Black Friday

[Whimsi]

Anyone participating? I am going to Kohl's in a few hours. It opens at 4 a.m. My husband is researching a way to have me committed at the moment. lmao.

So many sales, so little time!!

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

I don't go anywhere on Black Friday.

I heavily dislike massive crowds, especially when angry housewives are in said crowds. The only time I ever went to a shop on Black Friday was to Walmart with my mom and grandma, and I pretty much wanted to run people over by the time we left I was so annoyed and frustrated.

So, I'm either going to Foxwoods with my boyfriend and his dad to play some poker and have a good time, or else I am staying in and just watching movies and eating sammiches.

[ELO]

I've never done a Black Friday myself, but since I work night shift, I figure I'll be awake anyway so I might as well.

I'm planning on going to WalMart and Best Buy in about 30 minutes. I have my eye on a new TV. Dunno what else I'm going to buy. Probably a few DVDs.

[AestheticDeath]

Anyone hear about Wal-Mart having like a 52" plasma TV for $1000?

That real?

[AestheticDeath]

I see a 50" HDtv for $1397

[Whimsi]

That's the only one I see too :/

http://www.walmart.com/search/browse-ng.do?ic=12_0&ref=125875.125875+500501.500685&fromPageCatId=542313&catNavId=542313

[thefarmer]

Speaking of best buy, the news had people showing up at the local one here.. TODAY(thanksgiving) at noon.

That's some serious effort to save some cash.

[Katt]

Speaking of best buy, the news had people showing up at the local one here.. TODAY(thanksgiving) at noon.

That's some serious effort to save some cash.

For some people every penny counts. Others just like the excitement and the rest are just out of their fucking minds! ;)

I'll never do Black Friday again!

[ELO]

OH MY FUCKING GOD.

NEVER AGAIN WILL I PUT MYSELF THROUGH THAT. WHAT THE FUCK???

GOD DAMNIT!

[ViridianAsp]

I'm on my way to work right now, to bake for Black Friday shoppers.

I fucking hate Black Friday.

[Drew2]

Yeah, I worked at Best Buy 2 Black Friday's ago.

I quit the following day.

[Katt]

Gawds, I can't even imagine working for one. lol.

[Davenshire]

This time a year is great for holidays, but infamous for idiots.

I can't take my beagle out in the woods to hike around like I sometimes do, because some deer "hunter" will probably whack us both if I happen to brush up against some flora and he is on the other side. I used to do some small game hunting but gave that up with all the idiots I've run into out in the bush.

Shopping today is out of the question. Watching people bicker, trying to go to the store to pick up something, and end up moving .000001 mile down the isle because the gynormous person in front of you is only making forward progress from leaning on their cart..... no thank you.

I do feel bad for anyone working today that has to deal with some of these hooty hooes. :( I hope you make it home in one piece and sane.

[Skeeter]

OH MY FUCKING GOD.

NEVER AGAIN WILL I PUT MYSELF THROUGH THAT. WHAT THE FUCK???

GOD DAMNIT!

LOL

[TheEschaton]

I love ELO's two posts in this thread. Tell us the stories! I'll just get out of bed, reheat some turkey and mashed potatoes, and laugh while I eat and read...mmmm.

[Hips]

So, I'm either going to Foxwoods with my boyfriend and his dad to play some poker and have a good time, or else I am staying in and just watching movies and eating sammiches.

I <3 Foxwoods. We went as a family (+ bf) last year when I turned 21 and now they want to make it an annual birthday thing, which is totally fine by me.


As for Black Friday... my mom has been gone since 6:30 AM. I think when she gets back we're going out to go clothes shopping. I could care less though.

[Bobmuhthol]

I was at Best Buy from 8pm - 11 am. I was accused of using a stolen debit card, and I'm not shopping at Best Buy again. They did an awesome job of charging me $400 for a $200 item and having the longest, most useless line in the history of the world.

[Jayvn]

I was at Best Buy from 8pm - 11 am. I was accused of using a stolen debit card, and I'm not shopping at Best Buy again. They did an awesome job of charging me $400 for a $200 item and having the longest, most useless line in the history of the world.

Everyone knows guys with long hair are criminals... c'mon

[Celephais]

I was at Best Buy from 8pm - 11 am. I was accused of using a stolen debit card, and I'm not shopping at Best Buy again. They did an awesome job of charging me $400 for a $200 item and having the longest, most useless line in the history of the world.
What'd you buy?

[The Ponzzz]

I went to Target and picked up a few DvDs for $2 and $5 (all older titles).

