Black Friday articles

Some good advice from other writers about Black Friday

Black Friday tips from Yahoo:

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/467/how-to-prepare-for-black-friday/

Looking to buy a Digital Camera?

http://bfads.net/Digital-Camera-Buying-Guide

The 5 worst deals?

http://bfads.net/5-Worst-Black-Friday-Deals

PS3 Black Friday bundles

Are you in the game? This is for all the gamers out there. As you may or may not know, my personal preference to gaming systems lies with the Playstation 3. This comes from not only only the PS2 and an Xbox, but also from working at Best Buy. I saw a lot more Xbox 360s come back due to "technical" hardware problems then I did PS3's. I think it's just a better machine, and has more longevity than an Xbox. Also, I'm not a Halo guy, so whatever right. I've had a couple people ask me about the Playstation 3 bundles that will be on sale Black Friday, so I scoured the ads, and this is what I found.

*The PS3 bundles are all the 160 GB hard drive and are priced at $299.99

Best Buy

Little Big Planet

MadNation Racing

Cars (Blu Ray movie)

Wal Mart

Bundled with 2 games

Uncharted 2 &

Medal of Honor

K Mart

Uncharted 2

Karate Kid (Blu Ray movie)

Shooter Voucher (whatever that is)

Target

Star Wars II: The Force Unleashed

Prince of Persia (Blu Ray Movie)

Hastings

$25 Gift Card with purchase

Okay, let me just give you my quick philosophy on PS3 bundles. Don't get excited about one store offering one more game than another store. In this case it's quantity over quality. Just because Best Buy is doing 2 games and 1 blu ray, doesn't make it better than Hastings 25 gift card deal. Unless it's a game you really want, don't be fooled by the numbers game. These games have no resale value, so you can't bring the games back and return them for store credit. I don't think GameStop can take these games either. So unless you can sell them online (for minimal value) you won't be making money off the extras. If the Game or Blu Ray does interest you, then by all means, buy the bundle.

But if not, maybe looking into "pre Black Friday" sales. Some stores were doing PS3/Move bundles and receiving a $50 gift card back. The week after they were giving out a free PS3 controller with the purchase of ANY size PS3. (A controller is usually 49.99 as well.) These sales might be more useful to you. And you wouldn't have to stand in line either. Keep looking...my guess is this weekend there will be ANOTHER bundle that might be better for you.

Also, if you're looking to buy the 320 GB size....well, it looks like Black Friday is not for you.

Now to rate the bundles against each other.

Best Buy: The quantity is better than the quality. Little Big Planet was a game of the year....the game is also like...3 years old. I hear good things about LBP, but I just don't know about the replayability. I've never heard of MadNation racing. So...that's my review of that game. Cars, great movie, also the oldest of the titles being offered. So if you have a youngin that wants to a PS3 this might be for you...if you're a gamer, I suggest looking elsewhere.

Wal-Mart: Offers Uncharted 2 and Medal of Honor. I've never played them, but these games seem to be more adult oriented. Uncharted 1 was great, and MoH is a shooter which lots of people love.

K-mart: The only difference between this and the Wally World is you lose out on MoH and you get Karate Kid. So if you're not into shooters and love Jackie Chan and Little Will Smith. Here you go. Jacket on, Jacket off.

Target: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. A very popular game, and if I'm not mistaken, the newest release of all the bundles. Prince of Persia also came out not too long ago.

Hastings: If none of those interests you, you can receive a 25 gift card and use it for other gifts. If you're savvy enough. Ask them to ring the PS3 up first. Pay for it separately. Then use the 25 gift card to pay for the rest of your stuff. (This only works if you get the gift card right away.) But if you're planning on using the gift card for other PS3 items, I recommend looking for a better deal pre-Black Friday. Like I said, a PS3 controller values at $49.99.

Some Pros and Cons of Black Friday

You have to take the good with the bad; a motto in my life that I apply to Black Friday shopping. The end result of shopping are the products you receive (at major discounts) but there’s a lot of hard work that goes into them. So here’s my pros and cons list of many things Black Friday

BLACK FRIDAY

PRO: The money you save. This is the time of year when all these products are CHEAP…below cost sometimes. You will not find a better deal all year long.

