Holiday Sales Suck

[SavannahLion]

Been at WalMart since 5PM with spouse and brother in law and his wife. Damn cluster ---fudgesicle---.

6 PM got into altercation with sales staff entering closed area in center of store. Told staff to ---fudgesicle--- off or the fire mashal would get a phone call. My brother in law got into a similar altercation when his muscle head lifted an entire isle section and opened it up. Staff wised up and created a yellow zone down center for customers seeking egress.

6:30 entered closed zone again to stash carts rest of family gathered. Staff is staying away from me this time.

7:30 moved two to meet up with a third cart in the cereal isle where the crappy 8 o'clock sales are. We stashing the items before staff notices so we can bail when the clock strikes.

7:55 another altercation with staff over my collection of carts in cereal isle. Other than staff I ha en't seen anyone walk down since I've been here.

8:00 a new clusterfuck begins.

9:00 we finally get out but we pick up reinforcements and hit Sears... are you ---smurfing--- serious? My blood alcohol is far too low now. All the bars are closed.....

Holy hell... it's 11 and I'm finally back at the relatives.

Burn in Hell for dragging ---my bottom--- away from my beer.

[pbj]

If you're there - you're one of the dumbasses.

 

[SavannahLion]

If you're there - you're one of the dumbasses.

 

In the end it's all about sex. Otherwise holiday anything can take a flying ---fudgesicle--- and I'd work on my game instead. That's the only thing I miss about being single, no need for compromises at the bachelor pad.

[pbj]

You get anything cool?  I got amazon to price adjust every game I purchased in the last two months, which has been the extent on my shopping depravity.   .

They were oddly unyielding on shadow of Mordor but that's back to $25 today so no worries.

[SavannahLion]

Well... I did enjoy the parents ass raping each other over the new Disney Infinity 2.0 PS3/Wii/360 versions.

And the damn conga line of Emerson 50" was amusing knowing those things would conk out after six months. I'm 0 for 3 on big screens not needing repair or replacement within the year and mine weren't even holiday specials. I can see why everyone gets into the cluster ---fudgesicle--- for sub $300 screens. Too bad the environmentalists didn't think that one through. Hell, just drove down my street and saw someone already toss out their old screen to the curb alongside the box for the new one.

But no. Nothing really interesting unless you count a pair of paddleboards my 14 year old already thinks she owns. We picked up 3 Roku's as well. My spouse is more excited about those than me. A printer I'll expect to die by next year. I wanted a spare Android tablet and spouse wanted a iPod but those involved circle jerks and that isn't a price I want to pay. Last games I bought were back in September and those were already marked down.

I did find it humorous that none of the cellphone "deals" were even opened up. How is a free phone a good deal when you have to sign up for a two year contract anyways?

[Slippyblade]

Having worked in retail most of my life, ---fudgesicle--- black friday.  I will NEVER go shopping on Black Friday.  The sheer degradation of humanity just isn't worth it.

[CCM]

If you're there - you're one of the dumbasses.

 

This  +1000000000   

Shopping on Thanksgiving should be illegal.

[SavannahLion]

If you're there - you're one of the dumbasses.

 

This  +1000000000   

Shopping on Thanksgiving should be illegal.

As should shopping on Christmas Day but that's not the unfortunate reality of the thing.

I thought long and hard about that subject. Ever since I started working holidays in the different jobs over the years really.

But the fact of the matter is that we, in this country, have a double standard when it comes to the holidays. Do we expect the hospitals to shutter their doors come Christmas? Police patrolling the streets? Have you ever considered the people involved with the Macy's Day Parade and their families? Perhaps the radio DJ's doing live broadcasts? Your corner gas station..... OK, maybe not those. How many restaurants are open on that day?

How many of those people have the choice to work on that day? How many do not?

Do you see my point?

[CCM]

If you're there - you're one of the dumbasses.

 

This  +1000000000   

Shopping on Thanksgiving should be illegal.

As should shopping on Christmas Day but that's not the unfortunate reality of the thing.

I thought long and hard about that subject. Ever since I started working holidays in the different jobs over the years really.

