Black Friday-A-Holics! POLL!

[brain]

C'mon now and admit it!

Are you a self-proclaimed
"Black Friday" - A - Holic?

I am, and I am not ashamed!
I love to save money!
I can live with the Insanity of the Crowd
Madness, and it's not going to kill me to
the fact I must rise up at that time of the
night ... my A E D S does that for me any-
way! ( ::: rolls eyes ::: )



But why, oh why, does it have to be COLD
early this year for us down here?



Both my son and I have our touring/racing bicycles
ready (YES, Steve's off of his cast! YAY! He now
wears a special type of a brace so he can ride) and
although we will be slow going, but we will have our
backpacks on and heading to the Mally~Wally and
getting there by 4 AM!

Cya!

[skillefer]

Sorry, but I'm one of those that just heard the term recently. But then again, I've never been one for shopping. I'm alot like my dad. You go into a store, get what you need and leave. I don't do the entire bargain shopping thing. My mom will go to 4 different stores comparing prices and quality of black pants. I guess I'm not the typical girl.

[ashmstng]

SORRY. No way.. No patience and I have to work in it. I have to work a full day with all of it.

[Shelley]

black friday was just another day after Thanksgiving. Mom worked at Sears back then, and she said that it was a shame that no one was aware of the quietness of the mall, when there were sales going on to lure customers into the holiday shopping season.
That was over thirty years ago.
Now, malls here will open as soon as midnight to grab as much money as they can because of a dismal year.

[brain]

Remember that old Store? Neon Lights and all?

*laughing*

And how THEY are the ones who started it all,
We're gonna rock
rock, rock around the clock,
1 o'clock
2 o'clock
3 o'clock
ROCK!
(Humbly borrowed from the 50's song,
revised of course!)

24 hours a day and night shopping!

MAN! The best bargains were at 2-3-4 AM!

*laughing*

My family misses it, and my little son, he
would literally REFUSED to go to bed unless
"WE" went to Zayre's in the middle of the
morning! Of course, that was when I would
get his toys the cheapest ... couldn't get it
any cheaper than the bargain basement!

And when Zayres vanished shortly after J
Byron's lapsed ... it just was not the same!
People missed it! Honestly ... just looking for
Zayres own whacky ads they had in the news-
paper constantly was something to CROW about!



They "were" the Wal*Marts ... until Wal*Mart
became denominators and many of the old Zayres
are actually Wal*Mart Stores now!



See my post - almost 3:00 AM;
*grins*
Time for me to go!

[dfwtexas]

When I was younger and healthier, I would never miss it. But these days, I am not comfortable in crowds. Plus my current money situation doesn't allow me to spend so frivialously. We aren't buying presents this year as half of the family has lost jobs and other half isn't sure how long we will have them

[Bernard]

I did the Black Friday thing one year - got up at 3am and to the stores by just before 4am only to find the lines already crazy long. Spent hours in lines only to save a few bucks - no where near a good use of my time (ie. not cost effective at all).

The stress and danger (fighting traffic with crazed drivers) was not worth the few bucks I managed to save. I will never do that again unless I am planning on buying a big ticket item like an appliance or plasma TV or something where I stand to save hundreds (plural) of dollars.

[ziggidypoo]

$$$$$$ what's that $$$$$

[sixpack]

I also just recently heard the term. I do know that I avoid the stores the day after Thanksgiving. I can't stand all the pushing and shoving etc.

Mostly hubby and I shop before thanksgiving. Then I do the little things in the weeks before Christmas. I do buy my kids teachers' gifts after Christmas. I usually get ornaments. Although I know one of my girl's has a Jewish teacher this year, so I'll come up with something else for him.

Now having said that I don't go to the stores on this day, I do have to go to Target and get Lindsay's meds. Man I HATE that parking lot. UGH

[alivenwell]

I'm shopping on line. It gets delivered right to my door. Frankly, I think homemade gifts are much more personal and appreciated rather than some mass produced item.

[Birdbomb]

Golly! 70% of the vote says no way! But just look at those idiots out there scrambling to save $$ on crap no one really needs only to get beat up or killed in the process!

NO THANK YOU!

[hawke86]

I don't go anywhere on days like today. I stay home where it's safe. I agree with you Birdbomb. There was a lot of people out there. I know this cause neighborhood was empty. It looked like a ghost town.

[ziggidypoo]

It's almost 9 p.m. here, so how did your BLACK FRIDAY go??

Was it worth the trouble??

Glad you had fun!!!

Sometimes I just like to listen.

