Black Friday sales for MAME builders

[ChadTower]

Good enough.  Cold doesn't bother me either, growing up in Canada.  For me the struggle is a babysitter.

[ahofle]

I agree with Chad.  Being warm and snuggled in my bed that morning and safely distanced from obnoxious shoppers (not you guys, the other shoppers LOL) is well worth the couple hundred dollars or so of potential savings to me.  In fact, I never even bother to go shopping that entire day -- it's just too crazy.  Anyway, it's not like that's the only day of the year you can get a great deal on something.

Why do the retail stores bother to do this anyway?  Seems like more trouble that it's worth to them. 

[Chris]

Because it gets people to the stores.  Last year I went for Walmart's $400 laptop.  The line for it went around the store, but they only had 30 of them.  But I saw disappointed people leaving the line picking up other deals.  (I didn't get the laptop.)

Note that different stores may have different pricing.  Last year two walmarts 30 miles apart had a $100 price difference on the laptop.

[shardian]

One year, I worked for my brother-in-law to buy stuff on Black Friday. I got to buy a TON of stuff with his credit card. That was pretty fun. Oh, the reason was he has a back-woods store he sold the stuff at for the next month.

[ChadTower]

Loss leaders... they take a loss on a few items to get people in and buying the high margin stuff that goes with it.  For every one of those $500 LCDs they take a 25% loss on they probably sell $150 in 500% margin cables to go with it.  Plus the person is going to buy a bunch of other regular margin stuff while there.

I guess some of my issue is that  my family tends to not spend tons and tons and buy a lot of expensive stuff for the holidays.  We get together, have dinners and parties, stuff like that, but gifts usually tend to be small and in the lesser cost range than a lot of the stuff here.  So really, if I were to go out and freeze my sack off for hours to get into the store and drop a couple grand on tons of Best Buy toys for everyone, I'd get the same fleece coat/old movie DVDs/clearance coffee table books in return.  Not exactly the spirit of the holiday, I know, but that is what it is.

[AlanS17]

Well, a $470 32" HD LCD tv is good enough reason for me. I am also looking into a digital camcorder. Looks like $200 for a minidv is the best deal going.

Now that could certainly be worth it. Too bad I don't really have a need for it (and I can't afford it right now ever that that great price).

[ChadTower]

It's a great deal.  I'm cheap about buying stuff for myself but would buy that if I had a place to put it.

[my58vw]

The last 6 years I have stood inline outside best buy for items, last year it was a westinghouse 26 inch LCD tv for 499, and that is still a good deal today (yes I know about the 32 inch model for 479). The year before it was a 120 GB and an 80 GB for 60 dollars, a Laptop, etc.

This year I am going for CSI 3rd season, will buy 2nd season at reg price (29.99) and prision break (19.99), I might get a friend to think about the 32 inch LCD...

To be honest you can get some great deals, but it is all in fun, and one LONG night (I got at best buy last year at 9 PM!

[ChadTower]

Isn't the store still open the preceding day at 9pm?

[AlanS17]

Isn't the store still open the preceding day at 9pm?

The preceeding day is Thanksgiving. I'd imagine the stores are closed.

[ChadTower]

Every year more and more stores are allowed to open on such holidays... maybe Thanksgiving isn't one of them yet.

[Tiger-Heli]

Nice.  Is there a limit to how many of an item or how many different items for which you can get tickets?

Different items - generally no, but they only have tickets for the really great items - $200 laptops and $300 TV's they will have tickets for, but free surge protectors or $5 USB drives they won't.

How many of an item - usually the rebate will specify one per household or address.  You can often buy on separate receipts and have a relative submit the rebate form in their name, etc.

Not sure how this applies with you with the "at the register" rebates.

[Crowquill]

After I worked through 7 holiday seasons at Toys R Us, I avoid this day like the plague. I usually look through the ads, but something has to be really good for me to return to that type of environment no matter which side of the counter I'm on. It's a high-stress environment for both shoppers and workers and I've seen many people react badly to this. I've seen the lengths that people would go to get a Tickle Me Elmo back in the "holiday of '96". Not pretty at all.

[AlanS17]

I might be persuaded to wait in that line for a $200 laptop.

[ChadTower]

Heh.  I remember watching two fat chicks get into a fist fight once when I was at Toys R Us when they randomly put some Cabbage Patch Kids on the shelf.  They both wanted the last of one particular Kid... 10 seconds later they were hair pulling, kicking, screaming, and rolling around in a flabby heap.  I was like 9 then.

[fatfingers]

Heh.  I remember watching two fat chicks get into a fist fight once when I was at Toys R Us when they randomly put some Cabbage Patch Kids on the shelf.  They both wanted the last of one particular Kid... 10 seconds later they were hair pulling, kicking, screaming, and rolling around in a flabby heap.  I was like 9 then.

heh...you should have taken the doll while they were fighting!   

[ChadTower]

As a 9 year old boy that doll represented all that had cooties in the world.   

