NationStates Jolt Archive

anyone else brave the stores? (yeah, it's a pretty US centric thread, get over it)

I got up at 3am to stand in line at Sears, they opened at 5am, hubby and I got what we needed and were out of there by 5:15, we hit the computer store that opened at 5:30, got a 1 Gig SD card for $3.00 and 3 1 Gig USB thumb drives for $10, and then got to Target by 5:50 for their 6am opening, grabbed the very last digital camera for the oldest, the second to the last Barbie house for the youngest, and got home at 6:30am went back to sleep and just woke up to go get the kids for lunch...........

why am I not tired? Because I got almost $200 worth of stuff for less than $40 today........I am high on consumerism!!

and I didn't even get punched, pushed or trampled!!!!!!!! (although this lady did cuss me for grabbing the Barbie house........:mad:)

sell-stuff-dirt-cheap Day? :confused: :confused:

When's white friday?

sell-stuff-dirt-cheap Day? :confused: :confused:

pretty much. I got a $49 sweater at Sears for $10 except they gave me a free $10 gift card so it was free, same with hubby's tools that retail for $90 that he got for $39 and his free $10 gift card and a $25 off cupon so that was free-ish

the Barbie house is usually $45 I got it for $18, the digital camera $79 I got for $49 and then I had a 30% off cupon there too.

I got my SD card that retails for $39 for $3 and then hubby's USB drives that was a 3 pack for $10 and we got a $7 mail in rebate for them.

:D

I don't shop just to shop.

I will miss the "fun."

Everything's supposed to be quite hectic today, so I'm avoiding the south end of town where most of the stores are. When I leave town I'll go to the onramp on the north side so I can avoid the ridiculous traffic. At least the college kids are gone or else it'd be 5x worse.

pretty much. I got a $49 sweater at Sears for $10 except they gave me a free $10 gift card so it was free, same with hubby's tools that retail for $90 that he got for $39 and his free $10 gift card and a $25 off cupon so that was free-ish

the Barbie house is usually $45 I got it for $18, the digital camera $79 I got for $49 and then I had a 30% off cupon there too.

I got my SD card that retails for $39 for $3 and then hubby's USB drives that was a 3 pack for $10 and we got a $7 mail in rebate for them.

:D

cool!... but why? :confused:

cool!... but why? :confused:

Or as my father-in-law would say.

How much money would you have saved if you hadn't bought that stuff? ;)

Man, it used to be that on Black Friday, you could go to the store, do all your Christmas shopping at low prices, and not see another another customer.

Now all you newbies are ruinin' it. :mad::(:):D

small town, the only early bird sale was at walmart

so i waited in the car until 5 (about 6 minutes) and walked in at the back of the crowd

got 3 things, a 32inch lcd hdtv for $600 (ya ya there were cheaper ones in other stores but that would require a 75 mile drive before 5am), a leather jacket for the son for $50, and a $12 electric broom that my sister wanted me to pick up in case they sold out before she got off work at 7:30.

i dont usually shop on black friday but we need a new tv and ive been waiting for the extra discount for a couple months now.

I have a question, what the hell is an electric broom?!


I mean, it's a broom, they're simple gizmos.

Wake me up when it's over.

cool!... but why? :confused:

It's complicated. But basically to do with mindless consumerism, chasing shrinking middle-class spending power and a desire to join some type of Borg collective.

I have a question, what the hell is an electric broom?!


I mean, it's a broom, they're simple gizmos.

Good question.

It's complicated. But basically to do with mindless consumerism, chasing shrinking middle-class spending power and a desire to join some type of Borg collective.

And it's 50% off! 50% OFF?!!!!!ONE!?!!!!!!?!!!!!!!

I'm staying home, on NS, away from the insanity!!!

When's white friday?

Every Friday of the year is white Friday. Jeez, can't you let the blacks have one Friday for themselves? Racist.

I'm staying home, on NS, away from the insanity!!!