Cheapest I saw a plasma was 2k for a 50"...

[Stanley Burrell]

I am not participating in any form of commercial purchase. Not even the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru window. That's mainly because I brewed my own cup of caffeinated beverage today. Also, it's a day after Thanksgiving and I need to go poop and not eat more sticks of butter.

Why's it gotta be Black Friday though? :mad:

[diethx]

Speaking of best buy, the news had people showing up at the local one here.. TODAY(thanksgiving) at noon.

That's some serious effort to save some cash.

Yeah, we got to the Best Buy here at like 2am and the line was already at least 100 people long. When they started handing tickets out, one of the women who worked there said that she saw people starting to line up at 6pm yesterday. People really wanted the shitty cheap systems with VISTA, I guess, since those tickets were gone the quickest.

At least they gave out coffee and donuts at around 3:30, cuz it was FREEZING. The tv and radio showed up and were interviewing people bundled up in like 5 layers and blankets and shit lol. It was kind of fun though. We had friendly people waiting in front of us and in back of us so it wasn't so bad. I personally enjoy Black Friday shopping, and my fiance hates me for it I think.

[Sean of the Thread]

I was at Best Buy from 8pm - 11 am. I was accused of using a stolen debit card, and I'm not shopping at Best Buy again. They did an awesome job of charging me $400 for a $200 item and having the longest, most useless line in the history of the world.

Well what's the story we want to hear all about BF misery!

[Zarli]

I didn't go crazy early, but we were at Target at 9am for black friday. I picked up some of the 3.98 DVD's and my 14 year old wanted an electronic dart board for christmas and they had one on sale this morning.. that's the extent of it. I walked up with my stuff, went to the express lane, waited behind 4 people and was gone by 9:40.

[kheldarin]

I worked..well am still working since I'm on my break. 4am-1030pm shift at Circuit City. With only two one hour breaks, I'm fucking dead tired. The line outside our store supposedly reached over 1000 people and the goal today is 1.5 million dollars. I'm surprised people still buy shit with rebates on them.

I'm gonna sleep the rest of my break.

[Whimsi]

Why's it gotta be Black Friday though? :mad:


I always thought it was because it is the day retailers move from the red into the black. Maybe that's right, maybe it's wrong, I don't know. But I like the following explanation better:



The Friday after Thanksgiving has become known in the last few decades as one of the busiest of the year for retailers, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. One of the names used for this day is Black Friday, which some say comes from the fact that it is the biggest shopping day of the year, putting stores firmly in the black. This is false, as the days closer to Christmas generate more in sales. For the true origins of the term, we have to dig back a few decades.

Laurence H. Black was one of the best floor men in town, working in the men’s department of the old Osberger’s Department Store for over thirty years. He had been with the store since its humble beginnings as a menswear store on Richmond Avenue in the late 1920s. Except for a very brief stint in the service during World War II, he remained with the store as it grew, eventually settling into its later eight-floor retail palace on North Geary Street. Black was a fixture in the store, presiding over the suits, shirts, ties and millinery in his ever-present black suit (”That’s how they remember me. Black suit, Mr. Black, see?”) with a red carnation in the lapel. In a very cutthroat industry, his was one of those rare cases in which he was respected by everyone in the city’s retail trade, regardless of store affiliation. His reputation was even cemented throughout the region, as Osberger’s expanded in the 1950s and Mr. Black would often be called upon to train sellers at the various stores.

But it was the downtown store he loved the most. He was typically one of the first there in the morning (just behind Wharton Osberger) and one of the last to leave, which is exactly as it was on November 27, 1964. Toward the end of his twelve-hour shift, as the massive brass clock overlooking the restaurant in the store’s Grande Center Court read 7:48 pm, Laurence H. Black collapsed, felled by a heart attack. Old man Osberger closed the store the next day and clerks at the city’s other retail palaces wore black in tribute.

The following year, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, all of the employees wore black suits and dresses, highlighted by a single red carnation, with a moment of silence at 7:48 pm, a tradition that carried on year after year and was picked up by many other stores in the city. But, through many consolidations and sales and employee turnover and whatnot, the reason for the tribute and the tradition itself has been lost, save for a few old-timers who still remember. The small Osberger chain was dissolved in the early 1990s and the old parent company is now the owner of a chain of movie theaters in Australia. If you trace back through approximately fifteen mergers and acquisitions you’ll find that the old Osberger stores themselves are all now Macy’s. The central Osberger’s store on North Geary was converted to office space in 2001, after sitting vacant for a number of years. They’ve kept the central court and clock, however.



