Do you seriously expect me to answer that ...

[Pixelated]

Not sucky so much as

I was at Second Job today (retail). Had several customers ask "Is this going to be on sale on Black Friday?" or "You are having a Black Friday sale, aren't you?"

Seriously, folks ... I understand your desire to save money and/or get a bargain, but I am trying to get decent sales numbers today, so I'm not going to encourage you to put down whatever you've got in your hot little hands and come back tomorrow or Friday.

One woman wanted a purple water bottle. Her older companion (mother?) said, "Oh, let's get it on Friday!" Yes, fine ... but there are only two purple ones. They might be long gone by Friday. I did mention that, but ...

[Bright_Star]

I never could understand the mentality of people who insist on going shopping early in the morning on Black Friday.Why is it so important to buy that particular item at that hour when it could be bought some other time at a more sensible time? Big discount? Really? Don't they know they mark up the price & then reduce it down to what looks like a steal when in actuality you're buying it at the "normal" price? It's a trick. There's a sucker born every minute & on Black Friday there's a ton of them lined up outside just after midnight

[Slave to the Phone]

I have a co-worker who I highly respect and consider to be a rational and logical person.

He is taking BF off work so he can be in line at the Mart of Wal to buy his 3 year old daughter a Hatchimal. Its astounding to me, he honestly is one of the last people in the world that I would ever imagine doing such a thing.

Love makes people do very strange things at times.

[Pixelated]

Yep. I avoid those "Big Sale" days like the plague -- well, except when I have to work them. I haven't gone shopping on Boxing Day in decades (there is absolutely nothing I want badly enough to cope with those mobs) and I don't remember ever shopping on Black Friday.

We have one (1) cash register in our store, regardless of the season, so here's the deal: you can buy it now, in a relatively stress-free environment, or you can wait for the Black Friday craziness, when you might be at the end of a 15-person line.

And we'll still have only one (1) cash register.

There's also this: we had a woman in today who wanted a purple water bottle. An older woman (her mother?) said, "Oh, let's come on Friday and get it." Fine ... but there's only two of them. By Friday, there might be none of 'em.

[Food Lady]

There's a sucker born every minute & on Black Friday there's a ton of them lined up outside just after midnight

So much this. The stuff is regular price for all intents and purposes. And I've seen people go crazy for pajamas. I'm not braving that for pajamas.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I never could understand the mentality of people who insist on going shopping early in the morning on Black Friday.Why is it so important to buy that particular item at that hour when it could be bought some other time at a more sensible time? Big discount? Really? Don't they know they mark up the price & then reduce it down to what looks like a steal when in actuality you're buying it at the "normal" price? It's a trick. There's a sucker born every minute & on Black Friday there's a ton of them lined up outside just after midnight

In addition to the price games, I have heard that the special BF electronics are cheaply made so they can be sold cheaply. I'd rather get the non-special electronics that have a bit of quality in them.

[drjankowska]

I never could understand the mentality of people who insist on going shopping early in the morning on Black Friday

Aussie stores are embracing the Black Friday thing, even down to calling it that, despite the fact that we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, and we have the Boxing Day sales (which would be our 'Black Friday') and most retail stores are in constant sale mode anyway due to our poor retail market. There's a DOZEN sales on for any thing you may possibly want, all year round. If you wait long enough, whoop, there it is! On sale, you can feel happy knowing that you're saving some money, depending on the markup in the first place.

[Pixelated]

Same here as regards constant sales. I buy nearly all my clothes (those not from a thrift shop) from one particular store, and not a week goes by that I don't get a phone message about a sale that week (for the record, I signed up for these calls ). And virtually every store in the mall has been running at least one sale or 'special' for months.

[CyberLurch]

In addition to the price games, I have heard that the special BF electronics are cheaply made so they can be sold cheaply. I'd rather get the non-special electronics that have a bit of quality in them.

I can testify. I got conned into making an early-morning Black Friday shopping trip to Meier one year specifically to purchase a set-top DVD recorder (think VCR, except it burned directly to DVD) that they had advertised. It was complete garbage. It worked just once and then refused to do anything else. Came to find out that virtually every one of them that Meier had sold had been returned as defective.

[KuariKaydrith]

I've noticed that a lot of retailers here are getting into the Black Friday thing as well - we've been bombarded with BF sales stuff for weeks now! And we're on a Canadian island in the Atlantic Ocean ffs. But there are BF sales going on in the city as we speak. I am so glad that I don't work retail anymore because I can guarantee that my brain to mouth filter would be busted in the first five minutes of my shift.

I will admit though to taking advantage of a BF sale today though...it was online at one of my fav mail-order body jewelry websites. But there was no interaction with live people so it's all good. I'm avoiding brick and mortar stores until Monday unless I absolutely can't help it.

[mjr]

I never could understand the mentality of people who insist on going shopping early in the morning on Black Friday.

I've done something similar at the Center of Guitars.

But not often. Because their sales are generally one of those "up to" sales...and sometimes it's "up to" 90 or 95% off. And if you get there later in the day, all of the stuff that's higher than about 30% off is gone.

Yeah, I know it's stuff they want to get rid of, but I really have gotten some deals that way. I got there once at like 3 AM for a 7 AM opening (or something like that). The people in line behind me rushed to "their" department immediately (keyboards, drums, pro audio, whatever). I started scanning price tags with my eyes.

I got a bass guitar for $50 one year at one of those sales. My wife got a Martin Cowboy III Acoustic for $175.

What's odd about the Center of Guitars, though, is that their Black Friday sales aren't nearly as good as their "during the year" sales.

But over the past few years (sorry, brick and mortar retail folks), all of my Christmas shopping has been done online.