Away form the insanity? On NS?

hahahahahahahahahahaha :p

According to wikipedia:
# Black Friday (1869), a financial crisis in the United States
# Black Friday (1881) in which 189 Scottish fishermen lost their lives
# Black Friday (1889), the day of the Johnstown Flood
# Black Friday (1910), the Women's Social and Political Union took militant action when the Conciliation Bill failed
# Black Friday (1919), a riot in Glasgow stemming from industrial unrest
# Black Friday (1921), day on which British dockers' and railwaymen's union leaders announced their decision not to call for strike action against wage reductions for miners
# Black Friday (1939), a day of devastating fires in Australia
# Black Friday (1944), disastrous attack by the Canadian Black Watch near Woensdrecht during The Battle of the Scheldt
# Black Friday (1945), largest air battle over Norway, over Sunnfjord
# Hollywood Black Friday, the day the six-month-old Confederation of Studio Unions (CSU) strike boiled over into a bloody riot at the Warner Bros. studios leading to the eventual breakup of the CSU
# Black Friday (1959), Occurred Feb. 20, 1958. On this day the Canadian CF-105 Avro Arrow project was cancelled by Prime Minister Diefenbaker. In all a total of 30,000 workers at the Avro plants were laid off
# Black Friday (1978), a massacre of protesters in Iran
# Black Friday (1982), known in Britain after Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands War
# Black Friday (1987), the day an hour-long F4 category tornado ran through the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
# Black Friday (2004), a crackdown on a peaceful protest in the capital city of Maldives, Malé
...
# Black Friday (shopping), the day after Thanksgiving Day in the United States, the first shopping day of the Christmas season and one of the busiest shopping days of the year
# "Black Friday" is the name given to the last Friday before Christmas in the United Kingdom. It is a day when widespread anti-social behaviour due to public alcohol consumption is expected to occur, and police are given additional powers to combat itAm I the only one whos sees a comparison here with Black Friday being used to describe a Friday when bad thinks happen. Like massacres and excessive consumerism...

Away form the insanity? On NS?

hahahahahahahahahahaha :p

I know! I thought about that a little too late!! At least NS is a desirable insanity!!!

According to wikipedia:
Am I the only one whos sees a comparison here with Black Friday being used to describe a Friday when bad thinks happen. Like massacres and excessive consumerism...
Nope.

I know! I thought about that a little too late!! At least NS is a desirable insanity!!!

Yeah we're proud of our insanity! Wo-be-tide anyone who tries to take it away from us!

here in poland its just another friday.

I have a question, what the hell is an electric broom?!


I mean, it's a broom, they're simple gizmos.

i live in the desert. we get way more dirt on the floor than you do and its all but impossible to get the last bit up. grrrrr

an electric broom is basically a handi-vac on a stick, it lets you suck up every last bit of dirt on the floor without having to use one of those bigass vacuums meant for carpeted floors.

here in poland its just another friday.

Same with Canada... AFAIK...

According to wikipedia:
Am I the only one whos sees a comparison here with Black Friday being used to describe a Friday when bad thinks happen. Like massacres and excessive consumerism...

Maybe they should call it 'kittens and butterflies friday' instead.

I'm staying home, on NS, away from the insanity!!!

ns has loads of insanity.

Maybe they should call it 'kittens and butterflies friday' instead.That would be acceptable.

I go another direction (http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/) on this day. Not that it really matters, it just allows me to be sanctimonious about not going near shopping centers...

I go another direction (http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/) on this day. Not that it really matters, it just allows me to be sanctimonious about not going near shopping centers...

fine but youre the one who is going to have to pay $50 for a sweater for someone for christmas when smunkee got hers for free.

id rather buy nothing on a day when everything is full price.

fine but youre the one who is going to have to pay $50 for a sweater for someone for christmas when smunkee got hers for free.

id rather buy nothing on a day when everything is full price.
I could argue that I'm not buying that sweater on any day so it wouldn't matter, but that's not your point.

The thing is, there is a reason that they gave out that sweater, and it had little to do with the kindness in their heart. Not participating in that is sort of the point. If, and this is a cartoonish example, I got a free car if I'd just punch a baby I wouldn't neccisarily consider the car a 'come up.' But you know what? Even though I wouldn't do it, there'd be one very bruised baby at the end of that day. That's sort of sad.

But, like I said, that's a cartoonish example and what I do doesn't really make much of a dent if at all, I just don't feel like punching a baby today.

I could argue that I'm not buying that sweater on any day so it wouldn't matter, but that's not your point.

The thing is, there is a reason that they gave out that sweater, and it had little to do with the kindness in their heart. Not participating in that is sort of the point. If, and this is a cartoonish example, I got a free car if I'd just punch a baby I wouldn't neccisarily consider the car a 'come up.' But you know what? Even though I wouldn't do it, there'd be one very bruised baby at the end of that day. That's sort of sad.

