Black Friday!

[Touchofevil]

Black Friday, or as it is furthermore is to be known as Black Thursday (A.K.A. It's A Mad Mad Mad World), has officially kicked off the savage scramble for the ever elusive phenomenal deal! I have never participated in said event as I am sure the obnoxious behavior of the crowds will put me in a foul mood and I like my Thanksgiving to be a peaceful and relaxing day. I am curious as to how many residents of the Fedora Lounge participated in yesterday's Mad Dash for Savings and did you scoop up anything worth the hassles?

 

[sheeplady]

I've done Black Friday in the past. It has never been too wild, and I've gotten some good things. But I'm not typically after the "big" items.

I won't ever be participating in any Black Friday sale that a store holds that opens before 6am. Quite frankly I think that is too early. Retailer workers have families too and are too poorly paid to be made to work all hours of the day and holidays for no good reason. There are some professions which you often *must* work on Thanksgiving and other holidays- healthcare workers, police and emergency workers, servers/ restaurant workers, sometimes grocery clerks (limited hours), etc. Retail workers shouldn't be one of them. I really do think it's a sad statement about our society that everyone is so greedy (the customers, the stores) that we now have stores opening on Thanksgiving irregardless of the thousands of families that have to have their celebrations ruined. But it's all ok so that someone can get a large flat screen TV for a few dollars less. Yuck.

(I have gone out to eat on Thanksgiving day, but I have always made sure that a very large tip was left if the service was at all respectable, and much more than that if it was very good service.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

I bought a smoked sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich at Dunkin's this morning on my way to work, and that will be the extent of my participation in the economy today. You couldn't get me near a store with a team of Clydesdales and an elephant hook.

 

[Touchofevil]

A couple of years ago, I stopped by Wal-mart on Thanksgiving evening to pick up some cat food and I was surprised and annoyed by the number of people staking out areas they had targeted. They had brought back up and were very unfriendly and territorial. It is the greed and the attitudes that accompany it that annoy me the most; it dillutes the Spirit of Christmas.

 

[DJH]

I bought a smoked sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich at Dunkin's this morning on my way to work, and that will be the extent of my participation in the economy today. You couldn't get me near a store with a team of Clydesdales and an elephant hook.

Similar for me - breakfast in the local 50's diner early this morning. A lot of our fellow customers worked at the outlet stores just up the road and had finished the Black Friday nightshift, they opened at 9 or 10 last night.

I do have to participate in the local economy a little more though - making Arroz con Pollo with turkey leftovers (arroz con turquia?) and need some ingredients.

 

[AmateisGal]

Haven't stepped foot in a store today or yesterday, and indeed, I've only stepped outside the house to get the mail today! I have four days off from work, and I don't intend to spend them crammed in some store with rude individuals. Plus, as an introvert, Black Friday gives me severe chills. I'm in my cozy home office, working on my writing, listening to a Charlie Brown Christmas CD, and just ate a lunch of Thanksgiving leftovers. I don't intend to do much more today, and that's exactly how I like it.

 

[sheeplady]

Haven't stepped foot in a store today or yesterday, and indeed, I've only stepped outside the house to get the mail today! I have four days off from work, and I don't intend to spend them crammed in some store with rude individuals.

I just sat here and figured out the last time I went to a store... and I haven't stepped inside a store in 7 weeks!

It's a little unbelievable, but that's the last time I went shopping. It's almost been two months. I wonder how long I can keep this up.

 

[Touchofevil]

I just sat here and figured out the last time I went to a store... and I haven't stepped inside a store in 7 weeks!

It's a little unbelievable, but that's the last time I went shopping. It's almost been two months. I wonder how long I can keep this up.

Fasting from shopping! But have you shopped online? I know more and more people who are doing so and not just because of the selection and availability moreso it is dealing with other shoppers.

 

[Carl Miller]

This sums it up for me.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Black Friday 2012
The first report I've seen so far

[video=youtube;mg9gRehCIyQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg9gRehCIyQ[/video]

 

[AmateisGal]

I would much rather shop online. The only time I really go to stores is to do my grocery shopping.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The only place, apart from online, where I'll be doing any holiday shopping is the local hobby shop.

 

[DNO]

Some retailers up here have started pushing 'Black Friday' sales, primarily to cash in on the cross-border shopping crowd.
Pretty irritating. No thanks.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I find the whole observation of the holiday season extremely distasteful. I'm not a bah-humbug Scrooge type, but the modern so-called "Christmas" has so little to do with anything that I'm interested in celebrating that I do my best to simply withdraw from it as gracefully as possible. Lucy was right -- it really *is* run by some big Eastern syndicate.

 

[sheeplady]

Fasting from shopping! But have you shopped online? I know more and more people who are doing so and not just because of the selection and availability moreso it is dealing with other shoppers.

Nope, although I probably will buy 2 things online (I need them) in the next month or so. The only places I've been in the past 7 weeks are the doctor's and a restaurant. Although, my husband has been grocery shopping about every two weeks for the basic fresh necessaries- milk and eggs mainly. Everything else is in the freezer.

I don't do a whole lot of online or catalog shopping to begin with, and this winter gifts will be slim- they'll be made from things I have on hand or "extra" gifts I bought past years (for instance, I might buy my husband three shirts at a time on sale, but give him two for his birthday and keep the remainder for the next holiday).

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

Shopping is no fun once the kids aren't happy at Toys R Us. I asked my 20 year olds what they wanted for Xmas and both said "I don't know." I said, want money? "Yep." If I win at the ATM then their Xmas will be happy I guess.

I won't even participate in Cyber Saturday this year, I'm getting a new credit card, and I only have the one.

Later

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Well, I had a very calm day going to the stores. I had to drive to the VA Hospital first for some medical care there, then I was able to drive to a hardware store, purchased my Wife three boxes of those mini christmas tree lights with purple bulbs in them (her favorite color), then went to a local food store to pick up some vanilla bean coffee grounds for the coffee makings, went to the casino on the way back from the store, messed around there for about 35 minutes, won about $85.00 more than I had in my pocket when I walked into the place, then drove home, had leftover turkey, potato, squash, some of the marshmellow and pineapple gooey stuff, dinner rolls, and a fresh cup of coffee.

As for the Christmas shopping, we will wait until this next week. I sort of get the feeling things are going to be on sale everywhere.

Hope everyone had a great dinner yesterday and wish everyone will have a safe holiday season. Bless you and yours!

 

[Touchofevil]

I find the whole observation of the holiday season extremely distasteful. I'm not a bah-humbug Scrooge type, but the modern so-called "Christmas" has so little to do with anything that I'm interested in celebrating that I do my best to simply withdraw from it as gracefully as possible. Lucy was right -- it really *is* run by some big Eastern syndicate.

In our household we play Christmas music, sip on cider, enjoy the tree and the decor and lights inside and out. It is not about who gets what or how much we spend, it is more about the atmosphere of celebrating the happy times together, together.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

I don't know...considering the checkered history of Thanksgiving, having it followed by a day where you step on your neighbor for material gain makes Black Friday quite apropos.

 

[Gregg Axley]

In our household we play Christmas music, sip on cider, enjoy the tree and the decor and lights inside and out. It is not about who gets what or how much we spend, it is more about the atmosphere of celebrating the happy times together, together.

Sounds really nice!

For me I shop online (check couponalbum.com for deals first). I can get some great deals, and never have to worry about someone trying to hit my car to get a spot, or be around crowds coughing and sneezing this time of year. No thanks.
My FIL lives in a small town in Texas, and said it was a madhouse at the local walmart yesterday. 5 people in 4 lines (that's all the lines they have there). Too funny.