CON: Everyone else knows this. So it’s hard work to get the products before everyone else does.

BEST BUY

PRO: I worked for Best Buy for a couple years, I know the preparation the associates go through. This is their super bowl. 90% of their staff are highly motivated and are working to HELP YOU make good decisions. They also want to up sell, but it’s not because they are commissioned based…. They want to help the revenue for their store. There’s not much personal gain, they just BELIEVE in the products they are selling.

Best Buy usually has a good line, and they are pretty good in crowd control. They’re one of the more organized Black Friday retailers I have been to…. That being said:

CON: They have a LONG line… and it’s in the cold. You have to wait outside for over 12 hours (If you want a door buster). IN THE COLD. But if you dress appropriately you can get through this unharmed.

That’s not the only line. Inside there’s one too, which can be annoying. Especially for the hot computer deals. They have a separate line for those, so you don’t have to wait to with everyone else. Unfortunately all the hot deals are in one line. So be prepared to spend ANOTHER couple hours inside waiting to be checked out. (At least it’s warm)

Wal Mart

PRO: INSIDE. Warmth. So you won’t have to pile on the clothes. I don’t know of any other Black Friday sales that allow you to wait inside. And you don’t have to start lining up as early as Best Buy. (At Best Buy to get a good spot in line you’ll have to line up 3-5 pm. At Wally World, you could get there around 930 PM or so and should be able to find a spot in line.)

Plus it’s Wal Mart, they have almost everything you need. So you won’t have to do much shopping anywhere else. Does another store have something you want? Wal Mart has a pretty decent price match policy. When I worked at Best Buy, we tried to be super strict about it.

CON: Warmth is nice….but I did Wal Mart black Friday last year, and the disorganization was SO FRUSTERATING. First off… we got there and didn’t know where to line up. Finally figured that out after an hour. My nephew and I were lined up near the GPS station to buy the GPS they had on sale. And all throughout the next 3 hours we would ask associates, “Are we in the right place?” We received a bunch of maybes, I don’t knows and yes’s….. try figuring that one out. Half an hour before they released the door busters we find out we’ve been standing in the wrong line. So they had to move our whole line to the other line. Luckily there were enough units and a riot did not ensue…but it was close.

Wal Mart employees are not as knowledgable as they should be. Granted, Wal Mart has many more departments it’s hard to keep track of everything. But it felt like NO associates knew what was going on. Where are the GPS units? No clue. Where are the digital cameras? “I don’t know” says the associate working in DIGITAL CAMERAS! A little more training might help. Who knows?

But there are also a lot of customers at Wal Mart…. I mean, A LOT! So be prepared to be treated like cattle. That many people in a building at one time can be very unnerving. Patience is definitely a virtue if you shop at Wal Mart. More people also means VERY LONG LINES to checkout. Bring a handheld game, or get some new apps on your smartphone. It takes a lot of time.

PRE BLACK FRIDAY SALES

PRO: Something new this year? A lot of retailers are doing “Pre Black Friday Sales” on the weekend. Good for retailers. It helps them get customers in all month long. Good for consumers too. I bought a laptop because my family needed one. I wasn't sure if I could get into Black Friday in time to buy one. I got a great deal on it, and we have one of our Black Friday items 2 weeks early and off the list. For electronics: Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon have had a sale every weekend, and plan to until Black Friday.

Con: The deals are still better Black Friday. If you're willing to do all the waiting and hard work; Black Friday will still have better deals. But if you don't want to chance it, or just want some extra sleep. Pre Black Friday deals are pretty good too

UPDATED:

Some of my friends had some things to share about Black Friday experiences.

Crystal Weber Western One of your cons should be RC Willey's checkout line, RIDICULOUSLY unorganized!!!

Kasey Wardell TOYS R US:

Oh my heck it was actually amazing! Haha! I didn't wait in line. I got there 30-40 minutes after the doors opened. We were free to roam the aisles without having to stand in line for a certain toy. I was able to go in and get the items I really wanted then actually browse for other things that peaked my interest. The check-out line was crazy long but it went really really fast! I thought I'd be in line for at least a half hour and it was no more than 10 minutes.

