Bini Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Or is it myth? This video is mostly entertaining but does give some food for thought. So, are there any real bargains on Black Friday, or are most people snowballed by the marketing industry? https://youtu.be/KPgmgQxmUfU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I've long doubted any significant bargains. I declare it mostly marketing. Bini 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 My good friend and I have a tradition of going to the second hand stores that do Black Friday sales on Friday morning. Many of them do 50% all day, or at least part of the day. I go for books and things to repurpose, and whatever clothes we might need for winter. Half off of thrifting is a great deal, and fun for us. Plus there aren't the massive crowds to fight and we usually get home as our families are getting out of bed (so no kids!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefche Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I've never noticed that the prices were that much better than a good sale from previous. Usually, there is one great big discounted thing. BUT, they have limited quantities. So that really good price on the TV is a REALLY GOOD PRICE but there are only 3 of them in the store. The gimmick is to get you there for the really good price thing and since you're there, you might as well get other stuff. Plus, I think the marketing is such now that people have made traditions of shopping for Black Friday. I have friends who have family traditions of shopping on Black Friday and love it. I'm glad for them, but I like my sleep better. LOL Backroads and Bini 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted November 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I've long doubted any significant bargains. I declare it mostly marketing. I admit to being snowballed once or twice over the years that I've done Black Friday. One year I waited outside of Best Buy (almost all night) for a laptop that was going to be marked down to $300 instead of the hefty price tag it supposedly would have been. I like to think I really saved hundreds and hundreds on it but if I had done research prior, the truth of what it was priced for on the shelf all along might have been upsetting, ha. My good friend and I have a tradition of going to the second hand stores that do Black Friday sales on Friday morning. Many of them do 50% all day, or at least part of the day. I go for books and things to repurpose, and whatever clothes we might need for winter. Half off of thrifting is a great deal, and fun for us. Plus there aren't the massive crowds to fight and we usually get home as our families are getting out of bed (so no kids!). I am so addicted to thrift stores! Never thought it would happen but I love the hunt! It's oddly rewarding when you find new life for something that has been donated/discarded. Might just be my area but I'm finding more and more people are discovering the 'perks' of shopping secondhand, and it seems that my local thrift stops are getting more and more crowded with people... Grrr! Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I learned one thing this week from someone who does marketing for a large business that we all know. I'll leave the name of the business out. He told me to NEVER purchase a tv on Black Friday. You know those GREAT deals on tvs that you see advertised for Black Friday at some of the big stores? Do you realize the quality of those are not as good even though they carry the same model and brand name as the ones sold during the rest of the year. Some manufacturers mass produce these items to be sold specifically for Black Friday. They are made more cheaply and do not have the same quality. But they are then sold as these tremendous deals for the holiday sale. Bini and Backroads 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I learned one thing this week from someone who does marketing for a large business that we all know. I'll leave the name of the business out. He told me to NEVER purchase a tv on Black Friday.You know those GREAT deals on tvs that you see advertised for Black Friday at some of the big stores? Do you realize the quality of those are not as good even though they carry the same model and brand name as the ones sold during the rest of the year. Some manufacturers mass produce these items to be sold specifically for Black Friday. They are made more cheaply and do not have the same quality. But they are then sold as these tremendous deals for the holiday sale.I know a guy who would always camp out for Best Buy deals... until he started working there and learned this. He's not about to scare away customers, but he's told those close. Bini 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted November 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I learned one thing this week from someone who does marketing for a large business that we all know. I'll leave the name of the business out. He told me to NEVER purchase a tv on Black Friday. You know those GREAT deals on tvs that you see advertised for Black Friday at some of the big stores? Do you realize the quality of those are not as good even though they carry the same model and brand name as the ones sold during the rest of the year. Some manufacturers mass produce these items to be sold specifically for Black Friday. They are made more cheaply and do not have the same quality. But they are then sold as these tremendous deals for the holiday sale. My husband told me this and I didn't believe him! Someone told me the same thing about Costco electronics. Costco has great Kirkland products but when it comes to electronics, such as TVs, they're supposed to be decent but not premium alike what you'd find at Best Buy (though the price is good and return is hassle free). