Black Friday Deals/experiences

[adrian]

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and that means black friday the day after!!!

Post your experiences/deals here.

Exprience:
About 2 or 3 years ago, I went to my first Black Friday event at Royal Kunia Walmart with my older brother and mom. The parking lots (and streets for that matter) were packed with cars and customers, and we finally found a place to park (it isn't easy finding space for an Aerostar van). We walk down to Walmart, and we see a whole line that goes against the front of the store two times (so it snaked around the front and onto the parking lot) and we get our place. The line moved slowly (if it ever moved at all) and finally, the big moment arrives: I felt like a marshmallow being squished between people as they pushed to get in. Eventually, we got in, and we split up, until we discovered that we met up in the electronics department. We got 2 TVs/VCRs, and in the spirit of Aloha, we helped other people in the back get one (or a few). We had someone with two way radios on one end and at another end, communitating who needed what (they weren't part of Walmart, but since they had Nextel, they used their service for good). We spent the next few minutes passing the TVs over our heads to one end to another, until everyone was fulfilled. After that, we grabbed our own, and went down the food aisle to pick up some spam and saimin. After that hectic portion, we loaded up the car and went to Waikele to continue this all over again at Kmart and eventually, Circuit City.

I don't know if I'm going this year, because my Mom will be at home taking care of our clients, but I don't have any money to spend too (unless there's a sale at compUSA, then I'm there.)

[Kilinahe]

Being a former retail slave, I now get queasy at the mere suggestion of any trip to any selling-type establishment in any way, shape, or form. I worked a few Black Fridays, and let me tell you, nothing puts a person off shopping faster.

[adrian]

click here (http://forums.gamespot.com/gamespot/show_messages.php?board=314159266&topic=17678466&page=0)
(it goes to another forum site, but I can't copy/paste all of the deals.)

I wish I had money to spend :(

[pzarquon]

As I mentioned in another thread, I used to go to the malls on the day after Thanksgiving specifically because of the crowds. It was like watching lab rats in a stress experiment. These days, though, the absurd behavior of my fellow consumers isn't quite as appealing as staying home and shopping on Amazon.com.

We used to live on Keeaumoku, and the one thing I liked about the start of the holiday shopping season was the elimination of street parking on Keeaumoku between Ala Moana and S. King. With WalMart there, though, I doubt the improvement in traffic flow will be all that much better than it is now.

Isn't the city's Tree Lighting Ceremony set for Friday, as well? Honolulu City Lights!

[adrian]

Isn't the city's Tree Lighting Ceremony set for Friday, as well? Honolulu City Lights!
If so, then I bet the only reason why people will go home, is to drop off the goodies they bought and go out for more.

But I bet they'll be a lot of people will eat out for that day.

[adrian]

I just came back from Circuit City's sale, and it was frantic.

My Mom bought herself a $400 computer (included was the tower and monitor, etc), but she added a surge surpressor, scanner/printer combo, and since I mentioned a DVD burner, Circuit City installed one for $100 (which took 45 minutes to supposedly install, but I should have bought the drive and installed it in 10 minutes at home [which was my mistake anyway]).

A client of ours living at our home shelled out $1,100 to pay for a DVD camcorder and a 6.3mp digital camera :eek: (me too, I don't understand). He's a disabled senior citizen, so don't ask me where he got the money.

At the Circuit City pick up area, it was good that we're local, because all of us were telling our stories of how our day went; people getting cheap big screen TVs, DVD players, and other electronics. I should have brought my iPod because it was hella boring, but I survived another black friday.

[808_m3]

Being a former retail slave, I now get queasy at the mere suggestion of any trip to any selling-type establishment in any way, shape, or form. I worked a few Black Fridays, and let me tell you, nothing puts a person off shopping faster.

I agree. For me, it has gotten to a point where I avoid the whole event all together. Dealing with the parking, going through all the crowds, and especially the RUDE people is just not fun anymore. :mad:

I usually wait a week or so to visit the malls again. Actually, this year, I may opt to do all shopping online and avoid the malls all together.

[EastCoastTropics]

Well, I went shopping at the mall yesterday morning, before noon. It was very crowded. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot there was a parking space open so I took it right away. And walking from the back end of a parking lot isn't that far (for me) when I don't have to circle the lot for 45 minutes waiting for peeps to leave!

Anyhoos, the mall was packed. But I was able to find what I needed in the stores that I did go to....Filene's, Macy's and Petite Sophisticate. Although crowded, these stores had plenty of help on hand yesterday.