I had a larger outside toy that I needed a ticket for and I was able to pay for it at check-out but just drive around back and show them the ticket and pick up the toy that way instead of waiting for them to bring it up through the crowd. There were no crazy parents, rushing, or chaos.

It was handled well by employees and customers. I had actually heard by someone that worked there during the holiday last year that the year before the managers actually kicked out parents for pushing and causing unnecessary drama so last year it was handled well!

Tips for the Black Friday Newbie

Never been to a Black Friday? Gonna try it out? What's the big deal? Well, the big deal about Black Friday is that it's a shopping day where prices are DRAMATICALLY cut. Big ticket electronics (laptops, tvs, etc) are about 200 bucks off. You can buy clothing items from 3-9 dollars. Kitchen appliances are sold at 3 dollars! It's Madness...... so how do you get a leg up on the competition?

My first year, I went Black Friday shopping at 9 AM.... there were no deals left to be had. And that was early for me. If you want to get ahead of everyone on Black Friday you have start early? How early? 5 Am? No..... 3 AM? No...... try Thanksgiving Night. Yep, the day before Black Friday. It's a turn off for many people because of this reason. People start lining up outside of Best Buy in the early afternoon. (1-3 PM) Most people actually just set up tents and leave.... a little of a faux paux. Not really fair, but it hasn't stopped them from getting good deals yet. At Wal Mart, the lines start at 10 PM Thanksgiving Night. So getting there an hour early is a big plus.

Find Door Busters. It's no use lining up for items if they're not marked as "Door Busters." Door Busters are items that are hot items that most people will want. In our examples it'll be a 200 dollar laptop. You can get the Ads on Thanksgiving day in your local paper....of if you're really savvy, you can look online. A lot of ads get leaked before hand, so you can see the sale items weeks in advance. Looking at the Ad gives you an idea of when stores open. Door Busters are the items people are willing to cut their Thanksgiving short.

Shop with a buddy. It's helpful. Shopping with friends will give you company plus give you numbers to wait in multiple lines.

Dress Warm (For everyone not going to Wal Mart). You'll most likely have to wait in line OUTSIDE. It's cold at the end of November. Surprise. But dress in layers because you will have to go inside and shop... for hours. Beanie, Hand/Foot warners, Hoodie, Jacket, Gloves.

Finally Price Match. Most stores will Price Match a competitors Ad. For instance. Say you wanted to shop Wal Mart for their door busters. But there were some items you wanted to buy at Best Buy. You can have Wal Mart price match it. There are certain rules though. You have to have the other store's ad. The item can't be a door buster. The item has to be in stock at the other store. But...if you play your cards right, you can save yourself some shopping trips

Need to know something about the BF? Want to know Deals? Tips? Send me a comment.

BLACK FRIDAY.....comes EARLY?

Walmart will start it's Super Electronic Deals Special (or whatever it's called) this weekend. The sale starts Nov. 6 at 8am. Items include some Vizio LCD tv's, a compaq laptop, PS3 bundle, and others. Best Buy followed suit, by having their sale start a DAY earlier. They offered their own brand LCD TVs and a laptop on it's own.

Now the products aren't top of the line, but you're saving over 100 bucks on the laptops, and I would guess 50-100 dollars on the TVs. The quality isn't great, but the Value can't be beat. Best part is, the products are AVAILABLE ONLINE! I got my laptop this morning. (Remember, if you're too lazy to go to the physical store, you have to pay shipping) But shipping isn't too bad, if you're scared people are lining up for these products, like I feared.

Amazon.com is doing a gold box deal where they slash prices on certain products every hour. http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox?ie=UTF8&ref_=cs_top_nav_gb27

Keep checking on those, because there might just be something that catches your eye. And it will be a great value.

My thoughts on the products. The TVs are simple and not high quality, but they'll do the job.

Same with the Laptops. An Emachine from Best Buy, a Compaq from Wal Mart, and a Compaq from Amazon (At 10 PM Mountain Standard Time). 2GB Ram, with a 250 GB hard drive is nothing to write home about. But if you're looking for something very simple, just to browse the internet or something. Its hard to argue the value of a laptop for under $300. My theory is that on the actual Black Friday, you might be able to get a laptop in the same price range 300-450 with better specs. But if you want to avoid standing in line for HOURS in the cold or in stupid Wal Mart....then I recommend getting the laptop early.

