(Vanity) Semi-Official Black Friday Thread, Let's talk SHOPPING!

Self ^ | Narses

[narses]

Please share the best deals you find as well as your observations about consumer behavior, your own and others. This is an early indicator of how the year will end and I am fascinated by the phenomena.

[autumnraine]

Gift cards are down because if the company goes belly up (and who the heck knows in this climate from one day to the next), the gift cards are useless, even though perfectly good cash went into buying them. They don’t have to honor them.

I bought an amazon.com card for downloading songs for the nephew I drew and I am going to tell him to use it QUICK.

[mimaw]

Do you think Best Buy will still be around? Some of the grandkids are electronic nuts. The younger ones like toys and of course clothes for the teen girls. Seriously I think I'll just give them all cash.

[Twink]

Hmmm. I started shopping for Christmas Gifts for my kids, husband, family, and family pollyanna. My eldest asked if we could “go shopping on Black Friday” and I told her no way! I don’t shop on Black Friday regardless of the “deals.” I reminded her that she has a car and doesn’t need me to “go shopping” with her, lol, but she wants me there.

I’ve been doing a lot of shopping online this year, as in previous years, and found some fantastic deals. My kids’ Godmother always buys a combo Christmas gift (for the 4 girls)...Air Hockey Table, Ping Pong Table, play station 2, Wii last year, etc. So this year she sent a check for $200 so I could buy Wii Rock Band for them from her. I found it online at Amazon for under $100 so they’ll each get $25 Gift Cards to their favorite clothing store in addition to that game from her. I already bought quite a few other gifts at Amazon (less than store prices and free shipping and NO TAX).

My 5th grader asked for REAL Uggs again this year. I wasn’t going to even attempt to get them because of the cost and they’re always sold out here or on back order. Well, I found them online, at a home and garden store no less, and again no shipping or tax.

[Keen-Minded]

I don’t know about Best Buy. Here’s a partial list of stores that was sent to me regarding closings. I don’t know how accurate it is and there are probably more stores.

Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine’s to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more aft er January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down special ty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sun wear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Lowes to close down some stores
Dillard’s to close some stores...

[stayathomemom]

My husband had been excitedly waiting for WNIC to start their Christmas music. He's been happily humming the baseline to carols for 2 weeks now! We did some window shopping at 12 Oaks yesterday. They seemed pretty busy. Our daughters and my mother-in-law are flying here for Christmas, so any gifts I get for them have to be easily transportable or I'll do on-line shopping and have things sent directly to them before or after their visits.

[TNoldman]

My wife and I are retired. Our children are adults and supporting themselves and their families.

We are reducing our gifts to ourselves and family and taking ourselves to Florida for two months - Feb/Mar as a Christmas Gift. We have lived in Knoxville, Tn for 17 years.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[mimaw]

Thank you.

[peggybac]

I just spent several hundred dollars on work clothes for my new job - that’s a Christmas present to myself. I’ll be giving money or gift certificates to my family and their kids - it’s so much easier than actual gifts.

[mrsmel]

Well we won't be buying overpriced items from Barney's "Hippie" edition catalog, it's the silliest thing I've ever seen. Outrageous prices for "hippe" styled items, with the "salve" to the conscience that they donated some money to some silly environmentalist cause. Common sense would dictate that you just don't buy the silly overpriced peace sign jewelry or ridiculously priced tie-dye tee shirt, and donate the money yourself to your church's food pantry, or another local charity, which helps actual people.

[narses]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[mrsmel]

J Jill’s closing stores? I thought that I kept them in business all by myself, LOL, I get almost all my clothes from their online store. I don’t like their “vibe”, but I like the clothes.

[mplsconservative]

My husband, son and I went shopping today. I had good intentions to get a few gifts but it was just so crowded, claustrophobic even. I should’ve known better to have the boys accompany me as well. The hubby follows me around practically walking on my heels and my son repeatedly mentions his overwhelming boredom. Not much success, but people are definitely out there buying.

I’m ditching the boys next week and shopping on my own. We plan on spending in the hundred dollar range for each person, mind you, just five of us exchange presents. I saw some great deals today on sweaters in the 20 to 30 dollar range on good brands like Ruff Hewn, Woolrich, Liz Claiborne, etc. This was at Herberger’s, part of the Saks Fifth Avenue company.

I did snap up a great deal on a pretty holiday wrap/shawl at 40% off to wear over my little black cocktail dress to my husband’s company Christmas party. The economy must not be too bad as it’s a dinner/dance being held at one of the most exclusive country clubs in the Twin Cities area. I have very few occasions to dress up anymore, so I’m really looking forward to it.

[narses]

Good luck, God Bless and Merry Christmas.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“What shopping plans does your family have this year?”

I started cutting back on Christmas when my boys were teens. I’d let Dad buy them the “fun stuff” (computer games & equipment) and I gave them socks, undies, gas cards for their jalopies, movie passes, etc. Grandma and Grandpa always gave them money for their college funds. Boring, but oh-so-handy NOW! :)

These days they get a gift card for something they love (bookstore, sporting goods store, car parts shop, gasoline card) and a stocking filled with small treats they don’t get the rest of the year.

However, I did go to a major Milwaukee Mall last week...and survived; I didn’t get shot, and people were out in DROVES on a Wednesday.

There were some awesome bargains to be found; my dogs bought me Vera Wang knock-off ‘Ugg’ boots and Isotoner gloves for Christmas, LOL!

[dfwgator]

REMINGTON 770 W/ SCOPE IN VARIOUS CALIBERS ON SALE AT GANDER MOUNTAIN FOR $319.00

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid." ;)

[netmilsmom]

>>My husband had been excitedly waiting for WNIC to start their Christmas music<<

Seriously, it starts November 1st.

I was at Lakeside today. It was packed!

[Marie2]

Everyone don’t forget to buy your Watkins spices and extracts to bake your Christmas goodies!

yes, I am a Watkins rep.

Actually my son and DIL plan to just bake cookies for everyone this year. They are newly married, kinda broke, just starting out.

Myself, steady as she goes. I’ll be shopping almost every day this week, but I rarely spend more than $500 on Christmas, and I have a large family.

Black Friday will probably see me at an art supply store and at Costco, but I’ve never woken and dawn and one the fight-your-neighbor thing.

Happy Birthday, Jesus. For God so loved the world, He sent His only Son. That’s all the gift I need.

[Twink]

I say that every year *we have to cut back* but never follow through. I love Christmas and my kids, well all but the youngest, don’t ask for much. I always buy my brothers gifts (and vice versa)but we do a “kids pollyanna” Since I’m the youngest sib, a couple of my nephews are my age so their kids are my kids ages. So we do a kids pollyanna between all the kids in the family and they exchange here at Christmas Eve 7 Fishes Dinner.

[umgud]

Went to Cabelas and the new Scheels in Reno Friday/Saturday. They were both packed. These are huge outdoors stores. I needed to buy some ammo reloading supplies. Cabelas was out of everything I needed and Scheels only had the primers I was looking for. I live in CA and thought I’d have no problem at these stores.

[Renegade]

“Tis the Season!”