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Black Friday bargains may not be after all
Boston Globe ^ | December 28, 2007 | Jenn Abelson and Rebecca A. Fitzgerald

Posted on 12/28/2007 8:22:54 AM PST by GQuagmire

Merchants long have tried to lure shoppers into rising at ungodly hours to snare blockbuster bargains on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. But are the deals actually better? Turns out that often they are not.

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bahhumbug; bargains; blackfriday; grinch; grinchstolechristmas; retail; zogbyism
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1 posted on 12/28/2007 8:22:56 AM PST by GQuagmire
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To: GQuagmire

Ha - I knew it...


2 posted on 12/28/2007 8:23:50 AM PST by Hegemony Cricket (Although most dead people vote democrat, aborted babies, if given the choice, would vote Republican.)
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To: GQuagmire

Ha! You stupid consumers! You spend your money foolishly! It’s like Bill Clinton said – Every time we give you a tax break, you spend the money badly! Socialism is the cure for this wayward behavior.


3 posted on 12/28/2007 8:28:28 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (The broken wall, the burning roof and tower. And Agamemnon dead.)
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To: Hegemony Cricket

It’s not just the deals. It’s the inventory. If my ex-wife wasn’t at Target at 6:00 that morning I would not have been able to get Guitar Hero II for my daughter. She got one of the last three from the back room.


4 posted on 12/28/2007 8:28:37 AM PST by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: GQuagmire

So what you are saying is that anybody who would go near a shopping mall on the day after Thanksgiving is a fool, or a female.


5 posted on 12/28/2007 8:29:24 AM PST by Minn (Here is a realistic picture of the prophet: ----> ([: {()
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To: GQuagmire

So what you are saying is that anybody who would go near a shopping mall on the day after Thanksgiving is a fool, or a female.


6 posted on 12/28/2007 8:29:25 AM PST by Minn (Here is a realistic picture of the prophet: ----> ([: {()
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To: Hegemony Cricket

Many deals aren’t better—no doubt about it. But the “doorbuster” sales are indeed better, which are designed to drive traffic into the stores and create sales of other, normal priced products.


7 posted on 12/28/2007 8:29:41 AM PST by Publius Valerius
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To: GQuagmire

Ok, who here didn’t know that? Everyone with your hands up, I propose you never shop again.


8 posted on 12/28/2007 8:31:16 AM PST by arderkrag (Libertarian Nutcase (Political Compass Coordinates: 9.00, -2.62 - www.politicalcompass.org))
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To: Publius Valerius

“But the “doorbuster” sales are indeed better, “

exactly.
I went this year for particular door busters, and it was worth my while.
When I was done with that, I looked around at other deals and didn’t see anything spectacular.


9 posted on 12/28/2007 8:33:29 AM PST by Scotswife
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To: GQuagmire

Bravo Sierra, over. I bought my wife a Kitchenaid mixer for only $130 that day. It normally sells for $200 or more.


10 posted on 12/28/2007 8:35:11 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (Your "dirt" on Fred is about as persuasive as a Nancy Pelosi Veteran's Day Speech)
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To: GQuagmire

“To be included in the survey, an item had to appear in the circulars for three of the five weekends before Christmas”

That would eliminate almost 90% of Black Friday ads. They always get the pre prints at the last minute and send out emails.

I’ve been a black friday shopper for 5 years, and have never been let down. Are there instances of lower prices? Of course. As a former salesman, I always said, if you shop long enough, hard enough, and make it your mission in life to beat this price, you will.

Some stores have “secret black friday” sales. Like Wal Mart, Best Buy, and Costco. You’ll only get those prices, which are unbeatable, by email from black friday.

This year, I bought two Toshiba Laptops with a Cannon printer for $229.00 each at Best Buy.

Like always, do your homework, and let the shopping begin! :)


11 posted on 12/28/2007 8:36:07 AM PST by papasmurf (FRed Thompson is head and shoulders above the rest. Vote for America, vote for FRed!)
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To: massgopguy
I would not have been able to get Guitar Hero II for my daughter.

You were taken also. Guitar Hero III is this years big deal. Guitar Hero II was hot 2 years ago.

12 posted on 12/28/2007 8:36:58 AM PST by toast
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To: GQuagmire

My wife and MIL did Black Friday for the 1st time this year and they weren’t at all disappointed in their bargains.


13 posted on 12/28/2007 8:39:05 AM PST by GraniteStateConservative (...He had committed no crime against America so I did not bring him here...-- Worst.President.Ever.)
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To: GQuagmire

My 22” monitor at Target for $167 certainly was.


14 posted on 12/28/2007 8:39:15 AM PST by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurtureā„¢)
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To: toast

When I was in WalMart last weekend they had gobs of Hero III.


15 posted on 12/28/2007 8:50:59 AM PST by chopperman
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To: Minn
Well...it would be during Deer Season in Texas.
16 posted on 12/28/2007 8:56:19 AM PST by Deaf Smith
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To: massgopguy

The shortages of these “must have” gifts are artificial in some cases. But it builds desire.


17 posted on 12/28/2007 9:00:13 AM PST by weegee (If Bill Clinton can sit in on Hillary's Cabinet Meetings then GWBush should ask to get to sit in too)
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To: GQuagmire

The real bargains come right before Christmas. Depending on how well they’ve done, they start their ‘after Christmas’ sales a day or two before the Holiday. (One year, when the economy was really bad, they started about a week before.)


18 posted on 12/28/2007 9:00:33 AM PST by PAR35
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To: papasmurf

If the sale runs for 3 weeks, it isn’t a black Friday sale.

Even the 50% off retail DVD sale I purchased from online lasted less than 2 weeks.


19 posted on 12/28/2007 9:01:40 AM PST by weegee (If Bill Clinton can sit in on Hillary's Cabinet Meetings then GWBush should ask to get to sit in too)
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To: papasmurf

There are also times where stores do not print the prices of the items (I believe it is an agreement with the manufacturer).

This is a lazy bit of research and so it gives a false answer.


20 posted on 12/28/2007 9:03:34 AM PST by weegee (If Bill Clinton can sit in on Hillary's Cabinet Meetings then GWBush should ask to get to sit in too)
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