Black Friday... What's really happening in your area?

[ryanduff]

I'm hearing conflicting reports this morning and since I don't go out for Black Friday, I'm wondering what others might be experiencing.

To no surprise, the headline on Yahoo Finance is that tons of people are out snapping up deals. If you head to other forums online, people are reporting most deals are bad and there's 50% or less of the crowd there last year.

IMO, it just sounds like the media propping up the market with false reports but I'd like some other experiences if you've been out already.

[Kludge]

I picked up an SD card (to go with a digital picture frame I picked up earlier for my mom) just after I woke up... 4gb advertised at $4.99. Didn't have it in stock (surprise!), so I went with a 2gb card for $5.99. I pick out presents as I see them throughout the year and usually only buy for close family (only seven people), so I can't report on much else. Went to Best Buy... Didn't notice too many people there. No goths or people of circus-height (both tall and short) there like my visit earlier this year. Lines were fast and manned by people with elf names ("Wisper" was my checkout clerk today).

[FunkBuddha]

I talked to my mother-in-law this morning. She works at Belk. She said that there was a big crowd, but not as big as years past.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

The news reports that the malls are packed, but they're showing video that says otherwise.

[slacker921]

I saw lots of people buying the "loss leader" sales items.. but not much else. Best Buy and Target had good crowds, but other stores I went in were kind of sad (lots of registers open and workers standing around but not many shoppers).

I saw two ladies just about get into a fight.. people are just nuts.

[Anti Federalist]

It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I even knew what "Black Friday" was. I mean, yeah, I knew that this Friday was usually a busy shopping day, but not the term.

I shop local, let the fools trample themselves for cheap chinese crap.

[Dustancostine]

I am here working at one of my carts in the mall in Panama City FL, its busy but nothing special. As a retailer, I really hate November, back in the early part of the decade (2000 to 2003), people actaully used to spend a lot in November, especially on Black Friday, now that is not the case, my Novembers are worse than my Octobers. People do not spend hardly anything before Thanksgiving, so any bump the day afterwards is not that exciting. Think about it, who cares if I sell double today when I had zero sales yesterday!! This Weekend is not going to help the markets imo.

[thehighwaymanq]

I know people who say that since people are still shopping and out at malls and stores, that our economy is fine.

"What Recession!? There's a hundred people in this line!"

[Dorfsmith]

My wife got me to go with her to the mall this morning. We drove past Best Buy and the parking lot was packed. The Mall was empty. No lines and the people who were buying stuff were not buying much.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/28/2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html

[Dorfsmith]

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/28/2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html

Slobs :mad:

[ShowMeLiberty]

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/28/2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html

Oh man, that is too sad. It's really scary too because this could end up being typical behavior at grocery stores if the worst-case-scenario predictions about our economy come true.

I wasn't planning to go out today, but maybe I will just to see how things look in my area. My curiosity is peaked now.

[Roxi]

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/28/2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html



OMG thats awful

[Roxi]

also, our store isn't very busy, despite opening at 5am... we had many items we had never carried in the store before at awesome prices.. ie. mp3 player for 5.99 (2g) a digital photo frame for 29.99 (normally 80) and a gps for 69 (normally 129)

our sales are sitting at 3067 and it should be around 8000

[Sarge]

Sad, Sad. A pregnant woman was also trampled and lost her baby.

I hope all who caused this, reflect on what they did this Christmas when those two families suffer though the Holidays.

No product, at a reduced price, is worth two deaths.

Shame on Long Island Wal Mart shoppers who caused this.

[rational thinker]

That's terrible.

