Black Friday
Over here in the USA the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. I don’t know why. This has happened during my lifetime as I do not remember this moniker as a child. What is Black Friday? It is the first official shopping day for Christmas in America. Store open early in the morning and I mean before the sun rises. The sad part is there are cues of people waiting to be admitted.
I planned on joining the madness. The two stores on my hit shopping list are Best Buy and Circuit City. Best Buy has a deal on a 52″ LCD TV for US$1,299. They only guarantee five at each store. I plan on waiting in line at 2 am so I can have a chance. My in-laws scout out the place for me on their way home from dinner. They inform me that there is line already down the side of the building. People are there with lawn chairs and somebody even pitched a tent. I realize then there is no way I will get the TV. So I plan to go to Circuit City to get my daughter this 
which is on sale for $199. Usual price is $250.
I went to bed at 1:30 and the alarm stirred me at 4:30 to go shopping. I woke my missus as she had her stores to visit too. Tried to wake the girl as I wanted her to pick up things at Best Buy while I shopped at Circuit City. Did not happen. She was dead tired from her MissChef activities. So I left her there.
I made it to the parking lot of the shopping center in Sugar Land at 5:00. Just as the doors are being opened for the folks. I parked on the far side. I looked at CompUSA and they had no line at all and the store was open. Then I saw the line for Circuit City. It stretched towards Fingers Furniture. In fact it went beyond the doors of that store. This is quite a line, well over 100 meters. I got in it and watched as people left the store with boxes holding TVs and computers. The line dragged. Some people gave up and left for the next shop on their list.
Finally, at a quarter to five I entered the store. I looked for video games first. I wanted to pick up 
At 5:55 am I entered the camera cue. There were two of them. One for each cashier in that part of the store. An employee came by and asked what camera we wanted to purchase. I told him and he wrote it on a notepad and handed it to me. He said they had plenty of those cameras in stock too.
Then the waiting started and continued and continued and yes it continued some more. I got to meet some nice folks though. Especially the girls behind me. They watched my spot and let me do a little extra shopping. Found a 2GB memory chip for the camera on sale for $29. Saved $10 on that purchase. The girls were kind of interesting. One was American (no surprise huh?) and the other was an exchange student from Switzerland. The American wanted to show her guest what Black Friday was all about. A trip to Circuit City and then on to the mall to gawk and awe. But that did not happen. We took so long that the American girl had to call her dad to pick up the Swiss girl who had swim team practice at 8 am.
We had a shopper hold up our cue for over 30 minutes. Maddening. Very disorganized on this cash register. Sad thing is the guy is a regular empoyee but he just cannot handle the pressure or multitask. Finally the problem shopper is satisfied, or maybe she just left. I don’t know. Just glad she is gone. The average shopper is taking five minutes at check out. We are so bored that we are actually timing each customer.
At 7:45 the other cue gets a problem shopper. It had been moving noticeably quicker. But not anymore. This shopper plugged the works on the other line. Then we see them pull some shoppers in the other line to ours. We got so mad. No one did that for our line when we had the problem shopper. Just as I am the next customer the clerk said he was going to let a customer from the other line in front. The American girl argues that we have been in line for two hours and it is not fair to make us wait any longer. The cashier is a wimp and relents. I high fived the American girl and then made my purchase.
It went well until I notice the basketball game is listed at regular price. Damn. Only the Playstation version is on sale. Now I’m scared I will be a problem and create a delay. But he removes the game easily and I pay. I leave the store at 8:10 am. Hoo boy. On to Best Buy.
It only took a minute to drive down the street to Best Buy. I entered that store at 8:25 am. The first item on my list was this Bluetooth headset 
. Unfortunately, at $15 these sold out rapidly. Then I looked for blank DVDs priced at $5 for a package of 100. But those are gone too. I’m thinking everything has been sold that I want. But I go look anyway.
The next items on my list are 
Next on my list was DVDs. I wanted 
I went on my treasure hunt and sure enough I found Hitch off in a pile of DVDs in one corner of the store. So I grabbed it.
The next items on the list were $7 CDs. I wanted 
My selections complete I made my purchase and walked out of the store at 9:15 am. Time to go home and take a nap.
November 28th, 2006 at 1:32 am
WAAAAA!! Black Friday!! sales!! absolute dream come true! except we have it like 5 times a year over here, so it’s almost nothing new to us, LOL!! good haul you have there. enjoy your newly bought stash!
November 28th, 2006 at 1:48 am
Shopping day!! My favourite word! It was worth it, wasn’t it, getting up early?
November 28th, 2006 at 2:05 am
I hadn’t heard the term black Friday, but presumably, from an bookkeeping point of view, it should be red Friday, no?
November 28th, 2006 at 3:23 am
wow… *amazed*
u mean the sale is only for that one day?
November 28th, 2006 at 4:33 am
chup.. *weak chup* lol
November 28th, 2006 at 6:08 am
post twice. time didn’t make my post appear.
now i shall clutter. not my fault.
November 28th, 2006 at 6:24 am
I’ve have always always envied everyone concerned in the USA on Black Fridays especially for the Apple Stores!! *sigh* Thanks for the on-hands account of what happened on yours!
November 28th, 2006 at 6:27 am
hmmmm…… spam bin?!!!
November 28th, 2006 at 7:10 am
I went out on black friday and it wasn’t bad at all in KC. I overslept but we got to wally world (walmart) by 7am. Got everything we wanted. Headed to Best Buy. Got everything we wanted there too. Then went to Target. Got everything there and by that time I was tired and ready to eat some breakfast/lunch. I am sorry your day was a lot of line waiting. In fact, the Best Buy up here was so organized I nearly fainted. I didn’t dare step foot into the mall though. The parking lot was a sea of cars and nothing more.