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prisonchaplain Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Well, we're getting our "bargain" delivered on black Friday. Our dishwasher gave of the ghost, so we went to Best Buy. Hey, who needs a bargain when you're getting the "best buy," right??? Anyway, the salesman says, "So...what kind of dishwasher do you want?" I say, "I want the kind that you guys install, as you're hauling my old one away." Without missing a beat he says, "Oh, you want a Bosch. They come with free installation this week." "Yeah, yeah," I say. "We want the Bosch." I'm not sure if it's the cheapest or the best, but having them install it and take away our wreckage...yeah, that's the best bargain. Palerider and Backroads 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 We use Black Friday as a day to decorate the yard for Christmas and get a Christmas Tree. It's insane shopping with giant crowds. It gives me a headache. But then usually, by Black Friday, I already have everyone's gifts figured out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Well, we're getting our "bargain" delivered on black Friday. Our dishwasher gave of the ghost, so we went to Best Buy. Hey, who needs a bargain when you're getting the "best buy," right??? Anyway, the salesman says, "So...what kind of dishwasher do you want?" I say, "I want the kind that you guys install, as you're hauling my old one away." Without missing a beat he says, "Oh, you want a Bosch. They come with free installation this week." "Yeah, yeah," I say. "We want the Bosch." I'm not sure if it's the cheapest or the best, but having them install it and take away our wreckage...yeah, that's the best bargain. I hear you. Someone else doing the grunt work is worth its weight in gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zil Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 The grocery store I go to used to be big on circling some number on the receipt and saying "You saved $1.47" (or whatever). To which my husband would always reply, "No, that's the amount you didn't overcharge me." And then one day we hired a new boss in my area who used to work at a huge national grocer (that owned 3 chains). When I told him this story, he said, "Your husband was right." So, there's no such thing as a bargain, but _maybe_ you won't get overcharged (by as much). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhold Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 (edited) It varies from year to year and store to store. For example, back in 2011 Wal-Mart infamously had a special offer on Transformers. The "Power Core Combiners" assortment of product had generated interest among most of us long-time fans of the franchise, but there was such an absolute glut of Transformers product in 2010 / 2011 that they wound up getting lost in the shuffle. Wal-Mart decided to clear out all of their back stock of this assortment in one fell swoop. Each store got a pallet of product consisting of one random five-pack shrink-wrapped together with one random two-pack. A pack with two figures went for $10 - $15 retail. A pack with five figures went for $25 - $30 retail. Black Friday price: $10. That's right: it was basically "buy the small set, get the big set free". I would estimate that the pallet my local Wal-Mart got (which had about a five-foot stack of product) was cleaned out within 15 minutes. I counted myself lucky just to get the two bundle packs I got. Edited November 25, 2015 by Ironhold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedleinA Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Save $15 on an item you really didn't think you needed to begin with. 1. Struggle to find parking2. Stand (fight) in line3. Crazy people4. 99% fake off brand deals5. Long check out lines6. Etc. I'll save more than $15 by just not going in the first place. Marketing ploy with a real deal only once every 5 years. pam and Backroads 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Save $15 on an item you really didn't think you needed to begin with. 1. Struggle to find parking2. Stand (fight) in line3. Crazy people4. 99% fake off brand deals5. Long check out lines6. Etc. I'll save more than $15 by just not going in the first place. Marketing ploy with a real deal only once every 5 years. Exactly. There is no deal or anything I want or need enough to go through everything on that list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 I work part time for a very large national retail store. We don't have any Black Friday deals. Only our usual weekly sales. The only difference is that we will be opening an hour earlier and staying open an hour later on Friday and Saturday. We get very busy but it's usually later after people have hit all of the other retailers advertising Black Friday deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palerider Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 And don't forget ....when they say if you buy this you this over here for free .....nothing is free pam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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