We have Boxing Day here in Canada on December 26th, instead of Black Friday. I've worked long enough in retail to know that most sales are total crap, meaning that you can find sales just as good in pretty much every flyer, and to this day I feel sorry for all the chumps that think they are getting great deals by camping outside Best Buy for 10 hours. My worst experience was going to the West Edmonton Mall, the biggest mall in the world, on Boxing Day. There must have been over 100,000 people there. No parking, lineups numbering into the hundreds at EVERY STORE (over 800 of them), no walking room anywhere. To this day I do not know why I even bothered since I never bought anything.
Part of the reason why Black Friday's a big deal is because it is theoretically shopping for Christmas. I think the difference in insanity is somewhat akin to the difference between toytoy's drink of choice and an O'Douls.
The comparison isn't fair. Black Friday is crazier, since as said, it's for the Holiday shopping, rather than just picking up what you may not have gotten. Also, Boxing Day in Canada is more like Boxing Week, as pretty much everywhere runs the sales all week.
I've been looking forward to Black Friday for a few months now. Not because I'm shopping, but because I'll be working, so I'll get to see the chaos firsthand. I work at Meijer, which is a growing grocery/retail chain in IN, IL, MI, and OH. The thing is, I work in the produce dept. so I doubt we'll be busy in our area. I'm going to relax and stock lettuce and radishes, while everyone else kills each other. I shopped on Black Friday two years ago. I went to a small town Wal-Mart, and waited for about an hour for a cheap camcorder. There were no problems, so I'm hoping to see some carnage this year.
I heard on the radio today that all Walmarts will be open 24 hours on Black Friday this year to avoid another incident like last year's trampling. I can at least give them some credit for that. As for me, my Black Friday plans consists of waking up at noon and enjoying my day off.
I am going to make like a good capitalist and buy some really good pot as well as some fantastic vodka, get high and drunk and fuck my 24 year old Shintoist girlfriend while listening to death metal and watching porn. Then I am going to pick up my 4 year old daughter and take her to see The Princess and the Frog because I'm a great father.
I did it once about 11 years ago. I really didn't see any deals that I don't see any other time of the year. The best Xmas chopping experience I ever had was buying everything for everyone on my list from Amazon. They even gift wrapped them for me. I just had to hand them out. Best holiday ever.
Some woman just tried to have me fired today because I didn't say "Merry Christmas." I said have a happy holiday and she goes "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!!!! I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER!!!!" So I call my manager over and she tells him that I should be fired because I'm obviously a heathen and only good Christians should have jobs in this economy. My boss goes, "I'm sorry Madam, I really can't fire her for that because I worship the devil, so it would be kind of hypocritical of me." That's why I like my boss.
Since most E-tailers have comparable sales and free shipping on Black Friday thru Cyber Monday or whatever the kids are calling it these days I do my shopping from the comfort of my couch while snacking on Thanksgiving leftovers. A year or two ago I did venture out to the Home Depot at 5AM because they had a "90 set" sale where certain items were ridiculously discounted but they only had 90 units. I expected the line to be around the store in which case I wouldn't even get out of my car. Much to my surprise there was no one there. A couple contractors were walking around buying their normal supplies but there wasn't anyone running and grabbing up the deals. I took my sweet ass time walking around buying a bunch of power tool sets, shelving, and ladders, often taking the first or second item out for the "90 item" display. When I finally got around to leaving the store a half hour later there were customers everywhere. The sales flyer they mailed said the store opened at 6 while the website said all stores opened at 5. Suckers!
My girlfriend goes EVERY year. Up at some stupid ass early hour when those of us who are normal are too hungover to move just so she can save $5 on a dress somewhere because she really doesn't shop for anyone. However this year she finally has a real fucking job. Working in an office cube 8-9 hours a day. And somehow she works for the only company who doesn't have off the day after Thanksgiving. So she'll be working while I sleep off a hangover. I find this oddly amusing.