[brain]

Thanks for asking Ziggy!

I found a $50 bill in the parking lot while my son, and
his girl, and I rode our bicycles over there, and what's
so odd was - there wasn't any vehicles over there where
my headlight picked it up! No where in sight! Since it was
dew and damp out, it was out there for quite some time!

After locking our bikes up tight and good, and waited in
line; and everyone was talking - about what all everyone
had for dinner last night (it's an upscale Mall there) ~ it
was good to see some of the same old folks, (Old Faithful
as I call them - *laughing*) who just comes to JC Pennys
just for those danged Snow Globes and nothing else! But
of course, I get those too, including one for my mother,
sister, and my elderly neighbor. My son obtained a couple,
and not realizing that I was given three already, but he had
one for his dad's wife (my ex's wife) as she had a late night
phone call, having to work. But we were able to get items
at real cheap! So we did save and that $50 had to come from
heaven, for I was able to get presents for everyone and then
some, including some pants for me as I only have 1 pair plus
1 pair that my mom bought at a thrift store that's kind of
"shoddy" (for me that is, it's okay for a Middle School kid but
I'm heading on 50 years old, which doesn't look quite right),
but okay to wear around the house.

So Christmas Shopping was done, and believe it or not, my
son and his girl headed out to my ex's new home (they bought
a new one) to paint, and I didn't realize the turkey I had was
nearly 20 pounds and there's no way we could down all this
turkey! Knowing his wife wasn't feeling so well and had been
called to work, and the three of them painting all day.

It has to be the Lamictal that's been added to the A E D
feedbag - it's made me wired! I was able to put up Christmas
Decorations, put up the Christmas tree that my cats have been
sulking about (trust me, you do not want to be around my
cats during this time of the year - they get mad if the tree isn't
up! They just KNOW!) And they have virtually NO PATIENCE what-
soever if that tree isn't up! They wasted no time making themselves
a home under the tree!

(Just do not ask me what it is like when it's time for me to take
all this stuff DOWN - I actually get growled at, scratched, and
insomuch, my elder cat sulks and ignores me for awhile, as long
as a week or so! Geesh!)

And at the same time I'm making Thanksgiving Dinner, since my
ex's wife, she's never had it before (she's from the Philippines),
and last year, my ex had went without and missed it sorely and
she had no idea about any of this stuff. So I'm cooking this too!
*laughing*

I'm wired on Lamictal! *laughing*

Shopped.
Cooked Thanksgiving on Black Friday.
Did, Done, Finished - the interior - Christmas Decor.

Only thing left is the outside lights.


I'm now *pooped*




But the news did come out about Wal*Mart, and it was
horrible news to hear... really sad!



However, the crowds here, were all over the place, and
yes, it was crazy - BUT - people behaved themselves!

================

The highlight of it all was seeing one fellow who bought
4 huge luggages, yes, the one that was on the front page
of JC Pennys 64 page AD ... and just watching him trying
to carry all 4 of them among the crowds and bumping into
everything was hilarious! He wouldn't let anyone help him,
and he didn't trust anyone, not even the store employee
who offered assistance, "NO THANKS!" .... and it only
gets funnier when he has to go up the elevator, and the
crowds are actually watching him.

Since I now was in line, Steve was up there on the 2nd
Floor, his girl who was with me, dumped all this stuff on
me, wanting to watch him and where he goes from there,
ran into Steve - and they watched him. Both of them told
me that he wouldn't even let the Store employee open the
door for him! The people in line were chuckling and laughing,
and I wished I had gone and watched that one.

I made a comment loud enough that this one would have
been awesome for the old "Candid Camera Show".... and
everyone was cracking up, the Clerks heard me and was
laughing. But the Managers who were roaming around,
and the couple who were 2 behind me, made a comment
about the fellow with the luggage ... and the Manager there
just shook his head, and said, "We offered to help and he
declined, no matter what, he resisted. Interestingly enough,
it was amusing to watch him try to put all 4 of those luggage
boxes into his small car until he came to realization he had
to remove his top off and put it into the trunk and drive with-
out a top, and he had no jacket, coat, or anything!"

(It was 51* outside so - think about the wind-chill factor there!)

*laughing*

[Shelley]

Mervyns was the only major department store. We actually knew Mr. Morris, himself. (The store started in our town.)
Santa used to be a window display, and we had our own parade down mainstreet, to ring in the shopping season. Yes, we'd shop after Thanksgiving, but it wasn't the zoo it is today.
BTW, Mervyns is the latest victim of 'Wal*Mart'-itis. (I cried for days.)