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Pepper spray, gunfire, injuries. The tales of yesterday’s Black Friday shopping sound more like reports from a war zone than from a shopping mall. But in spite of the stories of mayhem, plenty of shoppers headed out to the malls while others headed to the Internet to snag deals.
What was your Black Friday experience? Were you a brave shopper navigating the stores? Did you shop till you dropped? Did you choose to enjoy cyber-shopping instead of shopping in stores? Were you an armchair warrior hunting the best online deals? Vote in today’s poll and let us know!
If you still have some shopping to do, don’t forget Monday is another big shopping day online. Cyber Monday is coming soon!
Did you encounter large Black Friday crowds? Was everyone well-behaved? Did you camp out to ensure a place in line when the stores opened? Were you at the stores before the sun rose? Were you glued to the computer finding the best Black Friday deals? Tell us about your Black Friday shopping experience in the Comments section below!
Image by UggBoy
Hi Carolyn,
Yes, I bought Thirsty Affiliates and I switched host to Host Gator. I bought it from Ana at Traffic Generation Cafe. I got a fairly good deal. I’m very satisfied.
Hi Jens, That’s great you were so successful with your online shopping. Two more items you can check off of your holiday shopping list! 🙂
Well I guess I did go get some laundry detergent from the grocery store. Does that count?
Hi Matt, Sure, laundry detergent counts! You probably had to fight off herds of shoppers to snag that great deal. But your efforts will pay off when you see the delight in the eyes of your loved ones as they unwrap that special gift. What says, “I care!” more than clean laundry? 😉
No shopping for me. But I do love this picture Carolyn! Really captures the commercialized frenzy 🙂
Hi Ruth, Thank you, I’m so pleased you like that photo. I agree, it really does capture the experience of holiday shopping.
Have a lovely weekend, Ruth! 🙂
I went shopping at 6AM, which was WAY better than last year at midnight. At 6-8AM one store was low on merchandise, the other had a great selection, and both had short lines.
Hi Elizabeth, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I am glad your efforts in arriving at the store early paid off with short lines. But with some stores opening at Midnight, you may have been one of the latecomers! 🙂
It was too gorgeous outside to shop!
Hi Joyce, you’re very wise to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts! There will be plenty of opportunities for shopping as the weather turns colder. 🙂
I was thinking about buying pepper spray, but I opted for yard work instead.
Hi Kathy, Please don’t delay in getting your pepper spray. ‘Tis the season, you know, and shopping isn’t safe without a canister tucked in your purse.
Based on the stellar reviews (a must read), I highly recommend this pepper spray from Amazon.com: Defense Technology Pepper Spray.
My Mom and I hit the liquor store but that’s it! We were lucky, no one was in there. That worked out really well.
🙂
Wise choice, Adrienne. Fortification before you tackle the masses is always a good idea! 😀
Adrienne, good choice on your shopping!
No shopping on Black Friday for me. I don’t think there is anything I need or want that badly to fight those kinds of crowds. I have plenty of time to shop and need a more pleasant experience. After hearing the news, it sounds like the whole experience is getting a little out of control.
Hi Cathy, So there’s nothing you want so badly you would be willing to be pepper-sprayed for it? How odd. 😉
A good friend of mine who is a police officer says he hates using pepper spray because any time he uses it the wind shifts and he gets the spray. X(
We went to target to buy essentials, and encountered very few shoppers Friday afternoon. no queue at the checkout either. And no one pepper sprayed us! How boring!
Hi Kathy, My deepest sympathies for you enduring such a mundane and unsatisfactory shopping experience. I hope that your future visits to Target involve crowds, jostling and plenty of news coverage! 🙂
How quaint to be living in Switzerland. No black Friday, no cyber Monday, no pepper spray, only peaceful Sunday!
Love this post, Carolyn, I might take up the pepper though and make some peperonata tonight!
Have a lovely Sunday, Barbara
Hi Barbara, How wonderful that you are living in Switzerland with peace and beauty. Do you have lovely Christmas markets near you?
Congratulations on your blog’s one year anniversary!
Heck no, I don’t even shop on ‘good’ days and as much as I like people, no way would I participate in that madness. There are no deals worth that…..
Like Kathy above, I opted for yard work and it was an extremely gorgeous day to be outside in the F L A.
Hi Bill, I’m stunned you weren’t at the mall on Friday, stunned. I figured you were the one pepper spraying other shoppers so you could nab the latest tech toys. I was sure the iPhone converted you into a tech junkie.
But yard work is good too. 😉
Hi Carolyn, I did shop .. both of course! I seemed to find my best deals in the gaming systems and household electronics. Found great deals on an x-Box system, Playstation games, carpet cleaner, and an ebelskiver cooker! Hope you found some great deals too! Still searching for some deals today!
Hi Carol, Wow, you scored big! How much do you think you saved overall?
Are you almost done with all of your shopping?
Decided against going shopping this Friday just because it was Black Friday. No point doing any serious shopping when you cant see the shelves!
Saying that I will be going next weekend to have a look at the lights in town and purchasing a few gifts!
Wish me luck! 😛
Hi Gemma, Good point, shopping can be a nightmare when the stores are crowded and you can’t find a parking spot. Much better to enjoy the wonders of the season instead of the hassles! 🙂
I didn’t go shopping on Black Friday because I have a lovely shopping consultant who I will be shopping with next month.
Hi Jerry, You are very fortunate to have avoided the mayhem and also to have a personal shopper to assist you with your shopping expedition.
Happy shopping!
Hey Carolyn,
We don’t have such days here. I guess police here are not going to allow malls to let people run amok, overworked as they are already .
I watched a few of the videos and it really looked crazy.
But I am guessing people who were able to get their hand on deals must be delighted.
Did you go out for a good deal that day?
Best regards,
Ashvini
Hi Ashvini, You’re fortunate not to have such crazy days in India. I think they could make the days less crazy here by calling the other days “Prices are too high today so don’t shop unless you need to.” But perhaps that wouldn’t be the best marketing move?
I went to one store on Black Friday and that store had a lot of police officers stationed at the doors. There were no incidents that I saw though. My oldest daughter wanted me to take her shopping at the mall on Black Friday, but I refused, making me “The Worst Mom Ever!” 🙂
Carolyn, aloha. Have to tell you that I am stunned with the result of this survey. If I were to guess, I would have thought my “not shopping” would be in the minority as opposed to such a HUGE majority.
Since I hear retailers did $52.4 billion, I guess they didn’t miss us too much.
Hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving. Until next time, aloha. Janet
Hi Janet, I was very surprised by the results of the poll too. But that’s why I post these polls, I am surprised by the results every week. The media has been reporting record Black Friday sales, but if you didn’t participate, you aren’t alone!
Mahalo, I hope your Thanksgiving was fantastic, Janet! 🙂
Hi Carolyn
I did not go! There were plenty of black friday deals online for me 🙂
Hi Pete, Great idea to shop from the comfort of your home instead of fighting the crowds at the malls. 🙂
LOL Carolyn,
That’s just too funny.
I don’t shop on Black Friday because I’ d rather not end up in the emergency room. 🙂
I mean seriously, people would really take it that far (pepper spray incident)????
My wife did all the present shopping for the year via net and for a man it is such a relief 🙂
GREAT share
Akos
I’m a bit sad that we don’t have thanksgiving and black Friday here in our country[sad]…but if ever there is, I’ll sure be joining the crowd to shop..