Black Friday (are you ready for it?)

[Roundabout]

I wonder if anyone has found some good lists/sites for what's coming up this Friday? I found one site so far that has a pretty good list.

Last year, by the time I went to the local stores and newsstands on Thanksgiving, all the papers had sold out. Everyone was thinking the same thing, I guess - looking for the extra special deals at local stores.

I didn't get much last year, I'm hoping for better deals this year. Last year CC had some really good deals, but by the time we got in the door, most things were sold out.

I want to avoid the fiasco at BB (waited in line for two hours) and stick with CC and Wal-Mart in general. Maybe OMX or OD or Staples might have something worth considering.

[glockjs]

i hate black friday...it wasnt that big of deal in vegas, just like another day. it was nice. but here in phoenix its a huge deal crazy ass mini van drivin soccer moms

[Roundabout]

Yeah, people are in line at like, 5 AM for an 8 AM opening. I won't get up that early, but if I can get there before opening and get a chance to snag a really good deal without a huge amount of hassle, maybe.

I'm looking for stuff that isn't some ridiculous price that requires tons of rebates. The laptops that are on sale usually have $300 - 500 in rebates attached to get it for $499. Probably not worth it. Plus you have to pay tax on the whole amount, lessening the good deal.

I remember last year I found a site that had scans of the actual ads online, but I haven't found that site last year. I read somewhere that one of the stores was very angry that it leaked out before Thanksgiving, and maybe they're being tighter about it this year?

[glockjs]

after rebate after rebate after rebate


http://forums.dealcatcher.com/m_281969/tm.htm


i think i might have just found a cheapy solution for and extra puter...

Best Buy eMachines Athlon XP 2800+ PC with 15" LCD - $349.99

doesnt say after rebate...the chip and screen are worth that alone, stick a new mobo and psu in there and the stick of ram i already have that just might work

[glockjs]

this one seems to have alot more info

http://www.dealtaker.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15144

[budz]

http://www.bf04.com/
this site has lots of info for COMPUSA, BB, STAPLES, TOYSARUS, etc.

[ViRaL1]

I've been saving up for this one. Hopefully I don't lose my mind and buy a bunch of stuff I don't need.

(who am I kidding?)

[RickTheRed]

Best Buy eMachines Athlon XP 2800+ PC with 15" LCD - $349.99

Getting closer and closer

Athlon XP64 3500 is gone? :P

[glockjs]

Best Buy eMachines Athlon XP 2800+ PC with 15" LCD - $349.99

Getting closer and closer

Athlon XP64 3500 is gone? :P

my brain hurts when i think about it.....so im just gonna do what feels natural which probably is buy the cheap one use it for a few weeks then sell it off in the mean while buying myself a nice 3500+ oh yeah and gaining an lcd if that ad is right

gah, im just soo confused

[stryker]

http://www.bf2004.net is a good Black Friday site.

[thecoalman]

I'm ready I have Beer, remote control and most importantly my mouse.

[Roundabout]

Looks like I'll wind up at BB again this year. Ugh. Last year nearly killed me, but some of the deals are hard to resist. Especilly the PC deals, if there's no rebate required. If there's a rebate, forget it. Anyway, of these three that are mentioned at BB, the one for $199.98 sounds pretty good to me, even if it is an Emachine:

eMachines PC (Athlon XP 2800+ Computer w/ 15" LCD) $349.99
eMachines PC (Celeron 2.66GHz, 15" LCD, 512MB, 80GB, DVD/CD-RW) $379.98
eMachines PC (Celeron 2.66GHz, 17" CRT, 512MB, 80GB, DVD/CD-RW) $199.98


Anyone seen anything better at any of the other stores?

[glockjs]

i think i saw on another site that the celeron's have rebates. havnt seen one that says the amd does yet

im also lookin at this

Toshiba Laptop (Celeron M 1.4GHz, 256MB, 40GB, DVD/CD-RW) $499.99


one site mentioned it was an instant rebate, and another just said after rebate. im curious

[stiltman]

I picked up a 17" LCD monitor for $179 last year at BB. I stood in line for 2 1/2 hours

No this year....No X-mas for me and my family. That is unless Dad can find a job before X-mas

[SLICK RICK]

Sorry to hear that stiltman.

[RickTheRed]

i think i saw on another site that the celeron's have rebates. havnt seen one that says the amd does yet
im also lookin at this

Toshiba Laptop (Celeron M 1.4GHz, 256MB, 40GB, DVD/CD-RW) $499.99


one site mentioned it was an instant rebate, and another just said after rebate. im curious

Celeron

[glockjs]

i think i saw on another site that the celeron's have rebates. havnt seen one that says the amd does yet
im also lookin at this

Toshiba Laptop (Celeron M 1.4GHz, 256MB, 40GB, DVD/CD-RW) $499.99


one site mentioned it was an instant rebate, and another just said after rebate. im curious

Celeron

huuuusssshh, it's not all that bad of price for a toshiba laptop :P

[Roundabout]

For $499, where else can you find a new laptop? I think it's a pretty good deal too, glockjs. If that is available without a rebate, I'd jump all over it. I'd like to replace my aging IBM laptop (500Mhz Celery, 192MB RAM, 6GB HDD) with something newer. Unfortunately, I have a strong suspicion that there is some rebate involved for that price. I betcha there's at least $200 in rebates involved, if not more.

