Black Friday shopping

[KeepItReal]

Reuters report that Black Friday traffic was down. I picked up a few things at Macy's (website, not in store). Did you do shopping today or perhaps you are waiting on Cyber Monday?

[+ FrankR]

Reuters report that Black Friday traffic was down. I picked up a few things at Macy's (website, not in store). Did you do shopping today or perhaps you are waiting on Cyber Monday?

I browsed around online a bit. Waiting for Cyber Monday as deals did not seem to be that good - I have a list and checked it twice! I hate Macy's sometimes - they usually have discount codes in big bold letters on their front page and then exclude all the brands I am interested in, in the small print!

 

Will never venture out for in store door busters...that is just insane.

[+ honcho]

A camera I was interested in was 50% off today on bhphotovideo.com . So I bought it. (48 megapixel version of a 24mp camera I got last spring for doing videos of classical concerts that I record). Same lens mount, so I don't have to invest in new glass.

[rustyrex]

Reuters report that Black Friday traffic was down. I picked up a few things at Macy's (website, not in store). Did you do shopping today or perhaps you are waiting on Cyber Monday?

 

 

As a matter of fact, I waited till now to shop for a new laptop. When I went to Best buy the laptop I wanted was sold out...I was so bummed because the price was a steal....the salesman helping me said they probably sold out on Thanksgiving night. While Best buy was busy...I have seen it way busier in the past. I went to Sketchers for some new shoes....not busy at all....maybe I went after all the good deals were bought.

[mike carey]

Didn't do any of it. Some retailers (on-line more than bricks and mortar) have started to use Black Friday tag lines but to general disinterest and occasional scorn (a/ Why is the day after a holiday we don't have in any way significant, b/ We don't need more American 'traditions' and c/ Black Friday is Friday the 13th [or Black Anyday is a way of memorialising bushfire disasters]). Generally it's not a thing here. Our sales stampede day (as depicted in @FrankR's photo) is Boxing Day.

[DallasClient]

I did most of my shopping online today. Bought my favorite boy a few things and an Amazon gift card.

[BSR]

Reuters report that Black Friday traffic was down. I picked up a few things at Macy's (website, not in store). Did you do shopping today or perhaps you are waiting on Cyber Monday?

Is in-store traffic down? Or overall sales? I know that brick & mortar sales are down significantly but assumed that online sales more than made up for that drop.

[+ FrankR]

Didn't do any of it. Some retailers (on-line more than bricks and mortar) have started to use Black Friday tag lines but to general disinterest and occasional scorn (a/ Why is the day after a holiday we don't have in any way significant, b/ We don't need more American 'traditions' and c/ Black Friday is Friday the 13th [or Black Anyday is a way of memorialising bushfire disasters]). Generally it's not a thing here. Our sales stampede day (as depicted in @FrankR's photo) is Boxing Day.

That is interesting - but Boxing day sales wont work that well in the USA; that is after Christmas so the gifts wont make it in time to be under the tree. ?

 

I can understand that it may be a popular way to lure in customers that received gift cards for Christmas... ?

[+ Pensant]

The thought of it makes me somewhat nauseous. Black Friday, that is.

[KeepItReal]

Didn't do any of it. Some retailers (on-line more than bricks and mortar) have started to use Black Friday tag lines but to general disinterest and occasional scorn (a/ Why is the day after a holiday we don't have in any way significant

I suppose that is true - you don't celebrate Thanksgiving in your home country, but Black Friday has become a universal milestone for retailers in kicking off holiday shopping...

 

b/ We don't need more American 'traditions'

Okay, but keep in mind the most important american tradition is that of seeking continuing progress! (Please surrender all your computers, high rate production goods [like automobiles!] and the internet!)

 

c/ Black Friday is Friday the 13th [or Black Anyday is a way of memorialising bushfire disasters]).

I did not know that - I learned something today.

 

Generally it's not a thing here. Our sales stampede day (as depicted in @FrankR's photo) is Boxing Day.

You mean the British tradition, right?

 

Okay, I am going to stop teasing you now...

[mike carey]

Okay, but keep in mind the most important american tradition is that of seeking continuing progress! (Please surrender all your computers, high rate production goods [like automobiles!] and the internet!)

Lol, that's a universal tradition (well, at least widespread)! And yes, all those things, but while we do that, surrender your wifi (invented in Australia).