[tonesforjonesbones]

What IS Christmas? Our family downsized several years ago. We all decided that we wanted to remember the reason for the season rather than spend a lot of dough on nonsense. We pretty much keep it to one gift each, just for nucleus family...and do a little more for the grandbabies. I'd rather see Christmas go back to baked goods and handmade gifts. That is much more warm and fuzzy to me than some sterile game box. I enjoy the decorations , caroling, and a nice cup of hot wassil. Anyone wanna go caroling with me? Tones

[constituent]

I am here working at one of my carts in the mall in Panama City FL, its busy but nothing special. As a retailer, I really hate November, back in the early part of the decade (2000 to 2003), people actaully used to spend a lot in November, especially on Black Friday, now that is not the case, my Novembers are worse than my Octobers. People do not spend hardly anything before Thanksgiving, so any bump the day afterwards is not that exciting. Think about it, who cares if I sell double today when I had zero sales yesterday!! This Weekend is not going to help the markets imo.

worked the mall kiosks in 2002-2003, still hate christmas... turned me into a total grinch.

hope things turn around for you. i'm sure rent, etc. hasn't shifted to compensate for the lackluster ability of malls to drive the traffic anymore, it's a dead model imo.

.....


as for around here, got a good deal on a jacket and baby doll for my daughter at wal-mart, a fourteen dollar christmas. from the look of things we weren't alone in this regard, most other people looked sad about it though.

what a wonderful world where we all line-up early for the chance to inflict such misery upon ourselves.

civic duty, i suppose.

[constituent]

Sad, Sad. A pregnant woman was also trampled and lost her baby.

I hope all who caused this, reflect on what they did this Christmas when those two families suffer though the Holidays.

No product, at a reduced price, is worth two deaths.

Shame on Long Island Wal Mart shoppers who caused this.

"ain't no love in the heart of the city,
ain't no love in the heart of town."
jay-z

[MelissaWV]

The stores that advertised their big sales are seeing huge, long lines. What you tend to see on Black Friday however is that the stores bring in a tiny number of those blowout-priced items, and then have "reasonably priced" items that could be substitutes for when you arrive five minutes late and find the $300 laptops are all sold out. A lot of people, this year, will turn around and not buy the $500 laptop that seems "just as good" on other years. If they don't get the deal, they'll just leave the stuff, imo.

The part not being addressed is that most of that prefab early on-sale crap is going to be purchased with credit cards anyhow, so the "discount" is moot. People will end up paying off their junk for months and months and maybe even years, so how on earth is it a bargain? Black Friday has always been a mess, and a magnet for the moronic yet materialistic. People want all the shiny objects, but can't afford them, and this is the happy middle for them.

Yes it's a shame that poor clerk was killed, but what was the pregnant woman doing at a Black Friday rush against the WalMart doors? I'm sorry, but that was irresponsible. She didn't "deserve" to lose the baby but she was far from intelligent in her decision to be there. This isn't new, but there's desperation in the air and the mongrels are scenting it.

[constituent]

She didn't "deserve" to lose the baby but she was far from intelligent in her decision to be there. This isn't new, but there's desperation in the air and the mongrels are scenting it.

I believe that is commonly referred to as "intelligent design."


(it's the new evolution)

[acptulsa]

"ain't no love in the heart of the city,
ain't no love in the heart of town."
jay-z

Nothing happenin' on Shakedown Street
Used to be the heart of town.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart
You just gotta poke around.--Grateful Dead

Nothing happening on 41st St., either. If there are any shoppers out today, then no one in town is working because traffic is that light. Anyone who can't find a deeper meaning in Christmas than Santa Claus is in trouble this year.

[fr33domfightr]

Sad, Sad. A pregnant woman was also trampled and lost her baby.

I hope all who caused this, reflect on what they did this Christmas when those two families suffer though the Holidays.

No product, at a reduced price, is worth two deaths.

Shame on Long Island Wal Mart shoppers who caused this.



I think it helps to actually READ the story:

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said. Early witness accounts that the woman suffered a miscarriage were unfounded, police said.


The woman isn't dead, nor is her baby. If someone did die, thats over the top though.