Link: http://thecitydesk.net/2006/11/21/why-its-called-black-friday/#more-99

[Stunseed]

In retail, if you are red in November, you are fucked.

My store did 87 grand and I'm sure we lost money at IMU ( Item Mark Up ) and retail cost. Granted, many of those items we sold at such high volumes had cost protection so the store isn't really hurt, however many companies are re-considering the black friday approach as payroll %'s are blown to kingdom come by the oversaturation of staffing.

Department stores I would imagine continue the trend. I just hope retailers don't start opening for Thanksgiving. Bleh :(

[Some Rogue]

Department stores I would imagine continue the trend. I just hope retailers don't start opening for Thanksgiving. Bleh :(

There were a few around St. Louis that were....

I am so glad I got out of that business years ago.

[Skeeter]

In retail, if you are red in November, you are fucked.

Don't they do like 60% of their business from Today till Christmas? Trying to remember from my retail days.

Damn glad those are long behind me.

[Stunseed]

Depends on your business. Mine hits harder in Q1 more than any other quarter.

[Skeeter]

I worked at Kohls

[B2]

I worked at Bath & Body Works. It wasn't that bad, I stood at the door and shouted our sales at people who were dubiously looking at our line.

The bad part was that I was good at it, so management KEPT me there instead of moving me around the store.

So I stood and shouted for nine hours.

I was SHOCKED to discover that if I shout at people, they will stop and listen. Absolutely NO ONE walked by me when I was talking to them. Every single person was like "Hey Thanks" or "Maybe later" but they all stopped moving to look at me when I was reciting my shpeal.

I also explained why you couldn't use coupons that say "One coupon per transaction" all together and acted as a rack for people who decided they didn't really want to stand in our five-minute line.

But there was no pushing and shoving for the last "Firewood" scented candle, and I'm not dreading going back today, so I'd guess my first retail Black Friday went okay.

Last year, when I was still at the Cheesecake Factory, it was a whole other story. Angry people who have been shopping all day? People pissed off that their credit cards were declined because the credit card companies shut them off due to "unusual" spending? Dear sweet Jesus was that day horrible.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

Why you gotta call it "Black" Friday? How come we can't call it White Friday or Yellow Friday?

Racist Mutha Fuckas

[Gan]

Yesterday was pretty insane in Houston. Long lines at the checkout in all the malls.

I know we did our share of shopping yesterday evening. Its fun toy shopping for the kiddo and he's still young enough not to realize that its for him.

It will be interesting to see the totals come Monday.

[Gan]

NEW YORK (AP) - The nation's retailers had a robust start to the holiday shopping season, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that tracks sales at retail outlets across the country.

According to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets, total sales rose 8.3 percent to about $10.3 billion on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, compared with $9.5 billion on the same day a year ago. ShopperTrak had expected an increase of no more than 4 percent to 5 percent.

"This is a really strong number. ... You can't have a good season unless it starts well," said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak, citing strength across all regions. "It's very encouraging. When you look at September and October, shoppers weren't in the stores."

In a separate statement released Saturday, J.C. Penney Co. (JCP (http://finance.myway.com/jsp/qt/short.jsp?symbol_search_text=JCP)) reported "strong performance across all merchandise categories," including fine jewelry, outerwear, and young men's and children's assortments.
But the department store chain cautioned, "while we are encouraged by our strong start, it is still early in the holiday season, and we are mindful of the headwinds consumers are facing."

J.C. Penney, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT (http://finance.myway.com/jsp/qt/short.jsp?symbol_search_text=WMT)) and other major retailers are expected to report same-store results for November on Dec. 6. Same-store sales are those at stores opened at least a year and are considered a key indicator of a retailer's strength.

The upbeat reports were encouraging since merchants have been struggling with anemic sales in recent months, as shoppers, particularly in the middle and lower-income brackets, were becoming more frugal amid higher gas and food prices and an escalating credit crunch.

In an apparent sign of desperation, the nation's stores ushered in the official start of the holiday shopping season on Friday with expanded hours, including midnight openings, and a blitz of early morning specials that were more generous than a year ago. J.C. Penney and Kohl's Corp. (KSS (http://finance.myway.com/jsp/qt/short.jsp?symbol_search_text=KSS)) opened at 4 a.m., an hour earlier than a year ago.