But the fact of the matter is that we, in this country, have a double standard when it comes to the holidays. Do we expect the hospitals to shutter their doors come Christmas? Police patrolling the streets? Have you ever considered the people involved with the Macy's Day Parade and their families? Perhaps the radio DJ's doing live broadcasts? Your corner gas station..... OK, maybe not those. How many restaurants are open on that day?

How many of those people have the choice to work on that day? How many do not?

Do you see my point?

No, I don't see your point.   People become policemen, firemen, doctors, etc...  knowing that it is a 365 day a year job.   It has only been in the last few years that retail stores have been open on Thanksgiving and started forcing their employees to work. 

What stores are open on Christmas Day?

[Le Chuck]

As should shopping on Christmas Day but that's not the unfortunate reality of the thing.

I thought long and hard about that subject. Ever since I started working holidays in the different jobs over the years really.

But the fact of the matter is that we, in this country, have a double standard when it comes to the holidays. Do we expect the hospitals to shutter their doors come Christmas? Police patrolling the streets? Have you ever considered the people involved with the Macy's Day Parade and their families? Perhaps the radio DJ's doing live broadcasts? Your corner gas station..... OK, maybe not those. How many restaurants are open on that day?

How many of those people have the choice to work on that day? How many do not?

Do you see my point?

Hell, the whole country of Germany all but shuts down every Sunday still.  Sure, there are essential services open and you'll find a restaurant here and there that doesn't shutter its doors but mostly you're expected to like spend time with family or something.  When folks take the time to do that the need for policing and other emergency services drops off dramatically and it does pretty much work out for everybody. 

All that said on this Black Friday we went to Raleigh with some friends and checked out what was going on.  It wasn't any busier than any other day I'd wager and we had a pretty good time.  Didn't buy much but enjoyed the scene and took the kids to a park.  Fun stuff. 

[dkstanson]

My sales decreased 50% this year ! Planned to be a busy day, turned out to be a boring one.

[SavannahLion]

If you're there - you're one of the dumbasses.

 

This  +1000000000   

Shopping on Thanksgiving should be illegal.

As should shopping on Christmas Day but that's not the unfortunate reality of the thing.

I thought long and hard about that subject. Ever since I started working holidays in the different jobs over the years really.

But the fact of the matter is that we, in this country, have a double standard when it comes to the holidays. Do we expect the hospitals to shutter their doors come Christmas? Police patrolling the streets? Have you ever considered the people involved with the Macy's Day Parade and their families? Perhaps the radio DJ's doing live broadcasts? Your corner gas station..... OK, maybe not those. How many restaurants are open on that day?

How many of those people have the choice to work on that day? How many do not?

Do you see my point?

No, I don't see your point.   People become policemen, firemen, doctors, etc...  knowing that it is a 365 day a year job.   It has only been in the last few years that retail stores have been open on Thanksgiving and started forcing their employees to work. 

What stores are open on Christmas Day?

Last year, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS were open the 25th. Starbucks and at least one Burger King [the other two I'm aware of were closed) were open as well. Never known a Chinese Restaurant to ever close either on that day, but that was already covered in A Christmas Story.

I think you're failing to see my point because you don't agree with what I'm saying. I'm not asking you to agree nor do I expect you too. I don't agree with it and the problem is a lot deeper than most realize.

[Malenko]

I strolled into a best buy at like 730pm and picked up a TV on sale Didnt plan on going to best buy, but we had to go to the Petsmart and get more dog food and dog treats, and the best buy parking lot seemed tepid for it being black Friday. So we decided to check it out.  Not a crummy Vizio / Westinghouse / Dynex , but a bonafide Samsung.  My racing rig 32" Vizio (that I got for free!) took a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- so Im taking the 32" Samsung out of the office and using it for my race rig, and putting the new 46" Samsung up there.

I'll probably never go shopping on Black Friday again, and I sure as hell wont get up at like 4am on my day off to shop.

[CCM]

If you're there - you're one of the dumbasses.

 

This  +1000000000   

Shopping on Thanksgiving should be illegal.

As should shopping on Christmas Day but that's not the unfortunate reality of the thing.

I thought long and hard about that subject. Ever since I started working holidays in the different jobs over the years really.