My other good deal? Check out the $50 Itunes gift card for only $35. Walmart on Saturday

In the Holiday mood!

Taking a break from writing about the heartbreaks in life. I'm going to try to delve into some other area of expertise. Shopping. I like to buy things. It's nice to have new stuff. Thank god my parents have instilled a "Frugal Gene" in me.

New things are nice. But saving money while doing it? It's a rush. You're talking to the guy who buys his clothes only when he has a coupon. I'm the guy that has like eight seperate reward programs, so when I do buy things, I get a little of it back. I'm the guy who has price match down to an art.

So the lesson today kids? In approximately four weeks, it will be Thanksgiving. Cool, I like that holiday, but what that means for me (and subsequently my family) is that BLACK FRIDAY will soon be upon us.

What is Black Friday? It is the Friday after Thanksgiving where retailers DRAMATICALLY slash prices on items. From Game Systems, Televisions, Computer Systems, etc etc. Retailers call it Black Friday because it's the time of the season where stores go from losing money (the red) to making a profit (in the BLACK.)

I want to help you folks out. If you've never done a Black Friday before it's....an experience. Sometimes a bad one, sometimes a good one, and sometimes, well....it's a little of both. So all of November I'll be blogging about shopping the big event and maybe I can help you navigate the stores to find the perfect gift for someone this Christmas.

A letter

A simple form of communication

Paper, Pen, Scribbles

I've been given the gift of gab,

Love the sound of my own voice.

Yet when you're near, I'm speechless

My heart wants to speak up, but can't

So here I sit.

Paper, Pen, Scribbles

So many questions to be asked

I'm afraid for you to know the answers

I'll try to figure it out myself

But in the end I end up talking to the echoes

I'll ask the questions someday, I just need

Paper, Pen, Scribbles

I wrote you a letter tonight.

Everything I've wanted to tell you.

Everything I've wanted to ask you.

Everything that tears me up inside

And in turn...i'll tear the letter up.

Then I'll mail you the ashes, sent in the wind

All I wanted to say in

Paper, Pen, and Scribbles.

I had a blog in mind. And as I was writing, I kept coming up with non sensical ways of saying what I wanted to say....so I turned it into some sort of free verse. I've been doing a lot of thinking.... A LOT of thinking. I wanted to express those thoughts to someone, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I'm sure you've had the same problem. Build up all your thoughts but can't seem to put it into words.

I do it a lot. I live inside my mind basically. So my advice to you if you ever need to say something, but can't figure it out? Write it down. On pieces of paper. Old school, I know. But it's a good way to collect your thoughts. For instance, my first letter I wrote? I rambled, but I did get a lot of what I needed to say out. So I'll just rewrite the letter into a more flowing form.

I first got the idea with a girl a while back...we'll call her "Jessica." I had things I needed to tell her, and I just couldn't do it. But I wrote a letter to her one night. I never sent it to her, but it gave me the courage to finally say what I needed to say when we talked. Maybe when I saw the thoughts in writing, it made more sense to me. Gave me confidence to "use my words."

The letter(s) I wrote tonight....the certain someone will never see them. But it was better than bottling it all up inside. Part of me felt like, I at least tried to communicate it with her. Obviously, if I had actually said it to her, it probably would've been more helpful. Baby steps people.

If you ever find yourself confused, take a minute, and write down what you want to say. It's like "thinking before you speak." Whether you ever intend to actually convey that message to your certain someone. (Spouse, gf/bf, siblings, boss, etc, etc) My advice....writing it down we'll get you one step closer to that goal.

Blog-aholic

Remember 2 months ago, when sports radio started a silly rumor about bringing Chris Bosh to Utah? Or Facebook groups clamoring to put a Jazz uni on the big man? How stupid were those? I understand fans trying to be optimistic, but did anyone have real hopes to bringing Chris Bosh to the Jazz? Foolish, idiotic really... We should focus our efforts on players that MIGHT ACTUALLY come to Utah. Of course I'm talking about LeBron James!