But, like I said, that's a cartoonish example and what I do doesn't really make much of a dent if at all, I just don't feel like punching a baby today.

it is a good idea to reign in our holiday spending. the idea that the message of christmas is "its better to give than to receive" is a commercial one, not a religious one.

to me, if you arent going to spend money on christmas, then not spending it on black friday is a good thing. but if you ARE going to end up buying the sort of thing that is on sale today, why make a point that only costs you money in the end? especially since it will go unnoticed?

i think of the sale i went to today as walmart giving me a $250 christmas present. thats how much more the tv i bought today would have cost me on wednesday.

since i DO punch babies, its best to punch them on the "get a car for punching a baby" day if id like to have a car too.

(this is the first time in many years ive ventured into a store on thanksgiving weekend. i despise holiday shopping crowds. any reason to not shop today is a good one.)

(this is the first time in many years ive ventured into a store on thanksgiving weekend. i despise holiday shopping crowds. any reason to not shop today is a good one.)
Honestly, this has more to do with it than anything else. Which is why I've been half assing the argument and said that it really is just a reason to feel sanctimonious about something I wouldn't do anyway. I worked retail for a really long time and loathed this day almost as much as the two days before Christmas. It will be a long time before the 'Christmas spirit' to me isn't fighting over parking spaces and being rude and abusive to retail employees because the employee doesn't know what to get your 12 year old.

3 1 Gig USB thumb drives for $10

Damn son! I got my first 256MB for 7 times that. :O

It's complicated. But basically to do with mindless consumerism, chasing shrinking middle-class spending power and a desire to join some type of Borg collective.

More like, "Wow, I got all my Christmas shopping done, got everything people wanted, and spent maybe a third the money I would have any other day."

But hey, you can buy it at full price, no one's stopping you.

I'm staying inside today, no freakin' way am I going to go outside today! NO!

*handcuff himself to house*

More like, "Wow, I got all my Christmas shopping done, got everything people wanted, and spent maybe a third the money I would have any other day."

But hey, you can buy it at full price, no one's stopping you.

If I shopped for christmas - which I don't - then I would rather pay full price and shop in a leisurely fashion some other time, rather than face the near riot condtions amongst the hoi-poloi at some ungodly hour of the day.

Anyway, I doubt people save the amount they claim. I don't imagine that these stores are giving away all their merchandise at a third of the price. More likely there are a few limited offer loss leaders to drive this hype and those that miss out, or have a specific item in mind that is not reduced, end up spending as much - if not more - because they are already there and are driven by some form of herd instinct.

sell-stuff-dirt-cheap Day? :confused: :confused:
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving here in the states. Started because Macy's officially kicked in the Christmas shopping period at the end of their parade by ending it every year with Santa.

It is a day known for its high sales, but is the busiest shopping day of the year in America. There have been notorious fights over things like Furbies and Tickle-Me-Elmo's in years past.

The term "black friday" iirc, comes from the fact that it is the day retail stores would be pushed into the black

I'm not waking up at 5am just so I can buy things for 70% off. :p

I'm staying inside today, no freakin' way am I going to go outside today! NO!

*handcuff himself to house*

So, that means you're the wife tonight and the house will have its way with you? :eek:

So, that means you're the wife tonight and the house will have its way with you? :eek:

lol, sure why not.

If I shopped for christmas - which I don't - then I would rather pay full price and shop in a leisurely fashion some other time, rather than face the near riot condtions amongst the hoi-poloi at some ungodly hour of the day.

Anyway, I doubt people save the amount they claim. I don't imagine that these stores are giving away all their merchandise at a third of the price. More likely there are a few limited offer loss leaders to drive this hype and those that miss out, or have a specific item in mind that is not reduced, end up spending as much - if not more - because they are already there and are driven by some form of herd instinct.

Well, since you don't go, and since you haven't shopped on Black Friday, then I suppose that you really don't know, do you?

I have gotten up and out to be at Sears at 5am. No riots. I got what was advertised, at the advertised price. Sure, they are hoping you'll buy other stuff along with the sale items, but it doesn't mean you don't get what was advertised.

More like, "Wow, I got all my Christmas shopping done, got everything people wanted, and spent maybe a third the money I would have any other day."

But hey, you can buy it at full price, no one's stopping you.

which is why I go, I start planning for it at least a week in advance, with a budget like ours (most of our money going into savings) we can't afford to pay full price for things.