But the fact of the matter is that we, in this country, have a double standard when it comes to the holidays. Do we expect the hospitals to shutter their doors come Christmas? Police patrolling the streets? Have you ever considered the people involved with the Macy's Day Parade and their families? Perhaps the radio DJ's doing live broadcasts? Your corner gas station..... OK, maybe not those. How many restaurants are open on that day?

How many of those people have the choice to work on that day? How many do not?

Do you see my point?

No, I don't see your point.   People become policemen, firemen, doctors, etc...  knowing that it is a 365 day a year job.   It has only been in the last few years that retail stores have been open on Thanksgiving and started forcing their employees to work. 

What stores are open on Christmas Day?

Last year, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS were open the 25th. Starbucks and at least one Burger King [the other two I'm aware of were closed) were open as well. Never known a Chinese Restaurant to ever close either on that day, but that was already covered in A Christmas Story.

I think you're failing to see my point because you don't agree with what I'm saying. I'm not asking you to agree nor do I expect you too. I don't agree with it and the problem is a lot deeper than most realize.

Right, we both agree that it sucks... but you are one of the people perpetuating the problem by actually shopping on Thanksgiving.   If people stopped shopping on Thanksgiving and retailers started losing money by being open then things might change...  I do realize that  this will never happen, but it is a nice thought.

I would rather pay full price for something than shop on Thanksgiving.

[BadMouth]

Had to go to walmart Thanksgiving evening to get a fluorescent light for the bathroom.  (the only light in the only bathroom)
It was an odd experience just being there to buy a lightbulb.

I enjoyed black Friday years ago.
Now it just doesn't make any sense to stand in line and compete for limited supply when there is probably a better deal to be had online anyway.





 

[SavannahLion]

Had to go to walmart Thanksgiving evening to get a fluorescent light for the bathroom.  (the only light in the only bathroom)
It was an odd experience just being there to buy a lightbulb.

I enjoyed black Friday years ago.
Now it just doesn't make any sense to stand in line and compete for limited supply when there is probably a better deal to be had online anyway.

I noticed this year the better deals to be had were about a week or week and a half before Black Friday. I think Best Buy is extending the deals into next week. I would like to find a pink PS3 controller without going through Amazon.

[yotsuya]

Not to defend the practice, because I did it once and swore never again, but apparently shopping on Thanksgiving has become part of some peoples' family tradition on the holiday. Also, the sales on that weekend can make or break a store. If the store closes, those people who had to work on Thanksgiving won't have to worry about working any other days.

Personally, I hate the practice and would like to see stores closed on the holiday, but it doesn't affect me in the slightest. My teenage kids have had to work the holiday and don't mind because they get holiday/extra pay. It's all in how you look at it.

[Malenko]

I would like to find a pink PS3 controller without going through Amazon.

New Egg?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16879261325&cm_re=ps3_controller-_-79-261-325-_-Product

[dkersten]

The only reason to shop "Black Friday" is for the "loss leader" deals that get people in the door.  Most of the time the place only has a couple available with hundreds of people showing up to get them.  The idea is to sell something way below cost as a means to get people in the door, and since they are already there and missed out on the deal, to just go ahead and buy other things.  Otherwise, anything that isn't a "doorbuster" is probably available online for cheaper.  Sure, I would have loved to get a $200 50" tv for a cab, but no way in Hell I was going out and standing in line for a small chance of getting one. 

My girlfriend had to work T-day because she is in the health industry.  She works at an alzheimers care facility, and they need care 24x7, and the nurses just don't do that sort of thing, so it is up to the rest of the staff to be there.  Without seniority, no way she was getting out of it.  The crappy thing is the shifts usually start at 2pm, and they didn't alter it for evening shift workers when they very well could have started at, say, 3:30, which would allow morning shift workers to get home in time for a T-day dinner, and evening shift workers to just have an early dinner before work.  It is, IMHO, inconsiderate.  And even though she works in that field, she is not a doctor or even a nurse, and didn't sign on for a 365 day per year job. 

