Black friday thread

[ChadTower]

Sharidan's thread was specific to Walmart, so here's a generic one.

Anyone have any specific items they're looking for this time around?  For me, it's an HDTV.  I'm looking for a flat panel in the $700 / 42" range. 

http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/BlackFridaySales/Category/Televisions

Have to say, that Olevia 32" for $419 is a screaming great deal.  I have an Olevia 32" and it's a good TV.  The 37" for $549 is pretty good, too.

[SithMaster]

im looking for a tv tuner pci card.

[shardian]

http://bfads.net/

That site is better than gottadeal. Much more organized and ad scans are easier to get to.

[ChadTower]

That's definitely better except that it doesn't break down by items the way  gottadeal is doing.  Good stuff on both sites.  That 37" at Target is very interesting since our Target is still new/low traffic and it's only about two minutes from my house. 

Hrm, the 22" LCD monitor for $167 at Target is worth looking at too.

[shardian]

That's definitely better except that it doesn't break down by items the way  gottadeal is doing. 

Click on any of the store links on the left hand side. Each store has a complete listing, organized by department and also has a picture link to the items individual ad scan.

[ChadTower]

At the first site, I can click Televisions and see all TVs across all sales at all stores.  If you're only looking for one item that's really nice.

[lharles]

Black friday...oh, the horror.  The last time I went, (and think I'll ever go), was two years ago.  Bought my first big screen TV, (had the same 35" TV for about 10 years before that), at Best Buy.  What a madhouse.  I wish everyone well and hope the sites that have the lists o' stuff for ya' work out, but I wouldn't suffer through that sort of madness ever again.  I do my holiday shopping in September. 

...and here's some YouTube fun for ya'.  I love the fact that we can embed clips now.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TgUkewQX1M[/youtube]

[ChadTower]

I haven't ever done it either.  I would do it for the right single deal but not to target a bunch of stuff that happens to be on huge sale.  I started the thread mostly because I know there are quite a few folks here who dig Black Friday and do the whole get up early with multiple people and plan it out nicely.

[shardian]

I don't know if any of you frequent slickdeals.net or their forums, but if you do you know that they've been overrun by ---uvulas--- the last 2 years or so. It USED to be a neat place to hang out.

Anyways, I've been keeping an eye on the black friday forum there and just for discussions sake I posted and idea to keep Black Friday alive (you know, since it is all but dead as we know it.)
Anyways, here is the thread. I couldn't help but be entertained by the responses of the vultures. Some of them must feel that I attempted to kill their 1st and 2nd born or something. There are a few sane people in there though. This must be how it feels to be Tommy.

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=49198&t=651512

[SithMaster]

Hahah. Grow up you people who want a lottery. The whole point of black friday is to camp out and have fun. You want to get there 5 minutes before and try to get an item?? YEAH RIGHT. I have a normal life, my girlfriend has a normal life...we are camping out. Why?? It is FUN and part of the black friday spirit. It is so dumb to have a lottery. You want an item, you wait in line. Just like registers when you go shopping anywhere. Do you want a lottery to see who goes first when buying things at the supermarket because you dont want to wait in line like a normal person?

This guy sucks.  The point of black friday is to increase sales not to wait outside at 4 in the morning.  When i waited outside circuit city last year too many people cut in line.  I dont care if you take turns waiting in line and waiting in the car if you dont stick it out the entire time then you just lost you spot (5 minute breaks for bodily functions are allowed).  And the difference between a line to buy and a line for black friday is that you have the item in hand to buy against waiting in line to get a chance to buy something they purposefully have few of to draw a crowd to buy the other normal priced stuff(or if they are clever they can raise the price and then have a sale on that so it actually is 10 percent more then normal).  Stupid ebayers.

How can you even PROPOSE a thread like this? It's always been "Good things will come to those who wait" not a "if your lucky, you'll get what you want". I mean seriously now? I dont even want to bother with a reply because this idea just makes me want to vomit!! And this has nothing to do with ebay either. First in line is first in line, period. If a person puts in the work, takes a holiday/skips work, he/she earns the right to be where they are at in line. Why give the opportunity to some guy who got a full 8 hours sleep, walks to bestbuy right before opening, grabs a lottery ticket, and randomly gets a door buster item? Thats completely idiotic.

Anyhow, thats just my opinion.

He bothered.  I dont think they get the idea that you wouldnt have to wait 8 hours outside the store and someone comes 15 minutes before it opens and gets a ticket.  everyone could show up at 15 before it opens and get a ticket.

There is a reason ticketmaster and most major sport areas have gone to lotto systems. As more people start to line up potential saves increase so will violence. It is only a matter of time before someone sues a retailer for getting hurt waiting in line and they realize it is in the companies best interest to do a lottery than expose themselves to needless lawsuits.

I like this we should start a black friday militia.

During the night, I got to know some of our fellow campers. We shared drinks & snacks, had great conversation, and all around took care of each other when biology called. It was a good experience, and while I'm not really feeling the burning desire to buy something big this year, I am still planning on camping out for the party aspect.

So they had sex with each other?

There's this basic concept which defines fairness, it's called FIFO - first in first out, basic queueing theory.

Thats actually a concept of inventory record keeping.

No, no, no.. It's the OTHER way around bud. YOU are hilarious! Thank you for keeping me and I am sure others entertained with your stupid idea! By the way, I attacked your stupid idea not you personally.

