I love shopping, and the crowds and the craziness just enhance that experience for me! However I'm working on Black Friday with dogs..not with people so there will be no craziness for me...or shopping.

No way. I'm working 12 hours at the hospital and making some money instead.

I just don't need anything THAT BAD to buy into a day where people will physically hurt each other and (at the very least) treat each other like enemies (have you ever heard some of the snarky remarks that get passed when people are trying to get the same item?) in order to get a deal on a gift for Christmas where we're supposed to be celebrating "goodwill to all". It's crazy.

Black Friday for me is like a drug.... I hate that I do it but every year I go back for more!!!! It depends how many items they have... My freshman year a store had 20 laptops for an outrageously low price and living in a college town my roommate and I knew we had to get there early so we actually camped out (tent and all) on their sidewalk and sure enough other people did too... Its like a treasure hunt adventure for me... Now that I have a baby not sure how well its gonna go but last year I was really pregnant this time of year and everyone felt sorry for me and let me rush ahead of them HAHAHA

I loathe black Friday. I didn't even know what it was until a few years ago when I got a temporary job at Best Buy. Oh my god, the horror. I cannot explain how stupid people get over $50 worth of plastic. I saw fights over DVDs. DVDs? Really? It was like a scene from Apocolypse Now... Seriously.

We really need a new TV but I refuse to camp out or participate in the craziness. I've joined tons of electronics mailing lists and will find good deals that way. I will enjoy my Friday morning with my son preparing to put up a Christmas tree for the first time since I was 16.

Used to swear i would never go, but went last year... and LOVED it!!! I don't do walmart, but the mall. It's busy, but not too bad. I am going again this year!

I've had a root canal. I've given birth to a ten-pound baby. I would rather have a root canal WHILE giving birth to a ten-pound baby than to shop the Black Friday sales! Even the normal weekend shopping during the holidays is too much for me; the crowds, the waiting in lines, the disheveled merchandise hanging off the racks...I hate it all. So I cannot imagine participating in the shoving, the racing, the camping out--ugh! It doesn't sound fun to me at all, and all to save a few bucks on a certain day. I think that we're going to see extremely low prices this year anyway, due to the economy.

So yeah, I plan to spend Black Friday hanging out with my (adult) sons, eating leftovers, watching movies and possibly putting up the Christmas tree. (It's fake, so I like to have it up for a long time). Shopping will be easy this year; one boy is leaving on a mission trip to Ukraine in January so he'll get warm clothing and money; the other wants a TV for his college apartment so he'll get a MODEST new TV. Done!

It's traditional on my side of the family (in Illinois) to put the tree up on Black Friday also. This year, though my family is coming to visit us here in Wisconsin.

We decided to decorate early so that our decorations would be up when they came, since we're not going to be able to go down to visit them this Christmas (we alternate holidays between Wisconsin and Illinois, and this year is Wisconsin's turn).

So the tree is already up. My nativity set is up and my hubby's Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys set is up. On the same table, so Mary and Joseph and the wise men are being visited by Yukon Cornelius, The Bumble (a yeti like creature), Hermie the elf wanna-be dentist), King Moonracer (the winged lion, king of the misfit toys) and all the misfit toys.

Baby Jesus is in the toe of my childhood christmas stocking (because in hubby's family it's traditional not to put the baby Jesus out until late Christmas Even, so he's in the creche early Christmas morning).

Funny, because Hubby says "the baby Jesus can't be in the creche He hasn't been born yet." By that logic, the three wise men don't belong there either until January 6 (the church holiday in the Catholic and Lutheran church that celebrates the wise men's visit).

omg!!! the thought of black friday scares me!!! I've never worked on black friday before but I worked the day after black friday and we have the same sale as black friday on a saturday. My co-workers said that it was the same crazyness. This year I am working on black friday.....I'm so scared!!!! wish me luck!!!!!!!!!



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"Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times."
Weight Loss journey began: January 2009 - Weight Loss to date: 24lbs
Currently on the my30daysdiet and loving it! Working out 4 times a week.

I've never been and have, frankly, been a little scared of this tradition...clausterphobia and all... but I live in walking distance of some really nice outlets and have off of work that day this year so i might peek in just to say i did. but i wont buy

I enjoyed reading through this thread - I had no idea people had such strong feelings about the day!

I've always got the bulk of my Christmas shopping finished by Thanksgiving, so for me the fun of that first official day of Christmas shopping is the hustle and bustle, the crowds, the Christmas music in all the stores and the excitement of finding a good buy on something I hadn't realized I "needed" to buy. LOL

I don't think I'll be shopping on Black Friday this year though. My parents are going to be here and we'll be doing other things.

It used to be a tradition for my SIL and I to get up pre-dawn and join the Black Friday crowd. After Thanksgiving dinner, we'd spread out the paper and search through the ads and map out our route. It used to be a lot of fun, but anymore it's downright dangerous. Besides that, I've discovered you can get even better deals on things right before Christmas.

My friend's mom does that too. After dinner on Thanksgiving they look at every ad and make a game plan...spend all day shopping. I have never gone...it's not worth it to me.

However, this year I am working. At 4:30 am until 2:15pm. At Macy's, in the Juniors department. I'm terrified. hahaha

I work retail on Black Friday. I absolutely love it! Most retailers offer the same deals online at midnight, so I don't feel as if I am missing out shopping wise. I work at a store in the mall, and people are literally lined up to the back of the store waiting to check out every Black Friday. We are going to have great deals, but every deal is available online was well.

I think for many people it is just tradition. They go every year with their mom/sister/cousin and make a day of it. It is more of the thrill of the hunt than anything.

So funny & I agree 100%!

NEVER! Lol...I have done it once in my life and it actually wasn't bad. But this year I actually finished my shopping by Halloween, yay! So no need too. I wouldn't even if I weren't finished though.