My son manages a Qdoba, and they decided to be open for Black Friday starting at 8pm on T-day, serving breakfast burritos from 8pm til 8am.  From 2 am until 8 am they had 1 customer, and in total did less in sales to cover the 4 employees.  Not the best business move.

Overall, I am happy as hell to no longer be married, and to not be involved with a woman who loves to shop and just has to be there for Black Friday.  Even if I was, I would NEVER join her, and I don't care how much sex I would be getting for it.  Besides, if you are being forced to go under the threat of no sex if you don't, I think you are with the wrong woman. 

And BTW, I think people ARE speaking with their wallets, Black Friday sales are down 11% this year over last year. 

[Vigo]

I on a whim I went on Thursday with my bro and sister in law, I went to target on Thursday. First time ever doing Thanksgiving Day shopping. My experience was pleasant. All the employees were friendly and chatted it up with them for the 15 minutes waiting in line. They fed us granola bars and I also won a free cookie and $10 gift certificate as part of a random coupon giveaway. Ended up buying a few games and things. Checkout took 5-10 minutes. Was there and back again in an hour.

Not saying my experience was the norm, but I think when people manage to be kind to each other, shopping on Thanksgiving isn't a big deal. I shake my head at 4am shopping and people spraying each other with mace for an xbox. You you go shopping with the intent to shove people around just to get the deals you want, then you shouldn't be there.

[SavannahLion]

The only reason to shop "Black Friday" is for the "loss leader" deals that get people in the door.  Most of the time the place only has a couple available with hundreds of people showing up to get them.  The idea is to sell something way below cost as a means to get people in the door, and since they are already there and missed out on the deal, to just go ahead and buy other things.  Otherwise, anything that isn't a "doorbuster" is probably available online for cheaper.  Sure, I would have loved to get a $200 50" tv for a cab, but no way in Hell I was going out and standing in line for a small chance of getting one.

Walmart did an interesting thing this year. They gave out "tokens" or what were essentially IOU's for everyone still standing in line after 7 (IIRC). Take the token up to the register by 2 AM and your TV "deal" will come in in two weeks. Or so they say.

My girlfriend had to work T-day because she is in the health industry.  She works at an alzheimers care facility, and they need care 24x7, and the nurses just don't do that sort of thing, so it is up to the rest of the staff to be there.  Without seniority, no way she was getting out of it.  The crappy thing is the shifts usually start at 2pm, and they didn't alter it for evening shift workers when they very well could have started at, say, 3:30, which would allow morning shift workers to get home in time for a T-day dinner, and evening shift workers to just have an early dinner before work.  It is, IMHO, inconsiderate.  And even though she works in that field, she is not a doctor or even a nurse, and didn't sign on for a 365 day per year job. 

Just a thought... if, for arguments sake, they did start at 3:30? How would they have made up for the lost 1.5 hours at the end? And the 1.5 hours gained by the morning shift? If they're hourly employees under the 8hr/day rule, there isn't much that can be done.... Just askin'.

My son manages a Qdoba, and they decided to be open for Black Friday starting at 8pm on T-day, serving breakfast burritos from 8pm til 8am.  From 2 am until 8 am they had 1 customer, and in total did less in sales to cover the 4 employees.  Not the best business move.

That's a common story this year. 

Overall, I am happy as hell to no longer be married, and to not be involved with a woman who loves to shop and just has to be there for Black Friday.  Even if I was, I would NEVER join her, and I don't care how much sex I would be getting for it.  Besides, if you are being forced to go under the threat of no sex if you don't, I think you are with the wrong woman. 

Probably overlooked the rest of that post but that's fair enough.

And BTW, I think people ARE speaking with their wallets, Black Friday sales are down 11% this year over last year.

Or it could be that more retailers are extending their sales throughout the two weeks instead of just the one day. It's hard to say without looking at the numbers for the entire two weeks and comparing those with previous years to see the true trends going on. I would much rather have an extended two weeks of sales instead of a mad cluster ---fudgesicle--- in two days.

[yotsuya]

Or it could be that more retailers are extending their sales throughout the two weeks instead of just the one day. It's hard to say without looking at the numbers for the entire two weeks and comparing those with previous years to see the true trends going on. I would much rather have an extended two weeks of sales instead of a mad cluster ---fudgesicle--- in two days.

