Black Friday

[miagi's_mommy]

I didn't want to hijack the Thanksgiving Dinner Menu thread... so do you usually go shopping then or stay home? Or go online for certain deals?

I pretty much stay home... but have to work 8 hours on Friday since I am a cashier. It shouldn't be too bad as the people who price stuff in the back are supposed to help us bag when it's busy. I work at Goodwill and we are having a 50% sale on all Goodwill tags from 8 am to 7 pm. It shouldn't be too bad - I'm still not looking forward to it because I have a bad back but I don't want to lose hours, either with Christmas coming up. I can never justify going out at 4 am to go shopping though.

 

[Winchester]

Online and at brick-and-mortar. We'll be waiting in line at PetSmart bright and early on Black Friday! It's the most important stop of the day. We'll get up around 4:00 or so, depending on what time PetSmart opens.

We'll probably hit the malls, too while we're out and about. A stop for a bit of lunch. More shopping, just basically walking around the stores, people-watching, etc. People can be crazy on Black Friday, but we enjoy the day. Rick and I have been Black Friday shopping now for quite a few years.

 

[artiemom]

I will be staying home... recuperating from the day before and making my "own" T-day festivities with Artie. I will cook a small turkey breast with all the fixin's I like... open a bottle of wine, watch some movies, catch up on some TV series --marathon watching...

It will be a relaxing day.. 

I avoid the stores on this particular day. I remember when I was younger, I tried the Black Friday sales, just to see what it was like ~~ never again!!  I hate fighting crowds-- always have.

I remember my mom dragging me to downtown Boston, Filenes Basement on Dollar Days... I hated it then. I would sit, next to my mom,  on a bunch of bags full of stuff she bought. One time I remember a woman in front of me, with a fur coat on. I think it was the first time I was close enough to touch it. I had to reach out and stroke it. She turned around and saw it was me.. My mom was horrified..but I just had to feel the fur-- it was so soft..

What fascinated me most were the women with fur jackets/coats/stoles and the head of the animal still attached...

When my mom needed a break, or was it a bribe for me being so quiet, we went to I think Jordan Marsh for a soft serve ice cream and a dozen of their blueberry muffins, to bring home.

 

[muffy]

I never go shopping on Black Friday. I can't stand the traffic and crowds. I will have to take Muffy to the vet for her fluids Friday morning. Maybe I'll go Saturday instead if she is feeling OK.

 

[denice]

I have never gone out on Black Friday.  I too don't like the traffic and crowds.  I actually have almost all of my Christmas Shopping done.  I tend to buy things here and there throughout the year.  I even buy the things that are unique to Christmas as soon as it is put out which now is way ahead of Thanksgiving.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I used to go on Black Friday. Now in my area, they start the sales on Thursday night. That is just too much. I took a friend with me the last time we went. Somebody pulled out across a major highway in front of me. I had to where to go expect in the side of her car. She had dogs in the front seat and couldn't see the traffic. My friend had just been released from the doctor for a pulled muscle treatment. Needless to say, this didn't help her. It cured me from wanting to shop on that day.

I did get a Belk sale paper this week. They are going to have boots for $20 and I need a pair of black ones bad. :lol3: My husband as offered to do the driving. So who knows, we might just go.

 

[angels mommy]

No way! I stay out of that crazy mess!  I usually don't have money to shop that much anyway, & getting up & out at 4:00 am does not interest me.

This Leo girl likes her sleep! 

 

[neely]

 
No way! I stay out of that crazy mess!  I usually don't have money to shop that much anyway, & getting up & out at 4:00 am does not interest me.

This Leo girl likes her sleep! 

Ditto, I agree with everything you said!  I stay as far away from the stores as possible and have cut down drastically on my holiday shopping list.  

 

[AbbysMom]

Oh I definitely stay home. We're usually exhausted after hosting Thanksgiving. I may buy a few things online. :nod:

 

[Winchester]

Turns out our PetSmart isn't opening until 7:00 am on Friday. We'll get up at 5:00, our regular morning time, feed the kids, and get ready to go. 