Lebron, before you have your one hour Bachelor special to announce your new team. I really think you should hear what the state of Utah and the Jazz have to offer big name free agents like you.

1) The Best PG in the League...maybe

Two words: D-Will.... He's the best point guard in the LEAGUE! Better than Paul, Rondo, Rose combined. At least to most Utah fans, this is what we think. There's not even a competition, Chris Paul is not even in the same league as Deron Williams. Chris Paul isn't as healthy as Deron, in head to head match-ups Deron dominates Paul. Paul has flaws, and Deron Williams is perfect. Lebron...you'd be stupid not to want to play with the second best PG in the history of the NBA. (Aside from Stockton of course)

2) The Best Coach in the NBA....to have never won anything.

C'mon Lebron. Don't you want to play with zero time champion, zero time coach of the year Jerry Sloan? That's not a knock on Coach Sloan. Lebron will definitely like to play for a coach that'll bust his balls every practice. That won't play favorites to a star. Lebron needs that control in his life. Lebron is running way too wild in his game, and needs to run the "high C" to become a better NBA player.

3) Utah Nightlife & Weather

This is one of the biggest attractions about Utah? The Night Life. Seriously, who wants to go South Beach? Listen Lebron, nothing good happens past midnight. That won't be a problem. Last call is at 1 o'clock in Utah. You'll be home in bed by 2 AM! Look Lebron, a good night's rest is essential for your athletic ability. And c'mon...you're 25 years old. You're an OLDIE! Time to go home, settle down, and play a game of monopoly with the kids. You're young party animal days are truly behind you.

Have you heard of the best snow on earth? Yeah, that's here in Utah. Cleveland and Toronto get cold....so does Utah!!! Makes it a PRIME destination for NBA players. Who cares about LA and Miami? Am I right?

4) You want a Big Market?

Lebron...down by my house alone? In the small city of Clinton, we have a Wal Mart AND a Winco.... trust me, grocery shopping will not be a problem.

As you see Lebron; The Utah Jazz is a prime market for Free Agents. And I'd be shocked if you didn't sign with the Jazz in 20-Lebron. Especially since we'll be getting Andrei Kirilenko's contract off in 2011, Carmelo will be coming too.

The Summer of 20-Lebron brought to you by... Dry Hump. Texting Version

July 1, 2010. As many of you know, I am a huge basketball fan. July 1, 2010 is a huge date for NBA fans. It's the start of one of the biggest free agency periods, namely because of LeBron James. (Which is why I've dubbed the year 2010 the year of 20-Lebron.)

Anyway, the morning of July 1, my friends Matthew L Glade and Logan G Cox were texting each other about the moves that were being made. If I had to host a sports show with 2 other guys. I would choose these two. I think our views are interesting....so maybe you will too. Enjoy.

(Side note, The texts between Matthew L and the texts between Logan are two separate conversations. I'm condensing them together to save you from the boring stuff......and we were texting each other, not knowing it would eventually turn into this blog.)

Huu: Whoa! Boozer to the Magic possibly? We'd get back Gortat, Bass, Reddick or....the expiring contract of Vince Carter? I want to see it happen just because that would be the weirdest FA move ever.

Matthew L: Can you imagine Vince on this team? He would cry every night because of Jerry and Deron. (Matthew L put this on his facebook: I would love to be in that first practice. Jerry: Okay Vince, we're going to work on some defensive drills. Vince: (Puzzled look on his face) De...fense?)

Logan: Give me the players. No need for expiring contracts Already have a big one of those.

Huu: I'm imagining the Carter situation right now... Ideally if we could get Gortat, Carter and Reddick. Then Carter goes off the books in '11. The odds Vince comes to Utah? 100,000 to 1.

Matthew L: That would be nice, I love that.

Logan: I am a Brandon Bass fan, and Reddick could replace Korver. I still think Boozer is the best bet though.

Huu: I'm sure it'd work, absorb the contract with Harpring's trade exception... Can we throw Andrei in too?

Matthew L: Yes... Yes we can. *You can hear the giddiness of his voice in this text*

Huu: There's a better chance we resign Booze.

Logan: I hope so. My fear is that if we lose Boozer this year we will lose Williams in a few years too.

