helped

 

[AuntJamelle]

I did get up super early and head to Meijer on Thursday - was able to walk in, get my items and check out by 6:30AM.

Rest of my shopping was done online this year!

 

[Cindylouwho]

We did our Thanksgiving on Wednesday this year so the first time ever we were rested on Friday and decided to go for it. We too were surprised to find that we were only a few out there at 6am. We chose to avoid the traffic surrounding the largest mall and go to a slightly smaller mall instead. We nearly had the place to ourselves. Crowds picked up substantially at 10. LOTS of stuff was 50% off.

An employee at Macy's said Black Friday morning is actually a good way to go now that stores open on Thanksgiving night. The madness hits that night, then the stores have all night to restock for the Black Friday early birds.

What I did NOT have was a plan -- so lots of time was wasted figuring out what I needed. I wasn't actually planning to buy anything, just experience it the chaos with a cup of coffee in hand because I thought the lines would be enormous. But nope. So it was a real wasted opportunity. Next year we'll do a Wednesday Thanksgiving again and have a PLAN in place for Friday.

The rest of my shopping I'll do online -- hoping to wrap up this weekend.

BIG TIP I got from Yankee Candle: The best deal they had was a coupon that was emailed to their mailing list to bring to the store (4 for price of 2). The in-store Black Friday deal was 3 for the price of 2. But the best best best deal they have is in JULY -- and then it is like half of that. So I'm putting that in my calendar for next year.