Even though I hate the idea of Black Friday

It still has its perks.

I bought a new Bluetooth this morning for $5.99 from TigerDirect. With a two year warranty and shipping, it came out to $20.

Now I wish I could find my wife a new Laptop for a reasonable price.

My wife conned me into visiting the walmart asylum last night.

I saw things I can never speak of.

behold the consumer might of america~

The envy of all other nations, the desire of foreign politicians to enter into an agreement of trade with us, so with the revenue stream it brings home, they can promise enough spending on social programs to keep themselves in power indefinitely.

For better or worse, this is us.

I'll be doing my part and buying tires.

I stayed home to watch the kid..... Best move I can ever make. Although before any stores were hit, a Xbox was procured from Best Buy online at a better price and less hassle then going to the store. Now to pick up Forza4....

i got over $600 worth of ball bearing toolbox from Sears for $300..

For the record, I went nowhere and bought nothing.

Local news story here in "the town next door"...
Imagine a small town WalMart packed at 11:45pm for Midnight specials. I envision people lined up in the store waiting for deals to be launched at Midnight.
Outside a slightly drunk 20 year old girl plows a pickup truck into a light pole and knocks the store out of power just 15 minutes before the deals launch.
Now what the story does not clarify is that it is typical store policy during a power outage to evacuate the entire store. This evacuation is for multiple reasons but mostly because the theft could run rampant considering that the giant store is mostly dark with the exception of battery lights at the emergency exits. Now lets remember all those people in line waiting for "the deal". My local paper writes:

Agitated customers became verbally abusive toward store employees; and law enforcement officers were called in from the Ottawa County Sheriff's office, Port Clinton Police Department, Border Patrol, Catawba Island and Port Clinton Fire & EMS. They all arrived on scene to help evacuate the angry mob until power was restored.

Power was restored at 1:02am.

BoostedBrandon wrote: My wife conned me into visiting the walmart asylum last night. I saw things I can never speak of.

My son had to work at Target last night at 1:15am until 9:45am this morning.

The crowds all went away after 2:30am and they sent him home early at 5:15am due to lack of customers. He said they still had a bunch of the TV front page special deals still left.

BoostedBrandon wrote: My wife conned me into visiting the walmart asylum last night. I saw things I can never speak of.

Never, ever EVAR.

Every headline about Black Friday incidents this morning involved WalMart. MY wife was stunned as she was reading them off of google news.

That place is a pit of human blight.

My son and I went to Walmart this afternoon at 2:00 to see if they still had any of the xBox games that were on sale. We found a sales lady and asked her if there was any Forza 4 or Kinect Sports 2 left, she told us that they just found a box in back in back AFTER they had been telling people all day that they were sold out. Picked up Forza for $28 and Kinect Sports 2 for $15 - saving over $60. I guess procrastination pays off.

went to Wally World late this afternoon.... plenty of parking and smaller crowds than a normal weekday... came home with several pair of 1/2 price jeans ( some of mine really needed retiring )

7am before work. 8 pack of hot wheels for $5. SGU season 2 for $10. nothing else worth mentioning, just assorted gifts for sibling's kids.

I bought a cat toy. The cats are loving it.

I bought a 30" x 120" sheet of 20 gauge stainless steel today. I asked the girls working behind the counter at the metal supply place if they had a Black Friday mob lined up last night at midnight. They both got a good laugh out of that.

Also saw a '63-ish Dodge Panel Delivery sitting outside a junkyard by the metal supply place. Was really tempted to stop and ask but don't need the temptation right now. Another buddy is going to find out for me...

In reply to gamby:

you totally should, if for nothing more than anthropological education.

My girlfriend has a degree in anthropology. She and I both avoid major shopping areas this time of year if we can help it. Unfortunately, the only work she has found at the moment is working retail at the mall. Ah yes the irony. Good news is she's had no anxiety attacks yet, just sore feet.

We went and bought Forza 4 for my BIL for 28 bucks at 11:45 tonight. People thought they were out because the bin was empty. That glass unlocks y'know.

I got out of work 11pm thursday adn had to be back 6am friday so it didn't pay to go home. I took a ride down to Macy's to be the first to sit on Santa's lap at midnight but 10,000 people beat me to it.

I'd rather pay 25% above retail than go shopping on Black Friday. Whatever you save it isn't worth it.

We stayed home and cooked. Fried shrimp, oysters, sausage. Mmm Mmm Good!!!

Oyster brown for breakfast this morning.

I started shopping the day before thanksgiving.

Went to the local K-mart and picked up a winter jacket for my 18 month old son. tag said $45 receipt showed $26.

score.

I asked at the Wally World here if there Black Friday crowd had been huge and unmanageable .... the girl at the register said "no, that it had been nothing like yrs past"

4pm when I was there the crowd was no worse than a normal shopping day

although there is this from a town a couple of hundred miles east

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/10423244/

KINSTON, N.C. — A disturbance involving Walmart shoppers at a store in Kinston Thursday night prompted off-duty police officers to arrest a former police officer and to use pepper spray to calm the crowd.

Shopper Angel Bunting said the incident began when a man waiting in line for discounted cellphones fell into a display

But authorities said customers became restless and a fight broke out among them as employees were setting up the electronics display.

Gordon Jackson, 58, a former Kinston police officer, was arrested. Police said he didn't follow instructions.

Jackson said there wasn't a fight and that people were jockeying for position in line. He said a police officer over-reacted by using pepper spray.

"He was raining it over the whole crowd, so it will rain down on their heads," Jackson told WNCT-TV. "Some of it got my granddaughter in her face and eyes, and she had to go the emergency room because she's asthmatic."

I bought some salvage Miata parts...

Joey

I bought a really nice wool sportscoat at Goodwill for $10. Looks great with jeans. But it wasn't on sale, so I guess it doesn't really count.

Toyman01 wrote: I'd rather pay 25% above retail than go shopping on Black Friday. Whatever you save it isn't worth it. We stayed home and cooked. Fried shrimp, oysters, sausage. Mmm Mmm Good!!!

The difference between men and women:

Women will pay $10 for a $20 item they don't need.

Men will pay $20 for a $10 item they need.