I feel like there’s a whole lot of shopping talk going on this week, don’t you think?
I’m pretty sure most of us are gearing up for all of the amazing sales that are heading our way, but I think it’s safe to say that Black Friday shopping can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride, wouldn’t you agree? From the struggle that is waking up at 3 or 4am just to wait in lines (before having your usual cup of coffee, no less!) to the elation you feel when scoring the last remaining item at a knockout price.
The Huffington Post actually just posted an article earlier this week about the 15 Emotional Stages of a Black Friday Shopping Trip, which is quite amusing. If you’ve ever experienced the Black Friday madness (or even if you haven’t), I’d definitely recommend giving it a read!
So have any of you ever gone out and done the real, down and dirty Black Friday shopping? I mean, like, getting up wicked early to stand in line and then run through the crowds just to get what you’re looking for…or, just to look for anything on sale?
Jay and I actually went together once, although our experience was rather low key. It was the Christmas before we got married, and we were looking to get our wedding party gifts, so we made the drive over to the Lee Outlets in Massachusetts (about an hour drive from us). The slightly different part at the time (although not so much now) was that the stores opened up at midnight on Black Friday morning, and Jay had heard from some of his co-workers that the time to go was in between 2-4am. Apparently, the mad dash happened at midnight when the opened, but then things died down again until about 6am. So we figured, “what the heck, why not?” and drove over just after 2am.
I’ll tell ya, that shopping trip was amazing. There was literally nobody around, we got in and out of everywhere we wanted to go, and we got some fantastic deals on the things that we were looking for (I got all of my bridesmaids black clutches from the Coach outlet…and still kick myself to this day for not getting myself one!).
Besides that, the only Black Friday shopping experiences I have come from the comfort of my home at my computer. My parents, on the other hand, are nuts.
They scan all of the ads and look for those “must have” items to go and fight for. They get up wicked early, stand in the lines, and race through the crowds and crowds of fellow crazy people. Oh man, did they have some good stories while we were growing up!
They’d go so far as to bring walkie talkies so they could split up in a store, one could get one thing, and the other could go and start to wait in line. They even shared stories of people getting trampled and borderline fights happening in the aisles. Insane!
So as for this year, I’m still undecided on if I’m planning on going out or not. Part of me wants to, but I’m not going to go out just to go; I’d need to find a deal that is really worth fighting for! Then again…
But just in case you ARE planning on braving the crowds this year, I’m throwing on my Sears Blogger Squad hat again to share some of the great deals they’ve got to offer! Check it out…
- Sears is opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day with more than 1,000 doorbuster deals on the most popular gifts of the season.
- Deals are available through 1 p.m. local time on Black Friday.
- Sears has some great offers available for Shop Your Way members—in addition to their services like free store pick up, and Reserve It, members receive an additional 10% back in points on the first $500 of each qualifying purchase with a Sears credit card all season long.
- Members can get an early look at Thanksgiving and Black Friday deals at searslocalad.com.
Some great deals Sears will have available this Black Friday…
For the Family:
- Save $800 on the NordicTrack® C900i Treadmill; sale price $699.99; regular price $1,499.99 (**We bought our NordicTrack treadmill from Sears back in 2010 and I love it! We’ve had no issues with it at all, so I would absolutely recommend them!)
- 55% off Kenmore 3.9 cu. ft. Front-Load Washer – White & Kenmore 7.0 cu. ft. Electric Dryer w/ Wrinkle Guard – White; sale priced at $799.98 for the set; regular price $899.99 each
- Save $100 on the RCA 40” Class 1080p HDTV; sale price $249.99, regularly priced at $349.99; plus members get $50 back in points
- Jeans for her and him – sale price $14.99, regularly priced $30.00-$40.00
- 60% off kids and baby clothing (including Carter’s!)
For the Special Guy in Your Life:
- All DieHard® work boots – sale price $49.99, regularly $65.00-$110.00
- Save $50, plus a Free Craftsman® drill when you purchase the Craftsman® Home Series 3-Drawer Project Center; sale priced $99.99, regular price $149.99
For anyone who needs tires 
- Buy four Sears RoadHandler tires and get up to $150 in value, including an $80 mail-in rebate via an American Express award card when you use a qualifying Sears card plus a $70 Sears Award card
So what do you guys think…
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Are you feeling crazy enough to brave the crowds this year?
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Do you love Black Friday shopping or loathe it?
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Any good stories to share?
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post as part of my partnership with the Sears Blogger Squad, though all opinions are my own, as always!
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