FF

[Truth Warrior]

Typical lunacy to honor the birth of Jesus. :p :(

[crusader]

Middle of the oil basin in west texas - shopping centers are packed/heavily crowded. I'd say by the look of it here, there is no recession.

Keep in mind, the oil basin has been in a boom cycle the past 5 months, i'm sure other areas of the country are reacting differently.

[raiha]

Trampling in stores!!!!!!!may the saints preserve us. This sums up in perfection what has gone very very wrong with your country!Me.Me. Me. Me.

This is outrageous.mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad:

[Natalie]

What IS Christmas? Our family downsized several years ago. We all decided that we wanted to remember the reason for the season rather than spend a lot of dough on nonsense. We pretty much keep it to one gift each, just for nucleus family...and do a little more for the grandbabies. I'd rather see Christmas go back to baked goods and handmade gifts. That is much more warm and fuzzy to me than some sterile game box. I enjoy the decorations , caroling, and a nice cup of hot wassil. Anyone wanna go caroling with me? Tones


I'd love to! :)

[Sarge]

Sorry on the misread on the woman.

One dead is still too many.

[satchelmcqueen]

It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I even knew what "Black Friday" was. I mean, yeah, I knew that this Friday was usually a busy shopping day, but not the term.

I shop local, let the fools trample themselves for cheap chinese crap.

i cant help it, but everytimne i hear the term, i think of a day back in 1985 when the WWF took over NWA wrestlings time slot on TBS for a few weeks. That was a bad day for southern wrestling fans.

Oh well, NWA came back very soon and Vince got the boot. :D

[hopeforamerica]

Two people shot at a Toys R Us in CA:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/28/20081128store-shooting1128-ON.html

I went out today and it was very very busy everywhere I went! Long lines, and people had full baskets.

[hopeforamerica]

double post...sorry

[constituent]

Nothing happenin' on Shakedown Street
Used to be the heart of town.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart
You just gotta poke around.--Grateful Dead


used to be the...
used to be the...


(i'm prepping for my future career as a backup singer w/ the grateful dead)

[CMoore]

The media in these parts hyped Black Friday big time. There was lots of coverage on the nightly news on Thanksgiving. However, the pictures from Friday at the mall looked pretty sparse to me. The malls around here have been empty since last summer sometine. I could see all of this coming back last summer when I went to a local mall one evening and I was about the only person there. Everytime I would visit the mall no matter what time of day, there were very few people there. I know it must be bad other places because, this area has not been hit very hard. The real estate market is not as down as it is in some places and most people around here either work for the government or a local university.

[Sarge]

Great, just shoot people to get a toy. Great example.

Prediction, it is going to get worse.

If they will do that for a toy, wait until there is a run on food.

[constituent]

Great, just shoot people to get a toy. Great example.

Prediction, it is going to get worse.

If they will do that for a toy, wait until there is a run on food.

Man, there's people that will shoot others just for the hell of it. Sign of the times, or more of the same?

[kathy88]

Nothing happenin' on Shakedown Street
Used to be the heart of town.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart
You just gotta poke around.--Grateful Dead

Nothing happening on 41st St., either. If there are any shoppers out today, then no one in town is working because traffic is that light. Anyone who can't find a deeper meaning in Christmas than Santa Claus is in trouble this year.

I was thinking the same thing when I read that :)

I might have to put that CD in tonight.

[libertarian4321]

I never shop in stores on black Friday- too many nutty people fighting to save $10 on a DVD player.

I did buy a Sharp LCD TV from Dell online though.

Great price and never have to leave the house- why fight the crowds when you can get great deals online?

[hopeforamerica]

I never shop in stores on black Friday- too many nutty people fighting to save $10 on a DVD player.

I did buy a Sharp LCD TV from Dell online though.

Great price and never have to leave the house- why fight the crowds when you can get great deals online?

It's different this year for toys. I usually buy everything online. I'm finding it much cheaper to buy locally and not pay for shipping. Amazon.com has priced themselves out of business for me, as well as other online sites.