I really don't want to stand in line forever at BB, though. Last year, by the time I got out of there, it was too late to hit any of the other sales I wanted to go to, which sucked. The line to the registers snaked all through the store, up and down aisles, and all the way across the back. I figure there were at least 500 people or more in line.

Is it worth it? I'm not sure.

[zzyzzx]

I'm going to work on Friday. I will avoid all stores between Wednesday and Friday (inclusive).

[Capmaster]

I'm going to work on Friday. I will avoid all stores between Wednesday and Friday (inclusive).

(Pssssttt .....shop online. You never even notice all the other electrons )
I'm a die-hard online holiday shopper. I don't even get near retail stores from mid-November until January 15 or so

[SLICK RICK]

Now that everyone has their news paper, has anyone seen any of the deals listed on some of the websites given above?

So far I have not seen the eMachines PC (Athlon XP 2800+ Computer w/ 15" LCD) $349.99 .

[handyguy]

I got a 2.7ghz Compaq with printer for $259 this summer.... at office depot.

Some stores have online BF sales, those are better for me.

[glockjs]

looks like newegg.com is getting in the spirit. any rebates required for that puter rick?

[Dr. DOS]

The wife just left for a day of shoppin' (and me with three kids) -- it's only 5:30 in the morning and she just left to go wait in line to 'get some really good deals' ..... That's just ******* nuts. I'd pay an extra $10 to $30 on an item to by it conveniently and not have to wait to get in or out of the place.

[SLICK RICK]

looks like newegg.com is getting in the spirit. any rebates required for that puter rick?

I have not found that deal listed anywhere glockjs, it was not in their ad or on their website. So it looks as if that deal was not true.

[VideoTechMan]

Black Friday, bah. Nothing but a lure to get people to spend money after Thanksgiving.

Im not that much of a shopper, now that Thanksgiving is over now comes the time of the year when people get into debt and spend money they dont have...and suffering for it later with the credit card companies (which they love people who go into over their heads in debt).

Hey stiltman, I hope you do find a job soon, but remember Xmas isnt about spending money or having tons of gifts, being alive and spending time with your family supercedes everything else. Ive been out of work for 2 months now so I understand the feeling but you know what, I am unaffected by it and I feel just fine.

I will be glad when the holiday season is done with, its too much commercialization and greedy business trying to entice people to spend, spend, spend . This is the time of the year I dont care for.

VTM

[Dr. DOS]

Shoppers are gathering in the dark at mall parking lots across the nation for one of the most important days in American retailing, the so-called "Black Friday" kickoff to the holiday gift-buying season. "There were lines three to four people deep for about a hundred yards outside Sears and KB Toys at 5 a.m.," said Jeff Odom with Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Are ya' gonna find a deal that good?

[tekkieman]

Hey Stilt! -

I'll start with good luck to you. I remember what that was like. Last year, by Christmas, I had been out of a job for almost 7 months, and we were living with my in-laws. We still bought what we thought we wanted for Christmas for our daughter, and very little for ourselves. I did get my DVD burner (especially since I could claim it as a business expense). I used my new burner, and all my photos and footage of our 1 yr old, and made a DVD of her first year highlights, and that's what all the relatives got for Christmas presents. Came out to $1 per DVD + $4 shipping = $5.00 per gift. Seems kinda cheap, but it was a gift from the heart, and most of them had tears by the end of the movie.

[rkr1958]

I used my new burner, and all my photos and footage of our 1 yr old, and made a DVD of her first year highlights, and that's what all the relatives got for Christmas presents. Came out to $1 per DVD + $4 shipping = $5.00 per gift. Seems kinda cheap, but it was a gift from the heart, and most of them had tears by the end of the movie.

To me this type of gift is what Christmas SHOULD really be about. While you only spent "$5.00 per gift", if you were to add in your labor how much would it have cost?

Last year we did something similar. My father, who was 82, passed in April 2003. Going through his stuff I found 4 reels of 8-mm film that he shot of us in 1961-1962 and which hadn't been played since the mid 1960's. Included was footage from Christmas of 1961 when I was 3, my sister was 13 and my brother was 15. This footage was especially precious because my sister was killed in a car accident in 1972 at the age of 24. The film was old and some of it was faded but I was able to salvage about 15-minutes. I put that to music on a DVD.

This DVD also included some footage shot of my Dad with my Sony Digital Camera from 2001-2003. The last thing I added was a slide show of family photos set to music. The slide show included pictures of my grandparents going back to 1910.

In terms of materials / actual expenses: I paid $60 for the conversion of the 8-mm film to Super VHS (This was done at Wolfe Camera). I gave out 10 or so copies of the DVD, which at about $2 / each, comes to $20. Total materials / expenses was $80 or $8 per DVD.

Now if I add in labor, I spend ~20 hours total on the project. Say $30/hr and this translates into $600. Now the total cost per DVD is $68. Not so cheap now.

But really now, the value of these types of Christmas presents is not monterey but sentimental. I gave DVDs to mom, brother, nephews and niece.

[tekkieman]

@rkr1958 - Sorry to hear of so many losses of those close to you.

Many people commented on it being the best gift they received!