Question of the Day, Wednesday Nov 24

I actually remembered to post this!

This question deals with Christmas Shopping. Do you participate in "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving? If you are not in the US, when is the "official" first day of shopping?

I never go to the Black Friday sales for 3 reasons,

1. I never get the day after Thanksgiving off from work. I have put in for it but I never get it. I hope they tell me today that I got it because I am #2 on the wait list.

2. I hate crowds. I cannot remember the last time I visited our mall.

3. I can never afford it! Besides, we are saving all our money to be able to go see DH's dad before he passes away from cancer.

Here in Canada I don't think there is an offical first day of shopping. I started my shopping the beginning of Oct.

I did Black Friday in 2008. Hubby and I got up at 2am, hit the stores by 3:30am, and spent $5,000 by 7:30am (That included a new washer & dryer for $3,000, and a 46" LCD tv, and some other misc things for our house we had built and moved in the following Jan).

Last year, I volunteered for Black Cat Friday at the shelter, where any cats with black fur on them were free. (Go figure, I adopted Neko 2 weeks earlier But I would have paid an adoption fee anyway).

This year, I'll probably hit Petsmart. I don't like fighting for crap, and waiting in huge lines. I also enjoy my sleep Nothing I really need this year, might hit the stores later on in the day when the crazy crowds have thinned.

I've never done it before, because I am too lazy to shop with huge lines of people and I get really claustrophobic when there are so many people so close together and not only the people- they each have a huge a$$ shopping cart dragging along with them....It's scary to me...
I basically try to avoid the malls during the days right before Christmas...So I shop online Cyber Monday is the way to go for xmas gifts..

I will go to Petsmart. I did the majority of my shopping off Ebay, Gabes and American Girl.

Wal-Mart does have a DSi for 89 bucks so if there are any left after Petsmart, i will get one of those.

Absolutely not!

No way I am getting up super early to go fight with crazy shoppers. I'll get my stuff online or last minute (like I always do)

No way, I never go out of the house on Black Friday and stay away from those crazed mob scenes. Actually I am on my way out today but not for Christmas shopping.

I'm going to Office Depot, then to the pharmacy. I wouldn't even go grocery shopping today since the last minute folks are out buying their turkeys.

Yes! I will be up by 4am to get what I'm after locally, and then after that we are heading to the Mall of America to do more shopping It's a 2.5 hr drive for us so at least I will get a small nap in

No way. I will stay away from all stores. For one, I can not stand shopping and will make sure I keep away from this nonsense on Friday

Canadian. no black friday. If there was I would be at home. I usually start shopping around the end of November.

No I do not.

No, I never once have...short of grocery shopping, which we try to avoid. I don't like shopping b/c of crowds to begin with, so that does not help. Plus, we're broke so we don't have any money to buy anything with anyway.

No Black Friday in Canada (not yet but may be coming). I shop from January onward for Christmas. If I see something in May I think someone I will be buying for might like, I buy it then. My shopping is usually done by the end of October.

Ya but not for the killer deals. I did petsmart for the purina and tidy cats last year and a couple other misc over the years. Going to see if I can get a cat tree this year but on standby in case mom gets a chair(I have a suv)

Normally I avoid shopping on Black Friday but last year I did and got a Bissell Steam Mop that I had wanted for several years. My husband and I also got shoes. This year I think we might but not too sure. It depends on if I can wake up.

not really sorry.

I start shopping in mid December usually

Originally Posted by Kailie

Here in Canada I don't think there is an offical first day of shopping. I started my shopping the beginning of Oct.

Click to expand...

Yeah, Thanksgiving isn't a big holiday up here. You get one day off and that's it. Our biggest holiday is Christmas and the biggest shopping day of the year is the day after Christmas, otherwise known as "Boxing Day", where stores have huge sales, especially on all things Christmas related, so it's a good time to stock up on decorations, cards etc. Most stores won't accept gift returns/exchanges on Boxing Day either. It's a pure shopping day, nothing else.

I don't go to Boxing Day sales. I can't stand crowds of people pushing and shoving and milling around and poking along. When I go shopping I go with a purpose. I know what I want, where to get it and exactly where in the store it is. I get it, check out and I'm gone! I've even been known to call customer service and have them have the item at the counter for me to pick up! I hate shopping that much!!

Some nurses I work with are going down to the USA tomorrow for shopping on Friday. They do it yearly.

I don't usually. I don't enjoy shopping, and I don't think the deals are good enough to justify fighting the crowds. This year I am going to go to Petsmart to stock up on Tidy Cats and Cat Chow. But I doubt they'll be too crowded. I hope.

Black Friday is one of the many grid lock days here in NYC........Just imagine your local store times 100 on a 'Black Friday' any given December day in nYC!
Example Macy's has a line to look at the window displays, barriers for crowd control, line to get in and line to get out! Yes much like a ride at an amusement park except there is no 30 second climax........You will be lucky to purchase what you wanted to begin with....