I live in Minnesota, and I'd say at least half of the companies around here don't get it off, you have to use PTO. Focus: I used to work for Circuit City during HS and had a minor stint at Best Buy corp as a contractor. It's unreal how far back the planning goes for this stupid day. A girl I dated very recently helped oversee the BF ad and it was officially complete a month ago. They started working on it 3 months ago. I'm surprised they knew exactly what products they would have, but thus is inventory planning. To back to CC, we worked the 6am to 10pm shift. Absolutely brutal, especially being on full comission. I have never seen so many grown men fight over a computer customer in my life. It almost resulted in punches in the break room. The crazies aren't just on the consumer side, guys.
Supposedly we're open for business too which is a shock. I won't fucking be here, hell I won't be here tomorrow. I understand retailers wanting to maximize their sales and making all of their employees come in but I find it very unlikely that we'll get a single call that day. If you're in the mood to buy some industrial robotics our sale starts at 7AM and I'll give you a 20% off discount. Just use my name at the door and I'm sure they won't call security.
Run down by a group of bargain-hunting fat women at a Thanksgiving sale? Sign me up for that! Never have. Never will.
My Black Friday shopping is done. Borderlands for $20 and Dragon Age: Origins for $38. Ordered from Amazon. Now I'm going to bed.
Alt. Focus: I've only been brave enough to venture out on Black Friday once in my life. The fights in the store I went to were so bad that the local police department showed up, in full riot gear, to disperse the crowd. I've never wanted a TV or a camera so badly that I'm willing to throw punches to get it. I survived, but only because I happened to be near the front entrance when a policeman politely grabbed me by the arm and told me to "get the fuck out of the store" before things got worse. Focus: Ever since then, I stay home on Black Friday and force myself to do something productive. Exciting, I know.
I braved the insanity at Wal Mart this morning to get my wife a new laptop. Got a pretty decent machine for about $250 lower than I've seen it anywhere online. Worth it. They were open 24 hours and had zones set up for each big ticket item. I figured that I'd show up a couple hours before the sale started and if they had any that weren't claimed yet, I'd wait in line. I got there at 3am for a 5am sale. I was second in line. They had 10 of the laptops and pretty much 10 of each big screen and the other laptops they were selling. Everybody who showed up got a numbered ticket with the item listed. We waited patiently until 5am. Sale started, all the big ticket item people bought their items at registers near the zones where each product was set up. I was out the door 10 minutes after 5. I walked right past the INSANITY that the rest of the store was. HOLY SHIT! I've never done a Black Friday sale before, but the big ticket items were very organized and worth it as I didn't have to wait outside. Hell, I stood in line with the other 9 getting this specific laptop, shot the shit and we went on our merry way. The rest of the store was madness. I'm done, home and going back to bed. If Wal Mart does this again next year the same way, I'd get a big ticket item again. It was smooth. All the little things that most of the crazies came for wouldn't be worth it. Save me $250 and I'll talk. Save me $3 on some kids board game and I think you're an idiot.
Normally I hate constant Facebook status updaters but today I love it. All these women I know posting their Black Friday statuses is hilarious. B: 4AM outside Best Buy! The woman in front of me smells like cat piss. VC: Just got shoved into an underwear bin by some 70 yo lady. Commence ass whooping B: Camera secured! Had to wrestle through two homelessy people to get it M: Literally laying on the floor in Old Navy to save my spot it line ND: Just saw a woman with a bloody nose. Wish my hubby was here to protect me VC: A woman has 7 or 8 little kids with her and is telling them the items mommy needs. These kids are going to get trampled. I think she adopted them just for today since they're definitely not all related. Hahaha there are so many more. I'm going to shop online and read about the chaos via my friends. Hope they all make it out alive.
I haven't heard of anyone dying yet, but there were a couple Wal Mart fights. Link. Link. If that's as bad as it got, then this video is pertinent.
I was shopping this morning (not WalMart, Target or Toys R Us) and texted my best friend to see what size clothes the small child was wearing and she, being VERY pregnant, asked me to look for something called MindFlex. Ok, I'm thinking that because she's about to pop and isn't shopping today so it's probably just something I can pick up to help her out. And I was super wrong. No one has it. No one.