- I HATE crowded stores.. There, I said it. This is the main reason I do not shop on Black Friday (at retail stores, anyway.). I hate fighting for a parking spot, I hate long lines, and I dislike pushy people.
- I tend to overspend in crowded stores. I don't know about you, but because of reason #1, I try to get in and out as quickly as possible. I normally will take several minutes to scout out good sales, make sure the product is not damaged or anything, and this technique usually goes out the window for me if a store is jam-packed with shoppers.
- The old "bait-and-switch" technique. Ah, you know what I'm talking about. Many of you have stood in line for HOURS for that amazing flat screen TV at an incredibly low price - only to find out that the store had a grand total of 3. "Oh, but we can substitute "this one" for you".
- Consider if it the deal is really that "great". Here's a good example: the Wal-Mart Black Friday ad has a Wii Limited edition blue system - it comes with the console, one controller, and a nunchuck (no game) for $99.96 starting at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night. Toys 'R Us, on the other hand, has a Wii Bundle for $149.95. You can also get a additonal FREE wand (not name brand, but still a $19.99 value) with purchase. Here's a quick breakdown comparing the values of these deals:
Wal-Mart: Total Cost ($99.96) less value of nunchuck ($14.95) = $85.01
Toys 'R Us: Total Cost ($149.99) less value of New Super Mario Bros. for Wii ($43.99) less value of extra wand ($19.99) less CD ($9.99) = $85.97
OK, so I would guess that the CD is probably not all that useful....but as you can see, there is still not a huge difference in overall value between the two deals. I certainly don't think it's a good enough value to sacrifice a relaxing Thanksgiving evening!
*I used Amazon.com to assign values to the nunchuck and game*
- Finally, I really don't like the fact that a lot of the stores are going to be opening on Thanksgiving night. Considering that we will be spending the whole day being "thankful" for all of our many blessings, it just doesn't sit well with me that retailers are pushing people to "buy, buy, buy!" on this day of thanks. And I suppose that most of the employees will get holiday pay, but I would guess that a lot of them are not happy about having to deal with crazy crowds and stress after a relaxing meal.
OK, I am done venting! Personally, with all of the awesome deals (and a lot of free shipping promos) that you can find online, that's probably what I'll be doing. However, I know that Black Friday is still a fun family tradition for a lot of you, so I promise - if I see some really hot deals, I will be sure to post them this week!
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