I heard one report that says that Thanksgiving Day receipts might actually surpass Black Friday ones. So it's not that it's down $11 million, it's that $11 million is being spent a day earlier.

[Slippyblade]

If they're hourly employees under the 8hr/day rule[\quote]

Depending on where you live, there is no such rule.  In Arizona, for example, there is no such rule.  Overtime kicks in at 40 hr per week.  So they could work you for two days at 20/hrs each and be just fine.

[pbj]

Believe whatever indicator you want, but the realities of this economy have not changed.  People don't have any money and they're terrified to take time off for fear of being let go.  Black Friday analysis does have the beauty of being some of the stupidest reasoning imaginable - I think the winner was, "people aren't shopping less, they're shopping SMARTER" for an explanation in reduced revenue a couple years back.

 

[dkersten]

Yeah I believe the fed rule is 40 hrs/week, not 8 hrs/day, and Montana follows the fed rule.  They paid overtime for the entire day anyway, whether they were overtime or not.  In my mind the day shift working 1.5 extra hours so they can spend the afternoon and evening with their families is a pretty good trade off, not to mention an extra $50 on their paycheck for the time, and the peace of mind that they enabled a couple dozen fellow employees to be able to sit down with their families and have a nice meal before work.  Of course, not many people would see things that way because it is all about them, not other people. 

I think a lot of the missing holiday dollars are being diverted to "Cyber Monday" sales, as well as just being spent online in general.  Over the next two weeks I will gather the gift lists from my kids and family members, order it all on Amazon, and have it here two to three days later, with a couple items a week later.  If it can't ship, I will find it elsewhere.  Takes me about 3-4 hours to find the best deals and fill as much of the wish lists as I can, and I don't have to deal with the horrible traffic that comes with the holiday season.

[Generic Eric]

something, something
unions
:

[jdbailey1206]

[pbj]

It doesn't matter if you spread it over multiple days and purchasing venues: less money = less money

[BadMouth]

The only holiday sales I've taken advantage of this year is $4 blu rays.
I rarely watch a movie more than once and do not own many dvds.
....but when buying is about the same price as renting, why not buy?

Still, I've only bought movies considered timeless classics and would want in a collection.
(blade runner, Donnie darko, heat, etc)
Most of them I haven't seen or were too young when I saw them to appreciate them.

Also haven't bought anything that I already have access to on Netflix or Amazon prime.
The more recent movies that can be had for $4 will be on one of those services soon enough.

[Vigo]

The reason for lost sales isn't anything grand or thought out. 5 years ago, people wanted to get a bunch of cheap TVs for every room in their house. The market for that bunch of the same old crap is saturated. The stuff that people are interested in and would throw cash at, like tablets, don't go for a cheap enough price. The ones that do go cheap are shady brands that are almost completely unusable.

[pbj]

The reason for lost sales isn't anything grand or thought out. 5 years ago, people wanted to get a bunch of cheap TVs for every room in their house. The market for that bunch of the same old crap is saturated. The stuff that people are interested in and would throw cash at, like tablets, don't go for a cheap enough price. The ones that do go cheap are shady brands that are almost completely unusable.

Black Friday analysis does have the beauty of being some of the stupidest reasoning imaginable

 

[Generic Eric]

The market for that bunch of the same old crap is saturated.

We've reached peak oil, peak chocolate, when will we reach peak crap?  Holiday Sales suck because we are on the receiving end of capitalism, consumerism and marketing.  Anyway, I don't have much to add.    If you need a deal, look online. That is what I think.

[BadMouth]

The ones that do go cheap are shady brands that are almost completely unusable.

I bought a Hisense Sero 7 LT for $25 after rebate (don't remember if it was refurb). 
One of the professional reviews was titled "the $70 tablet that's not worth anything"

It streams movies and music just fine, has HDMI out.  It runs all the apps I wanted except a recipe one that "requires it have a carrier".
So far it's blown my mind for $25.

I'm aware of its shortcomings. It has hardly any onboard memory left after the OS, but does have a micro SD card slot.
It takes a while to boot, the built in speaker sucks and it lacks Bluetooth, but I only planned to use it as an online music player anyway.

