Your shopping day experience? (those 6 hour sales)

[stiltman]

I don't know if they do this outside the US, but this year must have been the worst year for shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Every store had their 6 hour mega sale from 6am to noon. I scoped out all the papers for the best deal (damn rebates) and decided on BestBuy. They had a dig camera I wanted and a great deal on a LCD. They also listed the minimum number they had at each store, which I liked better than seeing "limited quanities" only. Well, I got there at a quarter to five in the morning. There was already a line with about 200 people there. I heard the line started forming at 12am...12 AM.....By time 6am rolled around I couldn't see the end of the line. I estimate that there were about 600+ people behind me. The doors open and it was a nice steading stream. I went right for the LCD and monitor area, just to find that they placed the LCDs I wanted at the front of the store. I ran up there and there were still about 10 to be had. I grabbed 2 and headed for the camera department.....Thats where everyone else seemed to be. I couldn't even get within 50ft from any camera let alone the one I wanted. Just said the heck with it and went to the checkout. No line had started for it yet I was out of the store just after 6:30. Went home and went back to sleep LOL

<rant>
Now for those damn rebates....If I'm getting up at 4am to get to the store by 5 and wait in line til 6, to buy something in the store, at least they could do is offer instant rebates where the store gets reimbursed by the manufacture...I think this whole rebate crap has gotten way out of hand...
Another rant goes for the "limited quanities" I did the CompUSA before Thanksgiving sale. (6pm to 12am) and I was hoping to get my LCD then. I was about 50th in line. By time I got in all the LCDs were gone. I asked a guy in the MAC section (no one was there but him) and he told me that they only had 6 LCDs .....FRECKIN 6 LCDs for a crowd of 200-300 ppl. What a crock of $h!t...Not to mention only 5 dig cameras that were a good deal.....
</rant>

So, what's your story? Good or Bad, lets hear it

[tgpo]

I slept in.

Around 11 I woke up, went to amazon.com and bought presents. They are on the way.

[CoffeeGuy]

Yep. Same thing here in the sunbelt. Almost the same situation at the best Buy here. An unbelievable line just to get into the store. I scoped out the store a few days before so I would be able to go right to the merchandise I wanted. Having never been to one of these sales, I had no idea what I was about to see. When I saw the line that stretched for a 1/8th of a mile or more, I decided to go out for breakfast and come back later. After breakfast, no line into the store. Great ! And a parking lot that I thought, when the shopping center was built, was way too big. Way way way too big. Now it seemed way too small. And I dont condone road rage, but I can see what brings it on. It was a chore just to park. No line to get in the store. But a huge line to check out at the registures. No way was I gonna stay in line to save a few bucks. Not that long of a line any way. And to just get to where the merchandise was I wanted, was just out of arms reach, because of blockades in the aisles. It was a maze, like something you'd see at six flags on the busiest day of the year. I've learned my lesson. I'm sleepin' in next year, and every year there after.

[Devanshu]

Same experience...all I got was a pack of mach3 turbo baldes, and a 100 pack of cd-rs, thats about it. Oh and my dad got a good deal on a 128 MB compact flash card. Other than that, it sucked.

[Ironballs]

Shopping is always hell with my girlfriend. And this time of year is especially painful, at times when I'm shopping with her. I think I'd rather pierce my eardrums with a biro to put me out of her constant blabbering.

Tip for the blokes out there, go with your missus to the local supermarket a few times and be well behaved. Then after the third or fourth time, when you get home, causually mention that the checkout girls are rather attractive. She'll go shopping on her own from then on, leaving time to burn those discs!!!

[lordsmurf]

I got the last color laser printer in the store (a steal at $400) and had to beat off the losers after me with a stick (not literally, but almost), some complaining they'd "called to reserve" the printer I now had... yeah, bullshit.

I never saw so many people, many of them whining for waiting too long and looking for impulse buys for missing the main deal, crammed into one space.

That was the only shopping I did that day. I hate shopping in crowds. Feels like a zoo, and the lines suck.

[SLICK RICK]

I went to circuit city and wal-mart. I was at circuit city for about 5:50am, I left out of both stores with absolutely nothing. It was like everything was sold out before the damn store even opened.

SLICK RICK

[Hatz]

I slept in as well but my buddy got this great idea that he and his family were going to go to Walmart and get as much of the sale stuff as they can........just the stuff that was a really good deal.

He is then going to try and sell it on ebay......hahahhahaha. Probably a thousand other people out there that are gonna do the same thing. But like he said, there is a no questions asked return policy at Walmart so it might work.......who knows.

Some things like that H2 Hummer remote controlled car were sold at Walmart for 20 bucks..............the going price on ebay for the same exact model was at least 65 brand new. Not a bad profit if it works.....which it probably won't.

What a scam artist my friend is.........hmmmmm kinda sounds like the big stores are doing to us.....hehehehe.

Hatz

[GabeB]

Here in Seattle, I woke up at 6 am, tossed on some clothes and a hat, and headed out to Office Depot.
Bought a 17" LCD Monitor by SVA for only $229 (after the rebate crap).
Surprisingly, there were no lines at all. Simple walk in and walk out. Back home by 7 am. I did drive by Best Buy but did a U-turn when I saw the hundreds of people in line.
Oh, the LCD is unbelievable great. Crystal clear picture with no side effects at all even during gaming. I was able to stay up 'till 5 am and play Halo no prob