Isnt this an attack?

[shardian]

Excellent commentary Sithmaster.

[shardian]

FYI, the walmart at is available at all participating torrent shops near you. Unfortunately, it isn't even worth the look.

What baffles me is that Walmart is being hardcore in preventing the early release of their ad, yet it is quite obvious that there isn't a single doorbuster in the ad - those will be released on walmart.com on thanksgiving. WTF is the point to the legal stuff then?!?

[drunkatuw]

I saw the walmart ad today and it was definitely disappointing.  I think this year might be the first year in 7 or 8 years that I'll be sleeping in on black friday.  Nothing so far has got me excited enough to skip sleeping the night before.  I'll login to bestbuy.com at midnight and order a few DVDs, but I think that'll be it for me.

Although, I'm looking forward to walmart's secret sales.  Maybe some more HD-DVDs on sale (bought the HD-A2 during the last secret sale)

[SithMaster]

Wouldnt releasing the ads help sales because people will know what they have in advance and make the effort to go there?  Otherwise they would just stay home instead of maybe finding a deal.

Yeah things arent really catching my eye this year either.  Maybe bestbuy should get some star wars cabs or something for the early folk.  If my friends go ill tag along though if they have a cartoon box set i might get one.

[ChadTower]

Releasing the ads will also allow competitors to adjust and offer an equivalent item slightly cheaper - or alongside a better companion item.

How many people who wait in line for 5 hours actually buy anything other than the loss leader item, anyway?  It's great that they'll offer a bunch of items at stupid prices but I rarely hear "yeah, so I picked up that $400 32" TV and 4 sets of cables for it.  It's always just the loss leader item.

[SithMaster]

Good point.

But walmart sucks.

[shmokes]

My first Black Friday was like six or seven years ago or so.  It was amazing.  My wife and I managed to get everything we wanted AT THREE DIFFERENT STORES!!!  I thought Black Friday was ---smurfing--- awesome.  Since then I've had some that were mildly successful (think loss leader) or complete busts.  Just lucky the first time.  C'est la vie.

[ChadTower]

Can't say I'd be able to do more than one store on my own... no babysitter so there would be no one to coordinate anything with.

[ChadTower]

Hrm...

Sharp 42" LCD HDTV with HDMI & PC Inputs @ Circuit City $800

Olevia 537H 37" Widescreen LCD HDTV @ CompUSA $600

Sylvania 37" Widescreen LCD HDTV w/ HDMI Input @ Kmart $700

Sylvania 37" Widescreen LCD HDTV with ATSC Tuner @ Meijer $500

Olevia 42" Widescreen LCD HDTV Office Depot  $700

Flat Panel 42" Widescreen LCD HDTV @ Staples

Olevia 237T 37" Widescreen LCD HDTV @ Target $550


The Olevias look good to me... I have one already and we love it.  It's hard to ignore that 42" Sharp, though.

Question... for the Black Friday vets here... for something like a TV, which I assume is a very high demand item... what time would you get in line?

EDIT:  if it helps, the Circuit City by my house literally opened up about two weeks ago.  It's very very new.

[saint]

Midnight at the latest, possibly even something ridiculous like 6 PM Thursday. Used to be I'd have said 2 AM, but not anymore. It's crazy out there. Isn't Circuit City allowing you to buy some BF items online Thursday though?

[ChadTower]

Haven't found that yet if it is true, but I can try to find out... I'm arriving to this party late.

The CC 42" Aquos is not a doorbuster... wonder if that matters, though, given that it is still a plasma for $800.

[shardian]

None of those you listed are worth camping out for. You can get comparable prices throughout the year if you watch. The tv's they will put out in the "secret sales" also won't be worth camping out for because they will be old models and overall crappy anyways.

[ChadTower]

I'll poke around some more and consider that.  I'm not seeing prices anywhere near that Aquos for $800 right now, at least.

I'm not hung up on 1080p if that matters.  I won't have a 1080p source in the near future.

[nostrebor]

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_05775727000P?sid=I0084400010000100600&aff=Y

Here you go Chad. $776 with in store pickup.

[ChadTower]

I'm not seeing a way to add it to the cart...

EDIT:  ah, you have to specify a pickup location to do it.  When you try, you get a popup saying it is not available for purchase.  That is definitely a better deal than the 42" black friday deals if it were actually available.

BTW, thanks for the tip, just didn't work.  Good looking out.

[nostrebor]

Well that didn't last long. I got the email telling of the sale 3 minutes before I posted here, verified, and posted. Now they're not available.

 

Keep checking it. Maybe they will come back around.

[ChadTower]

Must have gotten hammered... the site took a cookie dump on my browser I had to clear manually.

[divemaster127]

I have that 32" olivia on my racer setup, its a great monitor & the picture while racing the game "dirt" on the pc is awesome
dm

[pointdablame]

I love the fact that a bunch of stores have online deals on Thanksgiving day now.  I stood up late last til around 4am last night and then woke up at 8am, and got what I wanted.

I got the TomTom ONE from Best Buy for $119 (two actually), 4gig pro duo, and a few other things... and didn't even have to leave the house.  The TomTom was my one "must have" this year, so now I can just head to the stores when they open and see what other things they have around.

Awesome.  I'm so glad they did this this year.  I really didn't want to wait in line all night for a ticket to get that GPS.