Call me boring, but I would rather pay more than deal with big crowds.
But I do like a good sale. And I do like the fun of holiday shopping. So, I'm happy to report that Black Friday, the blockbuster shopping day right after Thanksgiving, is changing. It might even be a fading tradition.
Last month, Sears said it would offer Black Friday deals early. Such a strategy would produce a steady stream of shoppers instead of crushing crowds on a single day.
Then, this week, Walmart, largely because of the trampling death last year, said it had changed its policy and would no longer require people to camp out before it opened its doors for Black Friday sales.
For some, Black Friday shopping is as much a post-Thanksgiving traditionas leftover turkey sandwiches.
Are you one of those shoppers who likes a little adrenalin rush? Is Black Friday shopping a family tradition? Or do you prefer calm, peaceful holiday shopping?
How will you approach Black Friday? And tell us what lengths you've gone for a good deal.
We do Black Friday every year, it's a tradition. Get some great deals and have a lot of fun. We get up early, & get in line early. We strategize the night before, planning each place we will go, which place first, then next, etc., and what we will try to get at each place. We are in and out quick. --
Wal Mart caused their own problems! We used to go to WM in La Marque. Two years ago we went to 646. Everything was neat, on pallets and shrink wrapped until they removed the wrap at 6 AM. Last year we went to 646 and the line stretched around the building. People told us they had been in WM, were told they had to leave and get in line. Of course people were mad, and this does cause people to surge forward when the doors open.
We said "forget Wal Mart." We are not shopping at WM much if at all during the holiday season - we HATE their policy of checking your receipt at the door. After you have waited in line forever to check out, it seems really stupid to wait in line AGAIN so they can check your receipt. My time is too valuable to waste on their dumb policies. What do they think people are going to steal between the end of the check out line and the door??? While I am on the subject, I despise Sam's for the same reason. No other stores do it.
— By teresa
on Nov. 13 at 10:51 PM
There are more stores, Fry's does it. WM @ 646 never checks my receipt when I leave...
and yes it's annoying! Sam's/Fry's you listening?
— By TW Bird
on Nov. 14 at 9:43 AM
The "security check" at the door is one of my pet peeves ... If they want to review my purchases, merchants should do it at the register. Once I've paid and am headed for the door, I own the items and consider it an invasion of my privacy.
— By Greg Mefford
on Nov. 14 at 9:47 AM
Black Friday is a gimic to improve the bottom line for the week, Offering up limited low price teasers in hope of getting you to spend more money there on other christmas gift items. The folks who line up and campout have no intent on buying anything else except that bottom dollar too good to be true item the stores have limited amounts of. The stores should and could offer very good average prices overall for the entire day and still have a better bottom line. I would also like to see an online availability of specials. Mainly it is hard to get knowledgable help at stores anymore so if you can find some and it is not an outright pain for them to be asked, they do not know about the products anyway.
— By Kim Stellhorn
on Nov. 14 at 5:07 PM
I would much rather sit at home sipping my tea and pick out gifts online. I have enough stress in my life without adding a frantic shopping day to it!
— By Clover
on Nov. 15 at 9:37 AM
I'm with Clover. I've shopped online for Christmas gifts for the past 5 years. I start a couple of months early (in the early fall). I've finished my shopping this year. No muss no fuss and no stress.
— By Gerald Vimont
on Nov. 16 at 5:56 AM
I decorate my home for the holidays on Black Friday. Last year I went to WM at 9:00 a.m. and still got in on an item I wanted that was on sale and didn't have to worry about the crowds.
— By Metairie Me
on Nov. 16 at 1:32 PM
When a retailer checks your purchases against the sales slip they are making sure their employee rang up all the merchandise. It is not that you stole something between the checkout and the door. It may surprise you but a checker who misses either accidently or purposely can cause the "shrink" of store merchandise to increase greatly. Also, sometimes checkers are members of a "team" that steals from the retailer. It might sound silly but its true. It is annoying to have your salesslip checked at the door but it is not really meant to check you!
To comment on the retailer (Wal-Mart) checking your receipt before you leave, William Jones has it right. The major reason for this checking is so that employees can't have friends and family members "smuggle" merchandise out of the store. It's not that Wal-Mart doesn't trust you, the customer -- they don't trust their employees.
— By Gerald Vimont
on Nov. 16 at 6:56 PM
Anybody "run with the bulls" at a Filene's basement sale?
You better have sharp elbows to enter that event.
— By robert strevell
on Nov. 17 at 11:06 AM
I do not go shopping in stores other than the grocery store after Halloween. I like the peace of shopping online while sitting at home while watching tv. In some cases you can find more online than you can going to the store, ToysRUs is one example. They have a ton of other things online that you can not find in stores and they offer free shipping after spending a certain amount. Who doesn't spend a minimum of $100 on their children's toys for Christmas? You might as well save the gas and get the free shipping and avoid the crush of people in the process. Target does the same thing with some of their more expensive items and they have a ton of furniture you can get online as well. As long as you stay away from Ikea and their horrendous shipping charges you can get just about everything cheaper online. I love Amazon personally.
— By Rachael Dawn
on Nov. 17 at 2:40 PM
You're absolutely right, Rachael. And, if an online retailer isn't advertising free shipping, sometimes you can get it anyway--try Googling the store name and "free shipping" and see if something comes up. I always try that before I buy, and about 50% of the time there's a free shipping code on one of those discount-finder websites. Like you, I've been pretty impressed with Target's online furniture--much nicer than what they carry at the Galveston store.
— By Sandy Beach
on Nov. 17 at 4:26 PM
I shop at WalMart maybe 6 times a year, when it is virtually unavoidable. I noticed that the checking of receipts is subjective: some get checked, some don't. When the person ahead of me was allowed to proceed unchecked and I was stopped, I refused to show my receipt and asked for the store mgr. While waiting, I was told that the reason receipts are checked is that the store is located in La Marque and that is "a bad area". In speaking to the mgr, I stated that checking receipts selectively is profiling: choosing someone because they "look" a certain way. So, as WalMart thinks I look like a thief, (employed, 56 yr old, white woman always in a hurry), I will take my money where the store does not practice discriminatory tactics.
— By Sandra Morrison-O'Donohoe
on Nov. 18 at 8:06 AM
If there is anyway you can, go back and watch Monday's "Lie to Me" on FOX. I think you will see why the rush to the doors is a combination of the retailer "hyping things up" along with a combination of "mob mentality". That's why I don't do crowds.
And on Wal-Mart/Sam's checking reciepts, if it helps to keep prices down, I am all for it, but, I do agree with Sandra, it should be more selective other than the way someone"looks"
— By Louis Nagy
on Nov. 18 at 4:33 PM
Add your comments
You must be a registered member of The Daily News site to post a response. Enter your name and email address with your comments below to register. Include your password if you’re already a member.
Laura Elder has covered business for The Daily News for since 2001 and writes Biz Buzz, a twice-weekly column.
She grew up in Houston and graduated from the University of Houston with a communications degree in 1992. She worked for six years at the Houston Business Journal covering the retail and restaurant industries.
She lives in Galveston with her husband Michael Smith, also a journalist.