I bought our granddaughter's Christmas gifts Sunday morning; she's still into American Girl and she circled items in the catalog, which made it much easier on us to pick from. Still need for our grandson and our DIL has promised to get back to us before Friday. 

I think we're giving the kids money this year, the same for Rick's mother (along with a wreath for her room door and she always takes home the flower arrangement that we use on our Christmas Day table). 

I paid for the refinishing of the secretary's desk for Rick for Christmas this year, so other than a few smaller items, he is finished. Rick took me to Vermont to the King Arthur pizza class; that was part of my Christmas present. 

We always do gift cards for my  brother and SIL. I usually buy something for my sister that she needs in her kitchen or I'll put together some kind of basket of snack-type foods with a couple bottles of their favorite wine and a wheel of baby Swiss cheese from our local cheesemaker. Last year, we found some gorgeous drinking glasses for her and it was the perfect gift for her as she didn't have anything that matched anymore. I think this year, we're going back to the snack-wine-cheese basket. Both my sister and BIL seem to really enjoy that. I pick the snacks and put it together myself, so it's more of what I know they like to eat. (Although she told me last night that they're thinking of trying Blue Apron, so I could always get them a gift card from that for them.)

 

[handsome kitty]

I am working T-Day and Black Friday 2pm to 2am including travel time.  So I don't think I'll make any sales.  I was hoping to go to Kohl's.  Maybe I can make a list and send my minions!  Most of my shopping is done.  I just need a couple more things. 

When my kids were small we would look over the ads after dinner on T-day and they would write their letters to Santa. Santa only brings 3 things because he doesn't have a lot of room in the sleigh.   Then I would get up at 4am and go buy the Santa gifts and be home before they were awake.  It made Christmas affordable especially since I was also buying gifts for the 13 nieces and nephews. 

 

[Winchester]

We went, we shopped, and we're home, maybe just for lunch; we're not sure yet.

ETA: Rick turned the tv on for a football game, so we're going to hang out around the house this afternoon. We may go back out tonight for a while.

We came home with....

10 35-pound pails of cat litter

24 cans of cat food (the price just wasn't all that great and with Friskies Buffet coupons, I can do better)

A Dyson Ball animal/allergy vacuum cleaner (We've been wanting a new Dyson for a while now, so we bit the bullet. On sale and I had a coupon)

A PennState sweatshirt for Rick

A London Fog coat for me

A tablerunner with Santa for the hutch

A snowflake tablecloth for our kitchen table

6 bags of water softener salt

More ink for the printer

And a partridge in a pear tree

 

[Primula]

And a partridge in a pear tree

LOL. Keep the partridge away from Jackie!

 

[handsome kitty]

I went to Kohl's after work around 1 am.  They had some fleece pant's I wanted to get and there were not many left. Also grabbed a couple big throws (also mostly gone), a couple pair of cute P.J.'s and 4 pair of jeans in size 12.

This afternoon I made it to Michael's, Marshalls and Pet smart.

I need to organize my stuff.  I've been shopping all year.

 

[sivyaleah]

No stores for us but, I did buy a few things online today.

1. A pair of Ugg boots on sale for $120 from $170 with free shipping.

2. An air purifier from RabbitAir, for our bedroom (per allergist suggestions) which was $30 off today (a very expensive purchase so anything helped).

3. Two new kitty collars from Sweet Pickles. Both of theirs have seen better days; the collars were 20% off today.

4.  A flap type hat from Screamers - I bought one last year that I loved but the color doesn't match my new coat. Was not on sale unless I bought over $50 which I didn't need so I sucked up full price on it.

5.  Dinner LOL. Didn't feel like cooking!

 

[Primula]

I just sent a friend a pair of Uggs for her newborn son. So darn cute.

 

[misty8723]

Stayed home, except that I went to Petsmart around 3:00 to get a new water fountain and a new Mystery Motion toy for Cricket (her old one is pretty dead).  Other than the parking lot having more cars than usual (it's a strip mall, not just Petsmart), it wasn't bad and the streets weren't bad either for driving.

We did go out Pre- black Friday and bought a new TV for ourselves.

 

[cassiopea]

I worked 

 My beauty adviser job. Day started pretty quiet actually, but then got busy by noon. Thankfully majority of the customers/clients weren't bad at all.

