Black Friday is next week and the hype surrounding it is in full swing. The day got its name for the day when retailers typically make a profit for the year or are “in the black.” As someone who used to work in retail full time I am always amused by the rumblings of what is happening with black friday. The big box stores are always out there threatening to sue people for releasing their Black Friday ads early (especially Wal-Mart), people are going nuts over the next “favorite” toy, and the commission sales people are raking in the dough.
If you are going to venture out and go for the big prizes on Black Friday you must realize that this is not a fun and games shopping experience. It’s more like a blood sport. There are three areas you will need to take into consideration to be successful at Black Friday shopping and the first is physical preparation.
To prepare physically you will need to go to bed early. Please do not try to hit 7 stores in one day with no sleep. You want to know why someone gets trampled every year? Because they fell asleep near the front of the line. If you are going after one of the door buster deals you will be up by at least 3am, if not earlier, trying to get a spot near the front of the line. This means you will need more than just yourself to be out there. That way someone can hold your spot so you can go to the bathroom, or while one of you goes for food. You will need the same number of people as items you are trying secure. So if there are three specific door buster deals you want from Best Buy then you will need two other friends or family that will go get those items while you go for the most important prize. They will not be there if you try to run around the store picking each one up individually. As per the BF rules everyone from your party must start in line together. That way no one can complain about you not having been there from the beginning. For good measure, if one of you goes out for food offer to get something for the person behind you in line. By extending this act of kindness they are not likely to get upset with you for not having everyone stay put. So, now that you have enough sleep and you have enough bodies you are physically ready for BF and can move on to the second area of preparation… information. Which we will talk about tomorrow.
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Black Friday Pt. 1 — ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE!!
November 14th, 2007 at 02:37 pm
November 14th, 2007 at 05:34 pm 1195061664
Blitz Day. I don't really know why except I assume its cause everything moves at a lightning fast pace.
I'm fortunate that I work in the afternoon on that day cause its a lot calmer then. It really does get a little scary in the morning when the store first opens up.
I personally don't see any items to buy worth all the trouble of going in a store on that day. I'll let everyone else wait in line all night, get pushed, shoved, and maybe trampled to get the special buys.
November 14th, 2007 at 05:48 pm 1195062480
November 14th, 2007 at 06:37 pm 1195065456
Black Friday is also an important day for economists and some investors as well, since a day like this could set the bar in terms consumer confidence for the holiday season (or something along those lines).
Personally, it's just a big hub bub that I try to avoid.
November 15th, 2007 at 03:29 am 1195097364
November 16th, 2007 at 04:22 am 1195186923