What's good this Black Friday?

November 20, 2006 7:39 PM

The mass consumer whorism that will be going on this Black Friday makes me somewhat ill. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind getting an LCD TV.. any tips?

I will be spending Thanksgiving in Bethlehem, PA with relatives. Is Black Friday all that worth it? Which stores are giving out the best deals for the best stuff this year? Any other helpful advice?

posted by pinksoftsoap to shopping (7 comments total)

Everytime I visit the big city on Thanksgiving, I engage in some black friday fun. It is worth it. Show up pretty early for the good stuff. Or, like me, just be happy with 1000 cd-r's for free, etc etc.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 7:50 PM on November 20, 2006

There's a bunch of leaked Black Friday circulars posted here [site requires registration, scans of ads are posted in the Offline Hot Deals forum].

FWIW, from those ads, it appears Wallymart will have (among many other LCD TV offerings) a 26" LCD HDTV made by a company I've never heard of for $618., Target will have a 19" LCD HD-ready TV for $179. Expect to get up early and stand in line before the store opens to get a chance at buying either one.

Re: worth it: it's subjective and largely dependent on if you value money or time/sanity more. My SILs love Black Friday but they are competitive recreational shoppers...Me, I can barely tolerate non-holiday shopping so I avoid venturing out on BF (but I will do my SILs research, heh).
posted by jamaro at 8:01 PM on November 20, 2006

I went to Wal-Mart last year (I know, millions of MeFi readers just spit out their organic soy chai lattes when they read that); since they're open 24 hours all the advertised stuff was on pallets wrapped in plastic which they cut open at the official start of the new day (I think 5 AM). People went at it like piranhas on a cow carcass, but the funny thing was that in a lot of cases when the dust had cleared a lot of the products still had a few units left that nobody had picked up. I also noticed a few spots that were initially cleared out but later had a few boxes on them, I assume because people had grabbed the item and then decided not to purchase it.

By the way, I have a Vizio LCD TV and I love it, other reviews seem to be very positive as well. Good luck!
posted by mattholomew at 8:12 PM on November 20, 2006

If you are a member of Costco, they have a 32 inch LCD on sale for $599 ($200 instant coupon). The offer is good until Nov 27th...
posted by Keane at 8:29 PM on November 20, 2006

I've bought two computers at Best Buy on Black Friday. One was $100 after rebates, the other $300. They were both great deals.

I had to get up pretty early and got to the store at about 5:00 am. The line was around the store, but they still had my computer in stock both times.

One time it was raining. Bad weather is both good and bad: It's terrible to wait in line in, but thins out the crowds. Dress for the worst possible weather if waiting in line for early bird specials.
posted by Doohickie at 9:15 PM on November 20, 2006

Don't forget to check Amazon - since they are online, I am pretty sure that they post their deals on Thanksgiving Day. I've gotten some fantastic steals from them the last couple of years.
posted by gatorae at 10:56 PM on November 20, 2006

Black Friday 2006
Black Friday Ads
posted by SenshiNeko at 11:37 AM on November 21, 2006