Granted I'm not one of those types of people that go out during special sales days. So if I hadn't been working I would just likely be resting at home or doing normal errands. 

Buuuuut, after I finished work today, I did go to the pet store since I had to pick up some cat food. There was a special going on where if you buy a bag of Blue Buffalo you get a free bag of their cat litter. As I am currently looking around for a new brand anyway I figured why not? 


Yes, I am a wild shopper aren't I? All hail kitty poopies!
 

 

[Winchester]

All hail kitty poopies INDEED!! Our big buy was cat litter at PetSmart! 

Our grandson wants KAVA planks (blocks that you can use to build things). I guess he's LEGOed out. We've been all over the place, looking for those buggers and can't find them. We're going to check a Toys R Us store today and, if we can't find them, then I'm going to have order them online.

I've gotten Rick a Hallmark Taz ornament every year since they first came out (barring about three years ago, when there wasn't one). Well, our Hallmark store closed, so while we're at the Toys R Us, I'm thinking the Hallmark store at that mall is still open. If it's not, then I'm going to have to order Taz online. Rick is a big Taz fan.

We can't find the Purple Rain DVD anywhere (and I would seriously love to have that movie; I don't know what it is about Purple Rain, but I love it and I was not a big PR fan. Heck, I wasn't even a big Prince fan at the time as I was more into rock music). Amazon has it, so Rick may have to order from there. Well, I'll probably order it Monday morning and then Rick will wrap it for me to open on Christmas. 

Everything we order online will come to my work because we don't trust it coming to the house anymore....too many stories of people stealing things right off the porch. We used to have things shipped to Rick's parents, but we can't do that anymore either. So it's all shipped to work. They don't care; a lot of employees are doing that now. It's safer overall. (The guy out in the lobby, who's a real sweetheart, gets a kick out all the stuff that comes in, especially around the holidays. And he likes bringing my packages back to me because I always repay him in cookies when I bring them into work, and he's got a real sweet tooth.)

I didn't use to do a lot of online shopping, but a bad bout with sciatica several years ago that left me unable to walk far at all changed my mind about online shopping. Now, we do most of our shopping on the internet. No crazy people, no long lines, no driving hither and yon. I like shopping, though, even when we don't buy much. I like getting out and about, getting some walking in, just looking around. 

 

[LTS3]

I went to Petco and the independent pet store yesterday. Neither store was busy at all. I got two huge bags of bedding that were BOGO at Petco. I don't really need two huge bags since my geriatric roommates don't have much longer left (one just passed away) but I can donate it all to the shelter later. At the independent store I stocked up on canned food. My order of NV won't arrive until next week.

Today I'm going to the other independent pet store since I still have to use my $10 gift card from last year. Treats are on sale there so I'll get a few. Not sure if they have any NV in stock. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Then I need to go the Container Store to get a small gift box or two.

I just have one more thing to get but I'm going to buy it online. I'm just waiting for a coupon code to show up in my email.

 
Everything we order online will come to my work because we don't trust it coming to the house anymore....too many stories of people stealing things right off the porch. We used to have things shipped to Rick's parents, but we can't do that anymore either. So it's all shipped to work.

Too many Grinches out there now

I live in a building but sometimes packages disappear because the delivery service just drops them off in the unsecured entryway.  UPS, Amazon, FedEx, and a few others just drop packages in the entyway. I think only USPS has access to get inside. Our USPS person brings all the packages he finds in the entryway inside to the mailbox area. Missing packages are more of a problem with the other two buildings than in my building for some reason. I make it a point to bring in packages that I find in the entryway inside unless it's something too heavy and/ or big.

I have important packages and stuff delivered to my parents' house. They're retired and don't go anywhere. They have a small unsecured entryway but from the outside of the house you can't tell. because the door looks just like a regular front door with an outer screen / storm door. Dad shuffles outside every hour or so to smoke so he'd find any packages left in the entryway, or occasionally outside.

Work discourages personal packages to be delievered there. It makes sense. Delivering personal packages and mail on top of work related stuff is additional work for the loading dock guys and mail room workers.