[LaffingBear]

2018... went out shopping with family after turkey dinner. Fairly boring and unpleasant experience... my first-ever and hopefully last-ever Thursday or Friday Thanksgiving brick-and-mortar shopping experience. I've never understood the appeal. Walked through, bumped, wended, sidestepped and fought back the urge to push the crowds for hours. I bought a bottle of diet soda.

 

2019: Friday, I bought a few lightning deals on Amazon. Set aside my skepticism and bought a Ninja Foodi and a light therapy fixture for my office.

 

I enjoy shopping. Will engage in retail therapy. But turkey Thursday and Friday crowds are something I'll avoid.

[rvwnsd]

I was attending services at St Seeley, Our Lady of Posturepedia and had to miss it.

[+ tassojunior]

Amazing Black Friday Deal:

Buy Nothing

& Save 100%

I am doing my bi-annual Verizon FIOS virgin hustle right now. They're giving you gig speed, free tv, free Disney, free router, free everything and their first-born PLUS through Cyber Monday they're throwing in 2 $100 Visa giftcards.

 

Now I just need to find a provider who takes giftcards.

[+ FrankR]

Amazing Black Friday Deal:

Buy Nothing

& Save 100%

I am doing my bi-annual Verizon FIOS virgin hustle right now. They're giving you gig speed, free tv, free Disney, free router, free everything and their first-born PLUS through Cyber Monday they're throwing in 2 $100 Visa giftcards.

 

Now I just need to find a provider who takes giftcards.

Oh yes, it is always fun to explain to them that you are an existing customer and they are about to lose you because of the way they treat you when your contact period is up. Just treat me like a new customer (rate wise) instead of jacking up the price, stop making me jump through hoops and we will all be happier! ?

[+ tassojunior]

Oh yes, it is always fun to explain to them that you are an existing customer and they are about to lose you because of the way they treat you when your contact period is up. Just treat me like a new customer (rate wise) instead of jacking up the price, stop making me jump through hoops and we will all be happier! ?

 

I'm not sure that works. My "brother" with my middle name takes over so there's coordination with no break in service between accounts. The extra 2 $100 Visa giftcards are just thru today also. Doing your every-2-year virgin bit on Cyber Monday is always lucrative , and easy to remember.

 

How someone on Reddit does it legit:

 

[MEDIA=reddit]Fios/comments/cbqpij[/MEDIA]

Edited December 2, 2019 by tassojunior

[mike carey]

Not an exact analogue to your experience @tassojunior (and I wouldn't bother with the rigmarole you went through) but I just had a sort of good experience. Some months ago my mobile phone company notified me that my prepaid plan would be retired on 5 Nov, and that I would have to recharge with a different plan after that date and would lose all my accumulated credits that normally roll over with each recharge. (Don't judge me, it cost $20 per 60 days and I had quite a build up of credit minutes dollars and texts, but losing them hadn't been an issue of outrage because $10 per month.) On 4 Nov I recharged it for a final 60 days, planning to work out what to do when that time ran out.

 

Couple of days ago I tried to buy a data add-on (my plan only covered talk and text) but couldn't do so on-line so I called them. Cue the usual 'your call is important and all our agents are taking other calls' delay. Spoke to the dude and explained what I wanted to do and that their system wouldn't let me, he goes, let me look at your account. Long and short of it, he says he can move me to a different plan (the one I thought I would go to) and all my credits would carry over. OK, $500 became $110 but that amount buys the same number of minutes in the new plan as the higher amount did under the old plan so nothing lost.

 

So I'm happy I had a minor win but sort of annoyed that there was no hint that this was possible in their initial correspondence or the web pages I looked at trying to work out what to do. So, sometimes talking to a service provider gets you a better deal that you wouldn't have got without asking even though you may not get the 'sign-up' benefits.

[+ Keith30309]

I’m a religious user of https://slickdeals.net/

I grabbed a new laptop Friday that popped up with a $500 price reduction after I got an alert from the site. I’ve gotten great deals on travel, electronics, apparel like watches, and lots of other stuff I found via SD. I just set an alert and wait.

It’s really helpful in quickly grabbing things that sell out quickly.

[+ tassojunior]

Not an exact analogue to your experience @tassojunior (and I wouldn't bother with the rigmarole you went through) but I just had a sort of good experience. Some months ago my mobile phone company notified me that my prepaid plan would be retired on 5 Nov, and that I would have to recharge with a different plan after that date and would lose all my accumulated credits that normally roll over with each recharge. (Don't judge me, it cost $20 per 60 days and I had quite a build up of credit minutes dollars and texts, but losing them hadn't been an issue of outrage because $10 per month.) On 4 Nov I recharged it for a final 60 days, planning to work out what to do when that time ran out.

