Ahira's Hangar

Does anyone here participate in this particular form of American consumer madness? (On the day after Thanksgiving some of the stores open at times like 0500 with huge sales. People have been trampled to death in stampedes getting in. )

I do not leave my house that day other than to go to work.

If you do participate - have you or anyone you have been with ever been harmed or seen riots or the like? (One of my friend's husbands witnessed a Wal-mart riot over televisions at the Ypsilanti store - broken windows, blood on the floor, ugly). Do you ever feel endangered? Are the prices really that good?

I guess it's just that I do not even enjoy shopping that much anyway (other than in a bookstore) - and certainly not enough to get punched out over a television set.

I used to be a Black Friday queen! One of my favorite forums online are the messageboards at forums.gottadeal.com where I post as Gator Pam. The Target thread there was started by me, and the perimeterperusing.com site, which is comprised of finds posted in that thread, is named for the term I coined for clearance shopping at Target. I had heard it called perimeter running before, but I don't run...I definitely peruse and take my time scanning for potential clearance items.

But I digress...

We simply have not had the funds to even take advantage of the Black Friday sales the past couple of years, so I've been avoiding even looking at the ads other than what are thrown in my face by forum ads in various places. But I miss it. I love plotting my strategy: which stores to hit in what order, where to start and what route to follow in the stores, getting the primo parking space over another, waiting in line by my most desired item at Wal-mart while chatting with the other die-hards, coming home and stashing the loot before Beorn wakes up and sticks his nose where it doesn't belong, and then taking myself out alone for a comforting breakfast and another cup of joe while the adrenaline recedes. After all, when I have the funds I'm online starting early Thanksgiving morning already shopping, since many of the Black Friday deals are posted at the Black Friday sites at that time.

But, I love the vibe of the malls at holiday season.
Never seen a riot or been harmed though.

heh...
I always say in the Gravin Threndor games that I despise conflict.
I guess Black Friday substitutes for engaging in war in the games.

It does sound like planning a war, from your description <shudders>.

Other than books, I am just not into the consumer thing.

We do not celebrate Boxing Day as such, but tons of people hit the stores the week following Christmas to get stuff on sale...

I think it is called Black Friday due to the colors of ink used in accounting. Losses are recorded in red, profits in black. Supposedly a lot of US businesses depend on holiday season profits each and every year to stay in business, and operate in red ink much of the rest of the year. That might be an urban legend, however, though I have heard it many times from many different sources.

You sold the SX70, really? You're older than I thought, taraswizard.

For several years, when I was into simple living hard-core, I participated in Buy Nothing Day -- the same day as Black Friday except that you weren't supposed to spend any money at all that day, as a protest against our massively consumerist society, etc. I've mellowed a bit since then -- I'll buy stuff on Black Friday but I won't break my neck to do it. The idea of standing in line for hours and throwing elbows just to get a specific *thing* just doesn't appeal to me. I already spend hours in a disgruntled crowd twice a day, weekdays, on the Metro -- why would I seek that out on my day off?

This year, Magickmaker and I stayed in on Friday because the weather was crappy. We went out Saturday instead. The deals were about the same and the crowds were a heck of a lot thinner.

I usually buy next year's holiday cards at the after-Christmas sales, but really, that's about it.

On a slightly unrelated note , Black Friday in Oz has a completely different meaning. It was the day in 1939 when bushfires killed 71 people in Victoria - it happened on Friday the 13th...

The US Black Friday sounds a little bit less disastrous (but not much)!

We had sleet Thanksgiving night. One of my friends at work lives way out in Lansing, and has to drive through Brighton and Howell on his way home. So he leaves work in Ann Arbor at midnight on Thanksgiving night, and is driving home in the sleet (and since he is from southern Alabama, this was freaking him out). He was really freaked out when he saw people parking on the grass and behind the Best Buy and the other big stores right off the freeway in Brighton. Mind you, this was less that an hour after midnight, hours yet until the stores open, and people were lined up outside in a sleet storm to be right by the doors. He said there was a three mile backup on the freeway in both directions for the outlet mall in Howell. And people were parked on the grass and stuff there, too. In the sleet! Outside! For hours! Insanity!!!

Mad, you're all mad.

--A

Hey, I actually found two SRD fans on gottadeal.com!
Of course, they've been told about the Watch and here.
Whether they lurk or join is up to them, but it was neat finding them on a Black Friday and other deals site.

How did the subject of SRD come up in a Black Friday discussion?

Not going to try the link, but it's neat you snagged some Donaldson readers that way!

I hope you've properly warned them of the potential landmines at KW, just so they'll be able to enjoy the site while staying in one piece.