November 28th, 2006 at 9:22 am
I’m rather amazed with your shopping trip… is this common over there? Or izzit just on Black Friday?
November 28th, 2006 at 10:18 am
The worst part is now I have to wait for Christmas before I can enjoy my bootie May. hehe I could not do this five times a year. Aiseh! Though my next big shopping is the after Christmas sales. I’m really looking for a new PC and the missus wants a big screen TV. Blue Ribbon for you.
Getting my daughter the camera made it all worth it Bkworm. Wonder if she will appreciate what I’ve done. Red Ribbon sales hugs for you.
I would think that too Kimananda. I don’t like the term Black Friday. It feels dirty or like a disaster. Cripes it is just a sale. White Ribbon sales hug for you.
Some of the sales prices were only good for a few hours. Others just on Friday and Saturday. Then Sunday more price pushing. Retail frenzied ad campaigns to bring in the money.
Wuz wrong misti. Hug hug!
Aiyah. You dun think I will rescue you from the spam misti? Not your fault at all. Take another hug.
There were some stores that were giving away iPods if you made a big purchase LB. I need to go to the iPod store and get a sock. Hard to find em.
Hoo boy LB. You were stuck between the date rape and the horny school girls. You may wanna take a bath.
Wow Daphnewood. So you had a successful shopping day. I was worried that they would run out of those cameras or I might have waited for 6 or 7. Circuit City really had a lot of stock on hand. I should have looked for this computer they had in the ad pages. Really need something new with muscle so I can run Windows Vista.
This kind of shopping only happens on Black Friday, Pinkie. Sometimes when a new must have toy or video console you may have people campout for the stores to open. But not so much frenzy the rest of the time.
November 28th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
Why is it called Black Friday?
Cos they like black colour, just as I?
Coincidentally, I’m posting my black karer gadgets too today
November 28th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
the term ‘black friday’ sounds kind of well… er… gloomy… and i thought it was something negative (like in the vein of friday the 13th. haha). never know it is the first official shopping day for christmas.
wow! so much CD/DVD shopping you did i see. good start!
November 28th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
I saw that Chen. Everyday is a black one for you, ya. But I don’t know why they call it like that. Seems so onimous.
I don’t really like that name Lucia. So spooky, terrifying. I guess the scare comes with my credit card statement Yikes!!! Yep. I try to get DVDs this time of year as they are very affordable now.
November 28th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
Bath? Never!!!!
November 28th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
So you have gone Italian senior Lormaikaibinge.
November 28th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
I didn’t know you are such a keen shopper.. but those were really bargains!
My husband wouldn’t have bothered.. He would prefer to pay full price than to join the crowd.. *sigh*.
You didn’t show us what your wife bought..
November 28th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
My wife got some awesome deals on jewelry, toiletries and clothes ZM. I much prefer to save money as it decrease nagging for spending money. haha My wife has made me a very keen shopper.
November 29th, 2006 at 12:17 am
Look at how guys choose their CDs like how a women choose their bra!
November 29th, 2006 at 1:07 am
some plague happened on that Friday? *sheepish*
November 29th, 2006 at 6:51 am
hehe As long as it all fits your highness. Right?
The shopping plague JY. The boils appear on the credit card statement.
November 29th, 2006 at 10:58 am
I LOVE USA!!! Shopping 24hrs!!!!!
November 29th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Oh yeah Angeleyes. Especially at Walmart. Always can go there.
November 30th, 2006 at 4:50 am
I salute you .. on your buying strategy..
November 30th, 2006 at 6:54 am
Thank you. Still wondering if I should not have tried out a computer buying line Mama Bok. Holding hope for New Year’s clearance sales.
November 30th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
I’ve heard about this shopping day too!! I just know I can’t do this! But it sounds fun when you do it… hehehe
December 1st, 2006 at 12:08 am
It was not fun really. Get up so early. Everybody is crowded. The store is hot from all of the bodies inside. But it is kind of adventure. Bonus if you pick up the things you want to purchase. Some years I go and everything is picked dry. Very frustrating.
December 1st, 2006 at 9:45 pm
Damn that’s crazy but worth it for the discount!! Im going shopping tomorrow, watch me go broke!!
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:31 am
I spent a lot and still need to find something for my son Christine.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:13 am
Interesting…!!
I know we have a few times of sales every year, but I don’t think the sale offers ever beats that over there.
15 dollars for a blueetooth headset?! come on, that’s a fantastic deal!
But I doubt I will queue for such good deal. Hate crowd.
:)
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:41 pm
I hate the crowds too laymank. One year it was so bad I had a little panic attack because of the crowd. Lasted long enough to make my purchase and then I spent the next two days in bed. They had some awesome deals on computers and TV but I just don’t wanna stay up all night in line.
December 5th, 2006 at 4:38 am
OH WOW!!
A black friday???
i wish we have black fridays too here..HAAHAH
i always cant wait to do my christmas shopping…even the first sight of christmas deco in the shopping malls here make me soo happy… =)
any sign of snow yet??? over here…the closest we could get to a cool cool christmas is when it rains more frequently every december…haha…so instead of singing LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW…we r singing LET IT RAIN!!
WAHAHAA
December 5th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Hahahaha. It hardly snows where I am at Pink Cotton. I can only remember two Christmas days with snow in my life here in the Houston area. It can be pretty cold though, so I don’t want icy rain.