[Anti Federalist]

What IS Christmas? Our family downsized several years ago. We all decided that we wanted to remember the reason for the season rather than spend a lot of dough on nonsense. We pretty much keep it to one gift each, just for nucleus family...and do a little more for the grandbabies. I'd rather see Christmas go back to baked goods and handmade gifts. That is much more warm and fuzzy to me than some sterile game box. I enjoy the decorations , caroling, and a nice cup of hot wassil. Anyone wanna go caroling with me? Tones

QFT

Tones, I'd say it's not often, but in this case, I agree, 100%.

[ryanduff]

Great, just shoot people to get a toy. Great example.

Prediction, it is going to get worse.

If they will do that for a toy, wait until there is a run on food.

I've been thinking the same thing. I don't want to be involved in that which is why I stocked up in advance.

There are a few expensive things I'd like for Christmas, but all are useful... water filters, reloading kit, etc. I don't need consumerist crap like books, dvds and other wasteful items. In a year or two they'll be moot. And it won't be easy to sell them for cash. When things get limited, people aren't going to barter for a DVD, but rather things they need like food.

[Anti Federalist]

Nothing happenin' on Shakedown Street
Used to be the heart of town.
Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart
You just gotta poke around.--Grateful Dead

Nothing happening on 41st St., either. If there are any shoppers out today, then no one in town is working because traffic is that light. Anyone who can't find a deeper meaning in Christmas than Santa Claus is in trouble this year.

Totally off topic, but you prompted me to PlayList that song, which then led me to this one, one of my favorites that I had been looking for a 'Tube of:

Phish - Free (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aFByioqlPE)

[heavenlyboy34]

What IS Christmas? Our family downsized several years ago. We all decided that we wanted to remember the reason for the season rather than spend a lot of dough on nonsense. We pretty much keep it to one gift each, just for nucleus family...and do a little more for the grandbabies. I'd rather see Christmas go back to baked goods and handmade gifts. That is much more warm and fuzzy to me than some sterile game box. I enjoy the decorations , caroling, and a nice cup of hot wassil. Anyone wanna go caroling with me? Tones

I like to give handmade gifts. I make CDs and artwork for everyone I know that likes them. :D

[Malakai]

I saw lots of people buying the "loss leader" sales items.. but not much else. Best Buy and Target had good crowds, but other stores I went in were kind of sad (lots of registers open and workers standing around but not many shoppers).

I saw two ladies just about get into a fight.. people are just nuts.

2 years ago i worked at toys r us during black friday, there were fistfights over the 4 PS3's and 10 Wii's we had.

[pacelli]

The major label outlet mall (an outdoor shopping mall) located in the Outer Banks, NC, were a complete zoo this morning around 10am. The best part for me was that the traffic completely cleared up once I drove past it.

[WRellim]

What IS Christmas? Our family downsized several years ago. We all decided that we wanted to remember the reason for the season rather than spend a lot of dough on nonsense. We pretty much keep it to one gift each, just for nucleus family...and do a little more for the grandbabies. I'd rather see Christmas go back to baked goods and handmade gifts. That is much more warm and fuzzy to me than some sterile game box. I enjoy the decorations , caroling, and a nice cup of hot wassil. Anyone wanna go caroling with me? Tones

Agreed -- we have a small family and typically keep gifts to a minimum, normally you just try to find something small that people will both USE and ENJOY but which they would maybe not buy for themselves.

BTW, I *LOVE* caroling -- and if you were anywhere nearby would join you in a heartbeat!


As to what shopping is like around here -- sorry, but I have no clue.

