Are you a "Black Friday" fanatic?

Macfan said:
There was a time, more than a few years back, that we arose at oh-dark-thirty to go out in the cold, dark streets to stand in line for an hour or two just to get in the door and discover the item we went through all of that for had sold out with the first ten people to enter the store. So, no, we discontinued that insane ritual almost as quickly as it started lol! Good luck and more power to all of those that still partake. Online shopping for us, baby :coffee:. Don...
Click to expand...
That's the gimmick, they probably only had those 10 at the low price.

They only have a few of those "great discounts" in each dept.

I saw video once or twice of crowds shoving and pushing and standing out were the young "men" holding Playstations. They're not buying gifts, just grabbing for themselves.
 

Jules said:
This reminded me of a sales technique at a craft sale. The person put items that hadn’t sold in another bin, marked the price up and put the original price as the markdown. They sold quickly.
Click to expand...
people are so easily taken in... not me.. My husband used to always take the mick out of me.. he said it was because I was Scottish that no-one could get a penny out of me they didn't deserve... :D
 
Jules said:
This reminded me of a sales technique at a craft sale. The person put items that hadn’t sold in another bin, marked the price up and put the original price as the markdown. They sold quickly.
Click to expand...
Yep, there's a sucker born every minute...

My bother worked for a tire dealer years ago. Once a year they had a huge blowout sale. Rented a near by parking lot and stacked huge tire pyramids. Mostly brands or models they did not regularly stock, cheap stuff. Took out lots of full page newspaper ads, radio and TV time, etc. Then they marked prices up about 25%, that sale was responsible for most of the tire shops annual profits... I've been leery of "sales" ever since.
 

Noooo. You'll never see me shopping anywhere on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I ignore all of it. I'd rather stick pins into my eyes while jumping into a vat of toxic waste than deal with that mess! Let the shopping ninjas have at it!

image: cartoon by David Fitzsimmons, Black Friday Ops
 
And now for an answer completely different.

I was "apprehensive" for such. Yes, I was worried, would I be put on the front lines, battling the hoards of bargain seeking zombies?

Or would I be tasked with carry out and verification of large purchases? No, I was left in the deli. Talk about D. E. A. D. I sold One cup of pop corn chicken the whole 8 hour shift.

We had been tasked with cooking the company turkey (for associates) and we were given one bird. The manager said "That's all we were allowed"

So we got the huge fryers, then "technically" dropped them on the floor (we had a plastic sheet laid first) so we then moved 8 birds to the associates for dinner.

We also slung mac and cheese, rice and assorted chicken nuggets. But really we were just bored to tears with nothing to do.

I later quit working for Walmart, the employees were great, the customers were (expletive deleted) not.
 
You couldn't get me into a department store on Black Friday if you paid for my purchases. What a merchandising ploy! I'm surprised at how many still go to a brick & mortar stores when there's online shopping available to so many. I have gotten out of the gift giving rat race, since I started getting most of my gifts back the next year! ;)
 
Nope! I don't like advertising, don't really like shopping. I don't need anything except a little bit of food. This madness about shopping has been one of the main causes of gloabal warming. Nope, you are wrong, I am not the Christmas grinch. I am pretty happy.

I have discovered that less is more and that real happiness comes from within your heart and your sense of humour rather than all the junk in your garage that you will have to put out in the spring time for that garage sale. Santa Claus is a big phony invented by Coca Cola and all ye who believe in him shall perish!
 

Attachments

  • Refreshments for Santa.jpg
    Refreshments for Santa.jpg
    66.4 KB · Views: 1
fuzzybuddy said:
And ain't no way in hell, I am going to a store on Friday.
How about you?
Click to expand...
Did it once
seems an eternity ago;


Years ago, my bride and I would find ourselves waiting for stores to open at 4 am.
It couldn’t be helped.
The glisten in her eyes from anticipation of early morning adventures swayed me to wake in the dead of night on black Friday eve, tiptoe past slumbering chickens, and sit in the mall parking lot, staring at the line of crazed humanity already encircling the electronics store like it was Jericho.
One time she joined the horde, unsuccessfully coaxing me to follow.

There I sat, flashlight and crossword in hand, hair askew, bedbeard looking like I was in a crosswind…..stomach chatting with me.
Two minutes to 4, I rubbed the fog off the side window.
The crazies were jostling for position.
I lost sight of the wife somewhere around the corner of the building.
I slap on my fishing cap and begrudgingly leave the refuge of the Buick.
The doors open.
The guy with the keys gets carried away with the mob.
Only thing you can see of him is his flailing arms.
I stroll in with the first 50 shoppers that will get the TV special, getting a glimpse of the wife swimming past, heading to the TV dept….only the specials were all up front. The guy with the keys and foot prints on his shirt, points me the way.
Half hour later, here she comes, TV in cart.
I, TV in trunk, am on the 2nd crossword.