The strategy appears to have worked, as shoppers jammed stores in record numbers for early morning deals on Friday. Martin noted that judging by the strong figures on Friday, stores were able to sustain strong sales throughout the day. He said he's counting on strong traffic throughout the weekend as many stores, including Macy's Inc. (M (http://finance.myway.com/jsp/qt/short.jsp?symbol_search_text=M)), are continuing with special deals.

While Black Friday - so named because it was traditionally when the surge of shopping made stores profitable - starts holiday shopping, it is not considered a bellwether for the season. However, merchants see Black Friday as setting an important tone to the overall season: What consumers see that day influences where they will shop for the rest of the year.
Last year, retailers had a good start during the Thanksgiving weekend, but many stores struggled in December, and a shopping surge just before and after Christmas wasn't enough to make up for lost sales.
This year, the Washington-based National Retail Federation predicted that total holiday sales would be up 4 percent for the combined November and December period, the slowest growth since a 1.3 percent rise in 2002.

Holiday sales rose 4.6 percent in 2006 and growth has averaged 4.8 percent over the last decade.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071125/D8T4EQR00.html

[Skeeter]

I went to the mall last night with the wife. Parked in the first spot closest to the door, with the spot next to me open as well.

To say the mall was empty was an understatement.

[thefarmer]

I managed a Starbucks once on black friday. In a two-story mall. The biggest mall in the area at that time.

Everyone worked from open to close (about 7 employees), paid them overtime for the whole day, then took them all for drinks afterwards at the sports bar next door.

Then I quit the next day.

[Bobmuhthol]

<<Well what's the story we want to hear all about BF misery!>>

So I got a ticket for the $200 eMachines computer bundle - T3638 (IIRC), 17" widescreen LCD, and printer. I was getting it for 3 different people; computer for gf, monitor for brother, printer for me. It's $620 normally.

After getting the ticket and buying everything else, we went into the line for computers. I guess everyone that got a ticket went straight to that line because we ended up being pretty much last and waited from 6:00 - 10:00+ in the same damn line in the store. It was mindnumbing.

We finally get to the checkout counter. I'm with three people, 2 of them are getting the $400 Sony laptop and one (my best friend) has a ticket for a 42" plasma TV that he isn't using. The laptop tickets go into a separate line at the end, so my friend stays with me. I hand the guy my Paypal card (I replaced my old one because it was so beat up so this one has my last name as my first name and "Industries Ltd." as the last). After I make the purchase and sign the electronic pad, he says that he can't take the card because it doesn't have my name on it. I pull out my license and point to my last name on both cards, to which he says, "The cardholder has to be present." I'm the cardholder. His next excuse is that I "could have stolen it from my dad." I ask if I'd be able to purchase it later in the day if I came back with a card with my name on it, and get denied. At this point I'm looking at my friend wondering wtf I'm supposed to do and the cashier tells me that complaining won't do anything. I more or less tell him to STFU for saying that and my friend proceeds to take out his debit card with his name on it. He purchases the bundle for $200 for me, we get a receipt, and we leave.

I get home on Friday only to find that Paypal sent me an e-mail notifying me of a $200 charge from Best Buy. I've been hoping that since it was a pending charge and the money was only held, maybe it would clear and I wouldn't have a problem. About half an hour ago I got another e-mail from Paypal saying they removed the $200 from my checking account and it now belongs to Best Buy.

My plans tomorrow: get my motherfucking $200. This is going to be some real bullshit to prove since I didn't make a fucking purchase and thus never got a receipt.

[Sean of the Thread]

Ouch

[thefarmer]

Damn..

[Drew2]

Bring the statement from Paypal and/or your Bank, the receipt from the purchase, your friend in person, and HIS bank statement, showing that you were charged twice for the same item on the same day and explain that the cashier was a douchebag. If you bring a parent (since you're still a minor if IIRC) then the manager will most likely refund the charges.

It's pretty easy to man handle Best Buy if you bring at least a halfway solid case to them. Just threaten to call corporate about it as a last resort and their attitude will change drastically.

[Skeeter]

You're probably fucked, but hopefully you get your money back. Drew's plan seems solid. GL

[Bobmuhthol]

I called them on my way home from school and a manager looked up the purchase through my card number. I should get a call later today.

[Bobmuhthol]

Called them again to check up on it and they're still going through the paperwork / possibly waiting until the store director comes in tomorrow.

[Bobmuhthol]

Stopped being patient with the phone bullshit so I went to Best Buy after work today. Found the employee that I dealt with on Black Friday and he got me a refund. Now I just wait to see it show up in my account.