Anyone out there engaging in the insanity of Black Friday? by Niki2

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Anyone out there engaging in the insanity of Black Friday?

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Monday, November 26, 2012 06:13
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VIEWED: 720
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Friday, November 23, 2012 6:22 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead "out there" today. Of course, I have the luxury of no children or other relatives to buy Xmas gifts for, and there's nothing we "need" which will force me to look for bargains. I've never participated in Black Friday myself; I've never found anything worth going through all that for. It seems to me an orgy of shopping and ends up with far too many buying things 'cuz they're "on sale"...which isn't always the case anyway.

Quote:
While big box chains like Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target began Black Friday deals as early as Thanksgiving night, ShopAdvisor, which tracks retail trends, found Black Friday is actually not the best day of the holiday shopping season to get deals.

“Black Friday was among the worst sales days of the 2011 shopping season,” it says.

"Our experience tracking more than a hundred million products shows that although Black Friday may be a good day for shopping, there are 'blacker' days to be found during the holiday shopping season," said Scott Cooper, CEO of ShopAdvisor in a statement.

(For example) Price spikes actually occur on Black Friday--24% of the toys on ShopAdvisor's list were priced above their initial holiday season price in 2011.More at http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2012/11/23/black-friday-not-best
-day-for-shopping/

Anyone here gonna be out there in the madhouse?

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Friday, November 23, 2012 6:26 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Last year, I had a friend inform me of a online sale , limited time, over this weekend. I was half tempted to go stand in line, but then she came through, and saved me hours of my life. Got a better deal for what I was looking to buy, on line, than I'd have gotten at any of those 'midnight madness' events.

This year, there's really no need to wade into the fray, so it's all good.

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Friday, November 23, 2012 3:54 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Oh hell no, not on your life - I hate crowds and noise to begin with, and that mess they can keep!

Only reason I am even leaving the building whatsoever today is that I have to do the rounds, and part of that after black friday or xmas is cause damn fools leave empty big-ticket-item boxes pitched into the dumpsters at the top or just laying beside them, which entices crooks cause if they see the empty box for that 52" TV, they might come lookin in windows to see where it went, you know ?

So I find them boxes, break em down and cram them in where they ain't so visible, I figure it's in part my job TO worry about stuff like that so the people here don't have to.

-Frem

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Saturday, November 24, 2012 8:03 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Good for you, Frem. People can be so stupid about stuff like that! And of course on a shopping day like Black Friday, those so inclined are I'm sure extra busy looking for opportunities.

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Saturday, November 24, 2012 11:31 AM

FREMDFIRMA

I am just glad the cops weren't camping the Walmarts like they did a couple years back, that was a NASTY thing to do it was.

They designed Walmart parking lots a "known drug dealing zone" and the week of Xmas shopping were randomly shaking people down, mostly poor minorities. and accusing them of selling/buying drugs to confiscate their Xmas shopping money under asset forfeiture provisions, which do not even require charges much less actual evidence or conviction for, a crime.

It was an appalling act of downright cruelty since to get that money back is all but impossible and would require resources far in excess of what was taken, legalized strongarm robbery under cover of law.

We have measures in place to prevent a repeat of that event, including co-opting some of them annoying Salvation Army bellringers(1) to catch out these badge bearing grinches on camera and humiliate them via social media if it happens again.

(1) I hate these, I do - consider them auditory extortionists, have a couple standing grudges against the Salvation Army, and the notion of allowing a religious group to shake people down at store entrances, bells *REALLY* irritate me (which my ex seems to think proves fae kinship) to the point where I even hate wind chimes...
Few know this because apparently most folk seem to think it adds to the holiday atmosphere, and given that despite their vicious prejudices at least SOME of that largess winds up helping people... eventually, so I grit my teeth and let them get on with it for the sake of tolerance.

-Frem

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Sunday, November 25, 2012 8:50 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

My mother went out Thanksgiving night for goodness sake, our society is falling apart, people can't even wait for Fri. anymore. On small business Sat. my friend Sam and I went out to a nice little local breakfast place and had a lovely breakfast, its a place she and her husband go. Then we went to Sat. market, faire is my favorite place to see beautiful things, but if I can't go there then Sat. market is my next choice, the artisans there make wonderful things, didn't buy anything though because I didn't bring any money with me, probably a good thing since I have my Browncoats craft fair this coming Sun.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, November 26, 2012 6:02 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Yeah, the Thanksgiving-night thing disgusted me, too, as did the openings at midnight. All I could think of was the poor employees...with a side thought for the idiots who go to such things. The whole "Black Friday" bit is a merchandising ploy, as shown by how many places actually JACK UP the prices then, as well as the fact that there are so many other times when better sales can be found. Gawd bless our consumer society!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Monday, November 26, 2012 6:13 AM

JONGSSTRAW

The best deals around without large crowds are in my local supermarket. My wife and I went shopping at Publix yesterday and almost everything we normally buy was 2 for 1. We now have enough laundry detergent and Eggo waffles to last all through 2013.

"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the Republic."

Benjamin Franklin

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