If I'm not worried about 3D games, what else could I do with an expensive tablet that I can't do with this one?

[Generic Eric]

The ones that do go cheap are shady brands that are almost completely unusable.

I bought a Hisense Sero 7 LT for $25 after rebate (don't remember if it was refurb). 
One of the professional reviews was titled "the $70 tablet that's not worth anything"

It streams movies and music just fine, has HDMI out.  It runs all the apps I wanted except a recipe one that "requires it have a carrier".
So far it's blown my mind for $25.

I'm aware of its shortcomings. It has hardly any onboard memory left after the OS, but does have a micro SD card slot.
It takes a while to boot, the built in speaker sucks and it lacks Bluetooth, but I only planned to use it as an online music player anyway.

If I'm not worried about 3D games, what else could I do with an expensive tablet that I can't do with this one?

Can you connect an OTG hub for USB accessories?

[yotsuya]

The ones that do go cheap are shady brands that are almost completely unusable.

I bought a Hisense Sero 7 LT for $25 after rebate (don't remember if it was refurb). 
One of the professional reviews was titled "the $70 tablet that's not worth anything"

It streams movies and music just fine, has HDMI out.  It runs all the apps I wanted except a recipe one that "requires it have a carrier".
So far it's blown my mind for $25.

I'm aware of its shortcomings. It has hardly any onboard memory left after the OS, but does have a micro SD card slot.
It takes a while to boot, the built in speaker sucks and it lacks Bluetooth, but I only planned to use it as an online music player anyway.

If I'm not worried about 3D games, what else could I do with an expensive tablet that I can't do with this one?

I'd like to pick up a cheap tablet to use to keep my arcade manuals and schematics on in PDF format. I don't need it to do anything else.

[BadMouth]

Can you connect an OTG hub for USB accessories?

from the instruction book:

Connect to a Keyboard, a Mouse & Other Devices
You can connect a keyboard, a mouse or other input devices to your Sero 7 via USB and use it just as
you would with a PC.
Tip: To set the Pointer speed, go to Settings > Personal > Language & input > Mouse/trackpad >
Pointer speed.
NOTE You may need an adapter to connect the keyboard or other device to your Sero 7’s USB port.

Not sure if same thing.

EDIT: I'm not claiming it's an awesome tablet or recommending it, as I've never owned or used any other for comparison.
(if you can get one this cheap though, hell yea I recommend it.  It was $40-15 rebate from newegg bought earlier this year)

I'm genuinely curious as to what makes a more expensive tablet more useful.
Better screen, more responsive touchscreen, more memory, Bluetooth, etc.  I get all that.
I just don't understand what I could do with a more expensive one that I can't do with this, except maybe 3D gaming.

[pbj]

I swear to god nothing gets my eye twitching like OTG.  I spent hours trying to get it to work on a Kindle Fire 1st gen rooted and flashed to plain Android and more recently on some random Android 4.2 tablet.  The best part is there's no way to be 100% sure you're actually holding an OTG cable unless you cut it open.

Never again.  Bluetooth only from here on out.

[Vigo]

BadMouth, I do agree with you, but people like you are not the average consumer. I bought a cheap $30-ish tablet for my kids to watch movies and play simple games in the car. It worked just fine for that purpose until the screen shorted out within 6 months. Even so, I would still consider getting another one, but they are frustrating compared to brand name tablets.

For my kids, it is hard to justify one of those LeapPads for $80-120 when I could buy 3 cheap tablets for that price.

[lilshawn]

I didn't see anything spectacular. the "DEALS" most places had looked like marked up merch that was marked down back to a reasonable price. like... 1200 bucks for a "smart" TV, get real. not in this day and age.

50 bucks for an automatic car starter...that you still need to purchase an integration kit to utilize...

50 bucks for a terribly underpowered chingchong brand tablet that probably wouldn't make it out of the box before it stopped working.

499 for a computer system (sans monitor) oh...refurbished.

best deal i saw where new 1tb hard drives for 49 bucks, and that ain't nothin' to sneeze at either.

some real good deals there ---Deutsche Frankfurters---.