[memorylane]

I went a couple of years ago just to say i had experienced and i thought it was real damn sad how grownups were tattling on each other when the ones who stayed in their cars to keep warm (Cold Oklahoma) walked to the doors when it was almost time thereby *cutting* in line against the ones who'd been in line since whatever time. Pure childish.
The sound of everything being ripped into when the time clock or whatever went off was absolutely incredible. :rolleyes:

[Miulang]

We went downtown (Seattle) today to see the action. Unfortunately, there was very little retailing going on (I think most people were at the Heehicks game down the street). Took the free trolley about as far as we could around the downtown area. No throngs or crowds of people anywhere. Actually, it was kind of pleasant to be outside in the 45 degree weather, without being jostled around! Had lunch at a yuppie restaurant (the original Palomino's) and walked down to Pike Place Market. All I bought was about a half pound of chanterelle mushrooms (they cultivate them commercially now, I think).

Maybe the crowds are all at the malls, because they certainly weren't downtown.



Miulang

[Pomaikaikeolaho]

We went downtown (Seattle) today to see the action. Unfortunately, there was very little retailing going on (I think most people were at the Heehicks game down the street). Took the free trolley about as far as we could around the downtown area. No throngs or crowds of people anywhere. Actually, it was kind of pleasant to be outside in the 45 degree weather, without being jostled around! Had lunch at a yuppie restaurant (the original Palomino's) and walked down to Pike Place Market. All I bought was about a half pound of chanterelle mushrooms (they cultivate them commercially now, I think).

Maybe the crowds are all at the malls, because they certainly weren't downtown.



Miulang

Nah sistah dey wuz all at WalMart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D

[pzarquon]

Hopefully it wasn't a significant indication of how this retail season will actually go, but I watched both KITV and KHON's evening news on Friday, and it really looked like they were struggling to find shots of big crowds. The copy the reporters were reading didn't quite match the images we saw in the background. KHNL, I think, even had an aerial shot of Ala Moana, and it showed a busy parking lot, but no gridlock... including a few available stalls.

I ducked into Costco for some staples over the weekend, and while it was busy, I've seen worse. They've really beefed up their toy and gift aisles... making "quickie" runs with kids a little more difficult to pull off!

[Linkmeister]

I ducked into Costco for some staples over the weekend, and while it was busy, I've seen worse. They've really beefed up their toy and gift aisles... making "quickie" runs with kids a little more difficult to pull off!

Er, wouldn't you have done better at Office Depot for staples? :rolleyes:

[pzarquon]

Hee! Yes, well, if I were looking for staples. :) I tend to say that to distinguish the more typical diaper-and-ground-beef supply run from the DVD-browsing, plasma-TV-dreaming, impulse-buying Costco trip, which sadly is the domain of shoppers in their apparently more-upscale demographic (http://business.cisco.com/prod/tree.taf%3Fpublic_view=true&kbns=1&asset_id=88778.html).

[MixedPlateBroker]

I much prefer the serenity of a point-and-click shopping experience over the "300" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSkgzbxNcY)-esque madness one might encounter hitting the malls/big boxes on Black Friday. Nevertheless, I look over the ads just so I won't miss out on anything.

Here are some of Wal-Mart's best BF deals in honor of Adrian:
Polaroid 42" 1080p LCD HDTV - $798.00 (http://bfads.net/Polaroid-42-1080p-LCD-HDTV-at-WalMart)
Venturer 8" Digital Picture Frame - $49.84 (http://bfads.net/Venturer-8-Digital-Picture-Frame-at-WalMart)
Compaq Presario SR5223WM-B Desktop Computer Bundle - $398.00 (http://bfads.net/Compaq-Presario-SR5223WMB-Desktop-Computer-Bundle-at-WalMart)

[nachodaddy]

Start planning your strategy here.

http://bfads.net/

[Menehune Man]

I just can't take it!
Arghhh.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

my kids are too old. BF isn't the fun it used to be. I have ~war~ stories about getting that scooter @ $29, one of the 50 that WalMart brought in. I dressed like a ninja, used the Force™, and got one for my little daughter. I also got a case of spam for $12. Why? Because I could.

But old habits die hard. I have feral elements. I obey my instincts. I will be in the fray, at dawn, scoping out prey...

[1stwahine]

My strategy is simple.

MOVE!:rolleyes:

Auntie Lynn

[LikaNui]

My strategy is simple.
MOVE!
Is that before or after your legendary whack-whacks?
Shoots, it's probably before AND after! :p