Black Friday 2009

Nov 27, 2009 08:51

Am I the only one who thinks that maternity pants would be ideal for Thanksgiving? Every year, I tell myself that I will not over indulge, and every year they bring out all my favorite foods plus four different kind of desserts. Who could resist such fabulousness? Thanksgiving went well. The biggest problem being what to do with all the leftovers.

Black Friday was a blast and super successful! We went to bed at about 8 PM last night, and then we were both up by 2 AM, but we waited out our alarm which went off at 3 AM. We then headed towards the local Wal-Mart. The nice thing about Wal-mart on Black Friday is that they actually let you in early so you don't have to wait in the cold. We were the first in line for the Cricut machines--that was for Julie. I actually bought the New Moon board game and Cranium for $5 each, a set of 13 picture frames for $13 as a secret santa gift, and a set of 600 thread count sheets for $24. It took about forty minutes to get through the cashier lines, so we got out of there at 5:50 AM. Then we headed for JC Pennys, where I ended up getting 60% off of all my purchases! Very Successful day.

I've been thinking about Black Friday, why I like it, what works, what doesn't work, etc., and this is what I've come up with...

Reasons I like Black Friday:
--Hanging out with my sisters
--Fun of doing something different
--Getting good deals
--Lack of traffic--this one is key, because I can get all the three others by shopping at any time. It's my opinion though that congested streets + congested stores = maximum frustration and aggravation. I can handle one or the other, but the two together is too much. As it is, when we left the craziness of Wal-Mart this morning, we breezed over to JC Penny's and then back to our hotel with almost empty roads the whole way. It's a relief to get out of the store, but not if you have to face bad traffic when you do.

Tips for Black Friday Shopping
1. Don't get caught up in the craze--just because they say it's a good deal, doesn't mean it is (look at quality as well as good price)
2. Don't get caught up in the craze--just because it's on sale, doesn't mean you want to buy it.
3. Go for the smaller items--while everyone talks about and gets excited about the big ticket items, we've actually had more success buying smaller ticket items. Last year I got a cart full of Christmas Tins at almost 80% off saving $50 or $60, gifts for all the people I work with, and I didn't have to knock anyone out of the way to get them. Plus on those big ticket items, I think it's usually better to take your time and get what you want rather than just getting whatever is on sale.
4. Look for the practical items--this year has been especially good for practical doorbuster items
5. Be flexible--Be open to the unexpected. Spontaneous purchases aren't always bad, just don't forget rules one and two.

So that's my Black Friday shopping philosophy. TMI, I'm sure. Happy shopping!
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