[shardian]

I asked my coworker if his high school senior son would stand in line for me at BB. Couldn't hurt to ask could it? What do you all think is a fair amount to pay someone to go to BB for me?

[ChadTower]

Probably min wage, I'd guess, if all you want them to do is stand in line until you get there before opening.

[AlanS17]

I asked my coworker if his high school senior son would stand in line for me at BB. Couldn't hurt to ask could it? What do you all think is a fair amount to pay someone to go to BB for me?

It might also depend on how long they're sitting there.

[saint]

Well, considering it's entirely possible that he and you will get lynched by an angry mob if you try to get in line with him, I'd pay him a lot

I asked my coworker if his high school senior son would stand in line for me at BB. Couldn't hurt to ask could it? What do you all think is a fair amount to pay someone to go to BB for me?

[shardian]

Well, considering it's entirely possible that he and you will get lynched by an angry mob if you try to get in line with him, I'd pay him a lot

I asked my coworker if his high school senior son would stand in line for me at BB. Couldn't hurt to ask could it? What do you all think is a fair amount to pay someone to go to BB for me?

No,no. I would NOT be joining him. I know better than that. Just as long as he gets the tickets for the things I need, that is all that matters. I could then show up at 8 after the lines die down a bit (hopefully).

[ChadTower]

The sites I read said that the tickets are only good for 60 minutes after opening.  I was wondering about that since they also say that the cashier lines are 90 minutes long.

[shardian]

I live in WV, so maybe the line won't be too long at Best Buy. I wonder if I called them they could (read that as would) tell me about last year. I would be fine with showing up at 3 or 4, but there is no way I would camp out overnight for a frikkin TV.

It would easily be worth paying someone $100 or so IF they could get me the tv, camcorder, and a cheap laptop.

[ChadTower]

They'd probably take off with the TV, camcorder, cheap laptop and $100.   

[AlanS17]

The sites I read said that the tickets are only good for 60 minutes after opening.  I was wondering about that since they also say that the cashier lines are 90 minutes long.

It won't matter how long the cashier lines are if you're holding the item you want in your own two hands.

[shardian]

They'd probably take off with the TV, camcorder, cheap laptop and $100.   

Hence why it would be someone I know, they would buy the stuff themselves, and then I would pay them back, plus the $100.
Come on Chad, not ALL of us pay $300 for a faucet installation. ( I will never let that one go. )

[ChadTower]

Heh.  Most of the people I know, after all that effort, holding all that stuff, would want a lot more than $100 and reimbursement. 

[shardian]

If someone offered me $100 to do this in high school, I would have been all over it.

[ChadTower]

Me too.  My friends and I used to do furniture moving all summer for half what the pro movers did it for and we loved it.  Most of the teenagers I know now scoff at min wage jobs and seem to have a sense of entitlement I don't understand.

[u_rebelscum]

Why do they call it "Black Friday" anyway, and not "Green Friday"? Circles under the eyes, maybe? Bruises from thrown elbows?

There's two reasons according to wiki.  I only heard of the accounting reason before today.

[fatfingers]

OK, I'll finally bite ... where are you guys finding these Black Friday deals?  I've looked on the sites you are talking about and I don't see anything...

[saint]

http://bfads.net ?

Best Buy text listing: http://bfads.net/store/bestbuy


Best Buy ad scan: http://download.bfads.net/BFAds-BestBuy.pdf

All the ad scans:

http://bfads.net/adscans/

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Also the FatWallet forums have a Black Friday section.

[_) (V) (-)]

Best Buy Information Removed November 14, 2006
We weren't directly contacted by Best Buy, but were told by a second-party (I think that's what you'd call them) source that they were considering legal action if we didn't remove the Best Buy information.

So, we've temporarily removed all posted Best Buy stuff. We'll try to get in touch with Best Buy tomorrow to see if what we were told was legitimate, and if not, we'll put them back up.

  HATERS!

[AlanS17]

http://bfads.net/adscans/

It looks like that site boofed their reporting at Circuit City for a Compaq laptop. They announce that it's a $299 laptop, but looking at the ad, it's just a $99 laptop (unless I'm seriously turned around).

[saint]

Google Cache of Best Buy ad

And....

http://download.bfads.net/BFAds-BestBuy.pdf

 Looks like the link is still there

[AtomSmasher]

http://bfads.net/adscans/

It looks like that site boofed their reporting at Circuit City for a Compaq laptop. They announce that it's a $299 laptop, but looking at the ad, it's just a $99 laptop (unless I'm seriously turned around).

Its $99 with a 12 month Vonage subscription, $299 without.

[AlanS17]

Oh that's lame. Nevermind...

[SithMaster]

when does bestbuy open on black friday?  i plan on being there around 1 or 2 am but is that too early or not early enough?

[AlanS17]

when does bestbuy open on black friday?  i plan on being there around 1 or 2 am but is that too early or not early enough?

That definitely depends on the Best Buy in question.