 

Couple of days ago I tried to buy a data add-on (my plan only covered talk and text) but couldn't do so on-line so I called them. Cue the usual 'your call is important and all our agents are taking other calls' delay. Spoke to the dude and explained what I wanted to do and that their system wouldn't let me, he goes, let me look at your account. Long and short of it, he says he can move me to a different plan (the one I thought I would go to) and all my credits would carry over. OK, $500 became $110 but that amount buys the same number of minutes in the new plan as the higher amount did under the old plan so nothing lost.

 

So I'm happy I had a minor win but sort of annoyed that there was no hint that this was possible in their initial correspondence or the web pages I looked at trying to work out what to do. So, sometimes talking to a service provider gets you a better deal that you wouldn't have got without asking even though you may not get the 'sign-up' benefits.

 

With Verizon Fios it's $120/month difference in cost for me, and over 2 years that adds up. And they give zero discounts to current customers even if you threaten to disconnect. Disconnect takes 5 minutes set for any hour any day you want. The "new" service order takes at least a half hour as the sales rep adds promo on top of promo and discount on top of discount like a drunk Santa. I knew from slickdeals.net what the ultimate rock bottom was and about the 2 $100 Visa cards today. They paid me $200 to drop my old monthly bill from $220 to $100. Playing the Verizon virginization on Black Friday is always good.

Edited December 2, 2019 by tassojunior

[KeepItReal]

I'm not sure that works. My "brother" with my middle name takes over so there's coordination with no break in service between accounts. The extra 2 $100 Visa giftcards are just thru today also. Doing your every-2-year virgin bit on Cyber Monday is always lucrative , and easy to remember.

 

 

[MEDIA=reddit]Fios/comments/cbqpij[/MEDIA]

How exactly are you able to pull that off? Middle names can be handy, I grant you, but don't they need your social security number to run a credit check - won't the figure out you are an existing customer?

[KeepItReal]

I'm not sure that works. My "brother" with my middle name takes over so there's coordination with no break in service between accounts. The extra 2 $100 Visa giftcards are just thru today also. Doing your every-2-year virgin bit on Cyber Monday is always lucrative , and easy to remember.

 

 

[MEDIA=reddit]Fios/comments/cbqpij[/MEDIA]

How exactly are you able to pull that off? Middle names can be handy, I grant you, but don't they need your social security number to run a credit check - won't the figure out you are an existing customer?

[+ tassojunior]

How exactly are you able to pull that off? Middle names can be handy, I grant you, but don't they need your social security number to run a credit check - won't the figure out you are an existing customer?

 

They do a credit check with SSN for credit worthiness. They do not check to see if a present customer has it. (I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to keep SSN's.) Good idea tho to take your mobile # off 1st and to use A or B etc after address. But even that may be overkill. Life with Verizon.

 

btw- Verizon's hard credit pulls are overkill.

Edited December 3, 2019 by tassojunior

[+ tassojunior]

How exactly are you able to pull that off? Middle names can be handy, I grant you, but don't they need your social security number to run a credit check - won't the figure out you are an existing customer?

 

They do a credit check with SSN for credit worthiness. They do not check to see if a present customer has it. (I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to keep SSN's.) Good idea tho to take your mobile # off 1st and to use A or B etc after address. But even that may be overkill. Life with Verizon.

 

btw- Verizon's hard credit pulls are overkill.

Edited December 3, 2019 by tassojunior

[samhexum]

The little guy somehow missed the memo about everyone shopping online this year.

 

A raccoon wandered into a Best Buy in Toronto on Sunday, and appeared to briefly peruse the electronics before being herded into a box and then carried outside by employees.

 

“He just wandered in the front door while no one was paying attention and made his way to the back of the store,” witness Jamie Muir told Blogto.com.

 

“We tried coralling him to the front door,” said Muir, who captured the moment on video.

 

“But he absolutely didn’t want to leave because clearly it was awful outside and it was nice and warm inside.”

 

The soggy critter may have been seeking a break from Sunday’s snowstorm, Muir mused.

 

The raccoon failed to observe proper social distancing during his brief foray through the aisles, before workers were able to toss a box over him.

 

But at least he was masked.