Wal-Mart, at 5 a.m., on Black Friday

[Dannyboy]

I see by today's news that Wal-Mart's gross sales, so far in November, are down from last year at this time.  "Black Friday" activity doesn't necessarily mean "Good Friday" profits.

The fact that I can't find it now leads me to believe that I may have just imagined it but I could swear I saw an article today that said that Black Friday sales were up 6% from last year. 

[Art Eatman]

Sure, the Black Friday sales might well be up.  There's been a lot more media hype.  But it's the total month that actually has economic importance, seems to me.  As long as credit cards aren't maxxed out, blow-out sales will do well.

Art

[TarpleyG]

Won't be long before those now in charge make another law about all this you know....

Don't get me wrong...if stores want to do it and idiots want to go into the fray...have at it.  Just getting my predictions in early is all.

Greg

[HankB]

There are no sales that would make me get up at 3 AM - or earlier - in order to join the crowd standing in line at WalMart (WalMart?)  . . . or, for that matter, Best Buy, Sears, Circuit City, or whatever.

The prices aren't THAT great, and will almost certainly be repeated before Christmas and actually bettered AFTER Christmas.

I stopped by a Best Buy after lunch on Black Friday, got what I wanted (on sale) and was in and out in about 10 minutes. Across the parking lot, I took my mother to the stores she wanted (Michaels's, Linens & Things, Pier 1, and World Market) and crowds were sparse.

I've heard that, unless you've got tykes who NEED to have toys on Christmas morning, the hot items this year are gift cards . . . the teen or adult recipient can then get what they want, and take advantage of after-Christmas sales, meaning more bang for your gift dollar buck.

[Perd Hapley]

Wal-Mart, 8 am, Black Friday.  In Kirksville, MO, there were no crowds and there was no wait at the register.    As it's a college town, half the population was gone anyway, and the other half had gone shopping in Columbia (also a college town).  I was visiting from St. Louiey, and had forgotten some necessaries, and also bought myself a badly-needed pair of carpenter jeans and a vintage-look A&W logo t-shirt.

[mtnbkr]

I've heard that, unless you've got tykes who NEED to have toys on Christmas morning, the hot items this year are gift cards . . . the teen or adult recipient can then get what they want, and take advantage of after-Christmas sales, meaning more bang for your gift dollar buck.

Yup.  I'll be giving a lot of giftcards away this year as well.  Not because I'm too lazy or thoughtless to shop for my loved ones, but because 1. shipping gifts to folks who you won't see before Christmas is expensive and a PITA and 2. What do you get the 80yo grandmother who doesn't have any hobbies, doesn't need clothes, and has every other material posession she needs?  How about giftcards for restaurants she likes to visit with her friends.  Last year, I gave my wife a giftcard for the local spa.

My wife came up with another great gift for our parents and grandparents this year: Nice scrapbooks with family photos, mementos, etc (each one tailored to the recipient).  So, nobody will get just a stack of giftcards, but we are giving out a lot of them. 

Chris

[doczinn]

Gift cards for a specific place are a good idea. Generic Visa or AmEx gift cards are in poor taste. I've given $5 gifts that were heartily appreciated, and gotten $100 gifts that were useless (and I'm not very good at faking gratitude). See, it really is the thought that counts; the idea that you took the time to figure out what would be a good gift for that person.

Thus a spa gift card is good, a restaurant gift card is good, etc.