I never used to go out shopping on Black Friday. My mom hates shopping, and so it wasn't something I grew up doing. Furthermore, we lived in New Jersey, and it is the official rudest state in America. You can imagine how much fun shopping there can be. I'm pretty sure all of those stories about people getting trampled to death on Black Friday happened at our local Walmart. (I'm kidding, but it's pretty close to being true.) I also worked retail, so usually ended up working, not shopping. It's been just within the last couple of years that I started hitting the sales at 6 am, like the rest of the crazy world. Last year, I was introduced to couponing and shopping the deals at drugstores on Black Friday, so now I am really hooked.
This year Michael and I were pretty excited about making a few larger purchases on Black Friday. We were able to really take stock of what we have, and what we still want after our wedding, and are working our way down our wishlist.
We really wanted a TV, and considered being one of the insane people who stand in line for hours at Best Buy to get the $200 flat screen, but decided against it. We figured we valued our rest and our holiday more, and that the chances of us being able to get one of those coveted deals were slim, since we weren't going to spend out Thanksgiving on a sidewalk. We would rather wait and maybe put one on layaway.
I was able to grab several good deals, so all in all I am pretty happy. Here what I got, and what I saved by braving the crowds. Besides the wonderful deals at CVS and Walgreens on Thanksgiving day, we got...
A bedding set at Walmart for $34.99 (not sure what the regular price was; I got the last one!)
A set of sheets at Walmart for $6.88 (also the last one!)
A few DVD's for $1.96 each at Walmart
A few TV series DVD sets for $10 each at Walmart
A Rubbermaid set of containers for $6.88 at Walmart
*I braved Walmart at 9PM on Thanksgiving, and was surprised to be out of there by 10:30. I guess I picked just the right time, because later on I heard lots of Walmart horror stories from other shoppers when I was out and about at other places. I am not sure how much I saved at Walmart, because they don't mention the original prices in the Black Friday ad like some stores do. So that kind of stinks. I also got...
A printer at Staples for $60, regularly $149!
A pack of 100 blank CD's for $14.99, with a $10 Easy Rebate, regularly $34.99, I believe!
*This was the only deal I was willing to stand in line for. We really needed an updated printer, and with this Black Friday deal, we could afford to get something with more bells and whistles than I would normally want to pay for. Staples was an awesome store to shop at on Black Friday. The manager brought in coffee and donuts for all of us standing in line for 2 hours at 4 AM, and then the entire staff was super cheerful and friendly as they came in for work. Then the tech people came out to chat with people in line and answer any questions about what to buy. It was actually an enjoyable shopping experience! My final stop was Target. I originally thought about staying out all night and going to the midnight opening of Target after I got out of Walmart, but when I saw the line wrapped around the building at 10:30 PM, I decided to go home and go to bed to gear up for my Staples trip. Besides, all I was after at Target were little things like towels, no deal that was worth going into that madness. I finally did go to Target around 6 AM after getting my printer, and it was already picked over and almost empty. So insane, right? I found all of the deals that I had come to Target for, still waiting for me...
A fire pit for my hubby for $30, regularly $60
The Michael Jackson "This is It" DVD for my hubby, for $3.99 (not sure about regular price)
New washcloths for $2 for an 8 pack (I think about $4.50 regular price?)
So there you have it, all of my adventures of saving money by braving the Black Friday crowd....until next year! :)
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