Black Friday - How to Shop the Big Box Stores
Circuit City, Toys R Us, Best Buy, JC Penney, Kohl's, Target & IKEA
Nov 19, 2007
They're called Big Box stores for a good reason. They're BIG, there's plenty of them and they attract major crowds. Every major city across the USA has its share. Retailers have geared up for what has traditionally been called the biggest shopping day of the year. Originally, Black Friday was the day after Thanksgiving, a one-day sales event that had frenzied shoppers fighting in line to buy the latest Cabbage Patch Doll. This year it runs from November 28-30, 2008, and they're now calling it "Black Friday Weekend".
Thanksgiving Sales ~ Thanksgiving Deals
The Thanksgiving Day newspaper will be the biggest and heaviest paper of the year, loaded with sale flyers. Most retailers have attempted to extend Black Friday Weekend by printing out glossy ads in the local newspapers touting "4 Day Pre-Thanksgiving Sales" that run from Sunday to Wednesday. Check the fine print before you waste time standing in line. Some stores will have a limited number of the hottest toys or electronic gadgets. Rainchecks may not be issued, there may be a limit on the number you can purchase, or the store may have only four or five of the coveted iPod, FurReal Biscuit My Loving Pup or Fisher-Price Elmo Live doll.
Get Ready, Get Set, Get Shopping on Holidays Sales!
Getting a jump on holiday sales at these stores may mean standing in long lines with thousands of other impatient shoppers pushing, shoving and jockeying into position, crowding the doors to be the first one in the store. In the wee hours of the morning, often in frigid weather and drinking hot coffee to stay warm, these shoppers are the most serious of the bunch. These huge stores want what's in your wallet and then some. Glitzy and shiny displays tell you and your child you just can't live without this new gadget or toy and will scream at you to purchase it.
Big Box Stores vs. Factory Outlets
Box store shopping is a completely different animal than factory outlet shopping. This is fast paced, cut-throat shopping at its most primal. At times, no mercy will be shown when there is only one Elmo left on the shelf. Parking can be a nightmare and road rage can happen very quickly. What starts out as a fun outing, can turn ugly in the blink of an eye.
Black Friday Bargain Shopping Survival Tips:
- Eat your Thanksgiving meal before 6 pm the night before. You don't want to waste time trying to find a restroom on the biggest shopping day of the year.
- Go to bed early Thanksgiving night. Dream of bargains.
- Don't go to bed at all. Camp out in front of the store and wait for it to open.
- Dress warm for cold weather shopping. Gloves, hat, earmuffs, serious walking shoes or boots for that cold pavement and blister cream for later.
- Raincoat or umbrella for inclement weather.
- Thermos of hot coffee. Cups for your friends.
- Muffins and bagels held in a napkin with one gloved hand, and a hot cup in the other.
- Folding camp chair with cup holders and pockets that you can move along as the line moves.
- Flashlight with batteries.
- Credit cards and/or money.
- If you're with friends, split up for the best store coverage as you hunt for the most popular and limited items.
- Cellphone to corral and regroup with your friends for the next bargain.
- A whistle to scare away purse-nappers. Mace for a last resort.
- COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS!
- If you can get away with it, don't bring the kids. There are thousands of people packed into a box and little ones can get lost in the crowd.
Hot items this year are digital cameras, cheap new laptops, Blackberries, Wii, MP3 Players, Guitar Hero, P52 Gaming System, Game Boys, Playstation, X-Box360, iPods, Flat Screen TVs, Garmin GPS, Transformers, anything Hannah Montana and DVD Television series.
Go shopping at the Best New England Factory Outlets.
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