We’re not done…there’s a mere 27 other stores that have free snow globes, free coffee, and free donuts…….the frenzy has only begun.

So we secure her TVs, and make our way upstream, pointing to the trunk as we stroll back inside, making sure the parking lot thieves can know where at least two of the 50 TVs can still be had.

Two hours later, with globes clutched by jittering caffeine induced hands, the furrowed brows on my powdered sugar countenance lets the wife know I’m a couple clicks past jolly…and we go home….blessed home…..


Now, shopping for people at the mall has been great entertainment for my lady and I.
We just sit on a bench, munching on popcorn, and watch mothers drag their screaming little darlings along.....and their husbands (but less screaming...some).
We once sat by one of those quarter horses (put a quarter in the slot), and noted the parent's varied techniques in skirting quarter out-put;

1st dad: DON'T TOUCH IT!!! Tazing his precious antiseptic germ distribution unit with his Neosporin gun.

2nd dad: sets his kid on and fakes putting a coin in, then shakes the crap outta the machine, making periodic wheenying noises.....

3rd dad: points the opposite direction, noting wonderful toy stores around the corner, while briskly whisking his kid by the horsey.


Its great fun.
…and it's quite thrifty.
 
Nope. I learned my lesson years ago, found a Computer I wanted, at a good price- just listed at Best Buy in the Sunday paper. Got to the store minutes after they opened, they claimed it was "out of stock". So I played their silly game and lost, but never again....which means that I win! ;)

I'll find the best deal online and order it, Friday or not.
 
Made the mistake of leaving the house @ 10 AM, needed a coupla quick items. Took me a moment in traffic to realize what day it was. Had to hurry home and get my online shopping done. o_OOMG! I had nothing coming from Amazon.
 
Gary O' said:
Did it once
seems an eternity ago;


Years ago, my bride and I would find ourselves waiting for stores to open at 4 am.
It couldn’t be helped.
The glisten in her eyes from anticipation of early morning adventures swayed me to wake in the dead of night on black Friday eve, tiptoe past slumbering chickens, and sit in the mall parking lot, staring at the line of crazed humanity already encircling the electronics store like it was Jericho.
One time she joined the horde, unsuccessfully coaxing me to follow.

There I sat, flashlight and crossword in hand, hair askew, bedbeard looking like I was in a crosswind…..stomach chatting with me.
Two minutes to 4, I rubbed the fog off the side window.
The crazies were jostling for position.
I lost sight of the wife somewhere around the corner of the building.
I slap on my fishing cap and begrudgingly leave the refuge of the Buick.
The doors open.
The guy with the keys gets carried away with the mob.
Only thing you can see of him is his flailing arms.
I stroll in with the first 50 shoppers that will get the TV special, getting a glimpse of the wife swimming past, heading to the TV dept….only the specials were all up front. The guy with the keys and foot prints on his shirt, points me the way.
Half hour later, here she comes, TV in cart.
I, TV in trunk, am on the 2nd crossword.

We’re not done…there’s a mere 27 other stores that have free snow globes, free coffee, and free donuts…….the frenzy has only begun.

So we secure her TVs, and make our way upstream, pointing to the trunk as we stroll back inside, making sure the parking lot thieves can know where at least two of the 50 TVs can still be had.

Two hours later, with globes clutched by jittering caffeine induced hands, the furrowed brows on my powdered sugar countenance lets the wife know I’m a couple clicks past jolly…and we go home….blessed home…..


Now, shopping for people at the mall has been great entertainment for my lady and I.
We just sit on a bench, munching on popcorn, and watch mothers drag their screaming little darlings along.....and their husbands (but less screaming...some).
We once sat by one of those quarter horses (put a quarter in the slot), and noted the parent's varied techniques in skirting quarter out-put;

1st dad: DON'T TOUCH IT!!! Tazing his precious antiseptic germ distribution unit with his Neosporin gun.

2nd dad: sets his kid on and fakes putting a coin in, then shakes the crap outta the machine, making periodic wheenying noises.....

3rd dad: points the opposite direction, noting wonderful toy stores around the corner, while briskly whisking his kid by the horsey.


Its great fun.
…and it's quite thrifty.
Click to expand...
This is too funny! 🤣
 
I use to go with a friend in my younger days but have not shopped at stores in years on black friday. Last time me and my husband went was to get my first computer. It was about 5 AM and we saw customers literately throwing big Tv's the older kind and I never went to another black friday sale again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top