I was actually planning to pick up a few "extra copies" of convenience things (imported, and stuff that does NOT last forever, like another coffeemaker, microwave, etc -- stuff I know will quit eventually, but which I'd rather buy now with a $10 or $100 FRN than later with post-hyperinflated $1,000,000 FRN notes -- savings does NOT have to be in cash/gold) all of which will likely go UP in price substantially when inflation hits -- but which could/should be bargains after the holidays. If the shopping season is really LIGHT then that is a signal everyone else is thinking along the same lines... and I may have to revise my plan and pick up the bargains as the stores reduce prices PRE-Christmas to induce sales. (But since I'm planning on simply "inventorying" the stuff into storage in the garage attic... well who knows).

[RSLudlum]

I have no idea what the shopping centers looked like today; I stayed far from them. I really don't have much to shop for. My family is pretty small and my wife's family (which is huge) does 'pollyanna' (aka Secret Santa) for Christmas where everybody puts their name in a hat and everybody draws a name. You get a gift for the name you draw.

[ItsTime]

I was told by my local news that everyone maxed out their cards and you should do the same

[Anti Federalist]

WRellim wrote:


I was actually planning to pick up a few "extra copies" of convenience things (imported, and stuff that does NOT last forever, like another coffeemaker, microwave, etc -- stuff I know will quit eventually, but which I'd rather buy now with a $10 or $100 FRN than later with post-hyperinflated $1,000,000 FRN notes -- savings does NOT have to be in cash/gold)

Quite right.

Car parts for me. Tires, filters, sensors, rebuild kits, bearings...you name it.

Skill sets and the parts and tools to use them will be just as valuable as "hard currency".

[ingrid]

I went to the mall with my family, since they wanted to get shoes. Thought about getting a pair of boots, but the ones they had were too low quality even for the (sale) price. I went to another mall later, but I just had lunch out and then watched the new James Bond film, which was good. Both malls did seem pretty packed and people were buying things...not sure though how it compares to previous years

[qh4dotcom]

Looks like there will be no Black Friday in 2012

http://www.prisonplanet.com/celente-predicts-revolution-food-riots-tax-rebellions-by-2012.html

This year's slumping sales and less customers may be just the beginning

[WRellim]

Quite right.

Car parts for me. Tires, filters, sensors, rebuild kits, bearings...you name it.

Skill sets and the parts and tools to use them will be just as valuable as "hard currency".

Geez. Those are great ideas... I'd already figured on boosting my stock of oil & filters (not that I use many... I've learned to minimize my driving) -- but I had NOT given any thought to tires (probably in part because I still have at least 3 or more years of tread on mine, esp with the minimal mileage that I put on them these days)... Hmmm.

Only problem is that tires are REALLY bulky things to store. (I've been thinking more "convenience" of small/mid-sized things.)

But of course, I have boosted my budget for tools and machinery... strongly considering one of these babies (http://www.shopbottools.com/shopbot_buddy.htm). (A lot more compact/practical for a part-time operation than a standard moving carriage model -- which you would have to basically have dedicated space for -- instead this thing is just like having to make room for another [rolling] table saw. I was actually designing a home-built version of something VERY similar this summer, and am now hemming and hawing about whether to just pick up one instead; there are pros & cons to both.)

And of course if there are any auctions nearby of factories or shops going under... I intend to be there with my wallet/checkbook and truck handy ...ready to pick up any bargains.

[raiha]

Why do you call it Black Friday? I thought they were either on Friday 13th or reserved for stockmarket crashes.

[WRellim]

Why do you call it Black Friday? I thought they were either on Friday 13th or reserved for stockmarket crashes.

He's just repeating what the MSMedia is calling it these days (not certain, but I think this is the first year it is being called this).

Years ago it used to be called "Thunderherd Day" and a host of other terms (none of which seemed to last long).

I think the media and/or the retailers were anticipating it being a bad day for retailers, and they were telegraphing the punch so to speak.

[Alawn]

He's just repeating what the MSMedia is calling it these days (not certain, but I think this is the first year it is being called this).

Years ago it used to be called "Thunderherd Day" and a host of other terms (none of which seemed to last long).

I think the media and/or the retailers were anticipating it being a bad day for retailers, and they were telegraphing the punch so to speak.

