I am NOT a fan of Black Friday. Generally I stay in my house an avoid venturing out at all costs because I hate crowds and I am a big-time online shopper.

That being said, I have been tempted by the promise of a 42" TV for $200.

However, looking online at the droves of people who have camped outside of Best Buy since last Friday is scaring me off the idea of trying to snatch up one of these deals.

Is anyone here seriously considering going out for any of this consumer craziness? If so, how do you cope with the crowds and the craziness?

~spidey

Well, I'm like you, I count Black Friday as the Zombie Apocalypse, I don't venture outside and am prepared to defend myself if necessary



But in all seriousness, I don't participate. I try not to go to any of my favorite stores (like Target and Best Buy, I even stay away from Petsmart on the day) on Black Friday, mostly because I know everything I want will already be gone and I'll be disapointed. I don't even look at ads for the day to make sure to curb any excitement or "I wish I could get <insert item name here> at that price" type of feelings.



So yeah, like you I'm not a fan of the day.

lol, wut?

No way in hell would I be caught at a store on Black Friday. I imagine they call it 'Black' for the same reason the Plague was called 'The Black Death'. It's obviously a warning that you don't want to go near it...

I once had a dream about Bill Hicks still being alive, and taking me shopping on Black Friday. But not to actually buy anything -- just to hurl verbal abuse at the corporate types who open up their chain stores in the wee hours of the morning to sell stuff to hopeful people camping outside.

It was kind of a funny dream, but also a nightmare. I guess it was a funny nightmare. Like the reality of Black Friday.

-- Nephele

I've never shopped on black friday but I have worked the last six. Getting up at 11PM just to get to work at midnight. And the doors don't even open until 5AM! All management can tell you is, "Don't panic. If you see a fight, don't let the winner cut in line. Oh, and don't let them get blood on the merchadise."

I just don't see the allure. Sure, some of the prices are nice but do you really need that snuggie or toaster? How many TV's does your house need?

I saw a poor little old lady get TRAMPLED! And nobody cared! We (the employees) had to wait for the crowd to thin out before we could help her. It took over an hour for 911 to send an ablulence.

I'm staying home.

I might be on the road this black friday, which I am not looking forward to. I have never gone to a store on a black friday. But the types of stuff I buy aren't the types of things I can expect wander into a Target at 5am and easily find so I am not missing much.

I kind of want to open a store in the US just so I can tell everyone about the super-mega-deals available on Black Friday and then just have a sign up that says "seriously? 5AM? Fuck off" and not bother opening at all.

I go out on Black Friday.... but I don't shop. Actually, I sometimes do indulge in buying a trinket for myself, but usually whenever we go out it's after 4 o'clock PM, and most people start giving up and going home. For the most part, whenever me and my friends go out, we kinda just walk around and people watch.

However, I'm dragged out during the daytime hours because my mom goes shopping on Black Friday, where I usually sit in the car and make commentary about how most people are idiots for doing this - including my precursor.

But the usual Black Friday tradition for my family is eating leftovers, watching Disney movies, and putting up the X-mas tree.

I don't shop on Black Friday; I'm always working. I wouldn't shop on that day anyway. I don't do anything that pertains to Christmas until December 1; everything in its own season. I tend to do my Christmas shopping on Mondays, when the stores are less crowded.

I have no idea what Black Friday is, so no, I shan't be shopping on it

Minty, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, when people start their Holiday shopping by mobbing the stores. Some stores open at 4 AM, or even Midnight on Thanksgiving day! There have been shoppers (and even store personnel) trampled by the masses trying to get to the deals on TVs, etc. It's stupid, and really over-commercializes the holiday.

BTW, I love your bat necklace in your avatar pic.

Me, too! The necklace is cool!

0_0 Jesus Christ.... December 8th at the earliest.

If you dream of a white Christmas, does Black Friday make you see red? Or does Black Friday just make you blue if you don't have enough green for it?

-- Nephele

We go out and buy a real tree on December 11th every years, on my daughter's birthday.

Oh and I don't leave my house on Black Friday. Ever. It simply is not worth it because my tolerance level can't deal with that type of bullshit.