Huu: I've heard that Deron might be ok with Paul Millsap. But Who Knows.

Logan: He may think that, but after missing the playoffs or being the 8 seed the next few years.

Huu: Get the 2011 cap space for Carmelo. No worries.

Logan: Oh yeah. That's gonna happen.

Huu: Just keep playing the Carmelo fans of Utah commercial. AK off the books!

Logan: Not gonna hold my breath.

Huu: Chances of Carter in a Jazz Uni AND him helping us win a championship. Million to one. 2 Million to one?

Logan: 2 mill

Matthew L: How the hell does Darko make that much money? I'd rather have Fes.

Huu: Drew Gooden

Matthew L: Not a great sign Mil

Huu: Magette, Gooden and going after Salmons. They wanna stay competitive in a soon to be improved East.

Matthew L: I liked all their moves until that one, overpaying for a guy isn't going to make that much of a difference.

Matthew L: Gay staying with Memphis...interesting.

Huu: Thank god they traded a first round pick for Brewer....and NOT resign him lol.

Matthew L: hehehe thanks Grizz!

Logan: I know. What are they thinking?

Huu: You're asking me what the team that traded Pau Gasol for the 29th pick in this year's draft is thinking?..... Tacos? *Like the Progressive Commercial*

Logan: Bunch of idiots. I think giving gay max money is the worst max deal to date.

Huu: He has "potential" hahahaha

Logan: For what? Potential to be the next Richard Jefferson?

Huu: Hahaha. Marc Gasol, Randolph, Gay, and Mayo.... your 2010 Memphis Grizzlies!

Logan: Sounds good to the rest of the league.

Huu: To be fair. It's Memphis. Kind of like Utah. If you don't resign your own guys, even at an inflated price, you're not getting anyone else.

Logan. Good point, but a a max deal to that guy and trading a franchise player for a sack of marbles is pretty inexcusable.

Huu: Johnson probably staying with the hawks....we always do this. Think the guys will leave, when in reality most will stay.

Matthew L: 30 mil, especially for Johnson, hard to pass up

Huu: Yep, just wants the money. Who cares if the fans turned on him during the play offs... Oh the ATL fans must be jumping for joy.

Huu: Amare/Booze a max right?

Matthew L: Max money for an above average role player...thank god I'm not a Hawks fan.

Matthew L: (About Amare/Booze) How can they not be, their agents must be jumping for joy right now)

Huu: I thought Johnson was supposed to be a Knick and Gay a Net.

Logan: I think the Knicks get shut out.

Huu: Carmelo in 2011

Logan: I thought you said Melo was coming to Utah.

Matthew L: What about Haywood for the midlevel?

Huu: You think that'll be enough to lure him away?

Matthew L: Maybe, depends on some variables but the question is: Would you?

Huu: I like Haywood. Then we could have Heywood AND Hayward.

Matthew L: HAY!

Huu: Surprising not to hear Boozer on the Rockets radar when they're targeting Amare and Bosh.

Matthew L: Maybe they think they can get him for cheaper..... hahahaha

Logan: That may be. I thought I heard them being interested in him a few days ago.

Huu: Booze definitely get a Max Contract then....

Matthew L: If Joe Johnson does, how can he not?

Huu: Don't forget Gay. I guess Memphis was scared of a front loaded contract.

Matthew L: I'm convinced they just flip a coin on every decision.

Huu: A coin flip gives them a 50/50 chance of making a good move. They must have horrible luck!

Matthew L: They keep calling tails. Very Dumb

Huu: At least we're not the Hawks....or Grizzlies. But the Jazz can probably count a loss against each of those teams next season.

Logan: Yes. Probably both losses to Atlanta.

Huu: Should we be on suicide watch for all the teen aged girls for the next couple weeks? *In reference to Kyle Korver leaving Utah*

Matthew L: If he came back, would there be a division among females like in Twilight?

Huu: Haha. I personally think Kyle takes it. The dark horse is if Hayward can drain more 3s. If that's the case.... Go Team Hayward!

Huu: Worst contract. Gilbert of Joe?

Matthew L: Gil, at least Joe plays

Huu: But Gilbert has your back in a gun fight! *ZING*