Red and Green Friday
I usually join the early morning shoppers on black Friday every year. I've driven throught the dark streets for a pre-dawn discount, but this year the retailers simply pushed me to far. 5:00 a.m.????? Are they insane? I thought I might have been crazy to go to the 6:00 a.m. sales. 5:00 start time kept me home for the day. If you can't go at the very beginning, I see little reason to get out at all on this busy shopping day. The major incentives usually go to the very first customers. Once the sun comes up, you can't find many deals that you can't also find tomorrow.
The incentives weren't quite as good this year as in years past, either. I know why. The professional black Friday shoppers work the system too well. They scour the papers on Thursday and make a time-scheduled plan to get in on as many deals as possible. I've seen them arrive at the first store to open, push through the line to get their incentive (I was onced literally raised off the ground by the masses) and then they run to their cars and drive to the next store. After collecting all their coupons, gift cards and give-aways, they go back to shop with the items that expire that day. If the retailer hasn't planned against it, they end up giving things away to people who don't even shop the store!
The big retailers wised up this year and came up with systems to stop most of that. It is a good thing they've done that, perhaps nobody will be smushed this year.
We did get out for an IHOP brunch this morning, and the waiter said the restaurant was full at 5:30 this morning. Apparently the Wal Mart shoppers arrived at 5:00, got their goods and decided they had time for breakfast before hitting the 6:00 sales. I was just glad I had stayed home!
By 10:00 this morning we had our living room filled with boxes of Christmas decorations, the tree put out and all the fall decorations gathered to be put away. Hopefully, we'll have the whole house decorated by tomorrow night. (I'd shoot for tonight, but. . . why?)
Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Let me know what you're doing today!
I usually join the early morning shoppers on black Friday every year. I've driven throught the dark streets for a pre-dawn discount, but this year the retailers simply pushed me to far. 5:00 a.m.????? Are they insane? I thought I might have been crazy to go to the 6:00 a.m. sales. 5:00 start time kept me home for the day. If you can't go at the very beginning, I see little reason to get out at all on this busy shopping day. The major incentives usually go to the very first customers. Once the sun comes up, you can't find many deals that you can't also find tomorrow.
The incentives weren't quite as good this year as in years past, either. I know why. The professional black Friday shoppers work the system too well. They scour the papers on Thursday and make a time-scheduled plan to get in on as many deals as possible. I've seen them arrive at the first store to open, push through the line to get their incentive (I was onced literally raised off the ground by the masses) and then they run to their cars and drive to the next store. After collecting all their coupons, gift cards and give-aways, they go back to shop with the items that expire that day. If the retailer hasn't planned against it, they end up giving things away to people who don't even shop the store!
The big retailers wised up this year and came up with systems to stop most of that. It is a good thing they've done that, perhaps nobody will be smushed this year.
We did get out for an IHOP brunch this morning, and the waiter said the restaurant was full at 5:30 this morning. Apparently the Wal Mart shoppers arrived at 5:00, got their goods and decided they had time for breakfast before hitting the 6:00 sales. I was just glad I had stayed home!
By 10:00 this morning we had our living room filled with boxes of Christmas decorations, the tree put out and all the fall decorations gathered to be put away. Hopefully, we'll have the whole house decorated by tomorrow night. (I'd shoot for tonight, but. . . why?)
Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Let me know what you're doing today!
posted by Jan at 2:32 PM
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