V: Wow, $200 for a 42-inch TV. Should we try for it?
K: No.
(two minutes pass)
V: Should we get a soundbar?
K: Nah.
(one minute passes)
V: Ooh, luggage set for $50. Aren’t your suitcases getting beat up?
K: Yea, but I don’t need it yet. They can probably last a couple more trips.
In the past five minutes, I’ve probably nixed 10 of V’s ideas. It’s not that he’s full of bad ideas or that I’m a chronic naysayer, he just gets carried away with Black Friday deals.
Several years ago, we tried to to be those dedicated Black Friday deal hunters. We got up at 3 am for a shot at a TV. We didn’t come early enough, people had been camped since midnight and we quickly turned around and went back to bed. Since then, we have realized that Black Friday needs 200% commitment, either you camp out or you take your time and show up after the store opens, once the madness has died down and the risk of injury by trampling decreases significantly.
What we have discovered though, is that the home department at Macy’s is rarely crowded on Black Friday. Everyone is at the women’s department. So for the last couple of years, our first stop of the day has always been Macy’s Home. We’ve found great deals on kitchen tools, bed and bath stuff without having to battle aggressive shoppers. We’ll probably still go this year even though we don’t need anything. I need to shop for Christmas gifts and I’m always on the hunt for super soft bath towels.
I’ve also learned that while everyone is tearing through the racks at Banana Republic or Nordstrom, I can browse leisurely at smaller stores like Ann Taylor. There are significantly less people and the clothes are still folded and hung neatly.