They have called it Black Friday for as long as I can remember. I don't know why. But this is not a new term.


I just looked it up and apparently the name has been used since 1965 and to refer to the traffic.

[Pepsi]

The mall was dead here. The only place that I could tell that had the most people in it was the Arcade. They have a lot of new Shoot them up games there.

[moostraks]

He's just repeating what the MSMedia is calling it these days (not certain, but I think this is the first year it is being called this).

Years ago it used to be called "Thunderherd Day" and a host of other terms (none of which seemed to last long).

I think the media and/or the retailers were anticipating it being a bad day for retailers, and they were telegraphing the punch so to speak.

Actually depends on where you are located as to how long you've been hearing the term because I have heard it for awhile as well. Heard it explained as the day when the sales turn a business from being in the red to being in the black ink.(Red ink is used for losses, black ink for positive cash flow)(Us really superstitious folk do not ever sign a check with a red pen. Major bad mojo...)

Seems counterintuitive because black fridays are so engrained as a bad thing but in accounting terms it is different...:D

[WRellim]

They have called it Black Friday for as long as I can remember. I don't know why. But this is not a new term.

I just looked it up and apparently the name has been used since 1965 and to refer to the traffic.

Hmmm... maybe it's been a "regional term" (apparently east coast) -- here in Wisconsin, I can't say that I've never heard it used in the context of the shopping day until this year... the media always seemed to come up with other names for it.

Like the poster above, normally I'd have associate it with [bad] a stock market event.

[ryanduff]

They have called it Black Friday for as long as I can remember. I don't know why. But this is not a new term.


I just looked it up and apparently the name has been used since 1965 and to refer to the traffic.

I think your sarcasm detector is broken... better ask for a new one for Christmas! ;)

[WRellim]

Actually depends on where you are located as to how long you've been hearing the term because I have heard it for awhile as well. Heard it explained as the day when the sales turn a business from being in the red to being in the black ink.(Red ink is used for losses, black ink for positive cash flow)(Us really superstitious folk do not ever sign a check with a red pen. Major bad mojo...)

Seems counterintuitive because black fridays are so engrained as a bad thing but in accounting terms it is different...:D


And interesting description -- and from an accounting perspective it would make sense -- no way to know if that is a "backwards" redefinition (the Wikipedia entry seems to push the concept that the name was given -- in derision -- by the Philadelphia Police department, due to traffic jams, accidents, etc.)

I was just hoping that it wasn't being given special "prominence" this year because of Obama. (Though I suppose that would have been a few weeks ago and then it would have been "Black Tuesday"!)
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[QueenB4Liberty]

the mall was packed here yesterday. well, one of them. I don't think the economy is necessarily hurting bad in Houston. Everyone was civil, but there were lines at all the clothes stores I went to...we waited for at least 20 minutes at 3 stores.

[LittleLightShining]

civic duty, i suppose.
I actually heard someone say this on the radio yesterday. A reporter asked a woman how she felt about snapping up great deals during a recession and she said something to the effect of, "It's important for people to keep spending money right now because if we don't the economy is only going to get worse."

[raiha]

Thanks..i get it now...black as in ledger black. So its a good thing (unless you get trampled to death)

[Anti Federalist]

WRellim wrote:


strongly considering one of these babies. (A lot more compact/practical for a part-time operation than a standard moving carriage model

That's a slick tool there.

And I keep the car parts for some very common vehicles, mostly F series trucks, some for my 93, "de-computerized" crew cab 4x4 and some other makes and models.

If the SHTF I don't know how much driving any of us will be doing, but it will be critical to keep at least some of them running.

And that's a valuable, bartable commodity.

[puppetmaster]

Macy's here in Reno, more help than customers...on a Saturday no less.

[Pete]

My daughter works at a mall outlet of a national chain. She said that their sales hit their goal, which was a few percent over last year, and that traffic was healthy but not crazy.