Ask Slashdot: Top Black Friday Tech Picks?

theodp writes "Take a gander at the 2013 Black Friday ads and your head will be spinning with deals that seem too good to be true. And while the WSJ will try to slap you back to reality with a story on The Dirty Secret of Black Friday 'Discounts', it's still hard not to get jazzed over the prospect of picking up an iPad Mini w/$100 gift card for $299 (Walmart), a 16GB Nexus 7 for $199 (Staples), or a 32GB Microsoft Surface for $199.99 (Best Buy). So, if you're playing the game this year — either online or in-person (hey, what could go wrong?), — what are your top tech picks for Black Friday? Any strategy for improving your odds of getting them?"

Comments

Buy my piece of crap!

[Anonymous Coward]

Fresh out of my anus!

Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

If my local gun shop is having ammo on sale for Small Business Saturday I may decide to buy some .38 special ammunition. Posting as AC as many slashdotters are anti-gun libtards.

Re:Ammo

[sunking2]

Perhaps you need bigger guns if the people around here have scared you into posting anonymously.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

You're posting as anon because you plan to go shoot up a school, obviously.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

This is the kind of anti-gun libtard I was talking about. I plan on shooting some paper targets in the spring time when it is warmer outside.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps you need bigger guns if the people around here have scared you into posting anonymously.

Suggesting to someone on Slashdot that they work out? Say it ain't so!

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

[s]paper[/s] live

fixed it for you.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

I will be shooting printouts of this: http://www.midwayusa.com/content/pdf/legacy/pistol_target.pdf

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

It never fails that gun nuts are also always chicken-shit (hence all the guns, I guess).

Re:Ammo

[sunking2]

What did I say that implies my stance on guns? Just making fun of you because people on a website have scared you into anonymity.

Re:Ammo

[RobertinXinyang]

I suspect the poster you responded to was kidding. Yes, like thousands of others, I am a NRA Life Member and I saw it as kidding.

We all know that any kind of criminal usage, particularly he type mentioned are the rare, and extremely rare, firearms usages. Further, mass shooters have not done their mis-deeds with 38 specials (yes, there is probably an exception out there). Gasoline still hold the title for the tool of most killers in America.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

What did I say that implies my stance on guns? Just making fun of you because people on a website have scared you into anonymity.

What is it with people like you who assume that posting as AC means
someone is "afraid" ?

Next time, use your low intelligence a bit more and consider the possibility
that some of us don't have accounts or want accounts. SO we always post
AC. It's not nothing to do with cowardice and everything to do with the fact
that we don't want an account.

I bet your brains taste good with lava beans, though obviously in your case
there would only be enough brains for an appetizer. .....

Re:Ammo

[kaatochacha]

You're very good at this.
The "lava' beans touch was nice, as well. Just off enough to seem plausible.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Never fails?

I remember a bunch of guys that wrote this thing called the "Declaration of Independence" that were avid gun nuts. Perhaps you should check out their bios sometime. See just how chicken shit they all were. You chicken shit.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you support the NRA in backing a man's right to own guns after he brandished one and threatened his ex-wife with it?
How about all those responsible owners that forget they are carrying a weapon until they get to the scanner at the airport?
Personally, I'm all for people owning guns, but fuck-ups like the above should definitely get you banned from any future ownership.
The NRA has time and time again supported these kinds of people owning them, so how can you justify membership?

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Fucking Glenn Beck retard moron. Go play with your guns, you fucking pussy.

Re:Ammo

[Curunir_wolf]

What is it with people like you who assume that posting as AC means someone is "afraid" ?

Did you miss the part where the AC acronym is for Anonymous Coward??

Re:Ammo

[PopeRatzo]

I plan on shooting some paper targets in the spring time when it is warmer outside.l

Five will get you ten that there's an outline of a hoodie on those targets.

Re:Ammo

[PopeRatzo]

Gasoline still hold the title for the tool of most killers in America.

Yes, most mass killer have driven to their targets' location.

Guns don't kill people, anyway. They kill paper targets who deserve everything they get. It's the trauma of the projectile traveling through tissue and bone that kills people, not guns.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you support the NRA in backing a man's right to own guns after he brandished one and threatened his ex-wife with it?

Only if he promises to work on his aim.

How about all those responsible owners that forget they are carrying a weapon until they get to the scanner at the airport?

Shall not be infringed. Gun-free-zones are unconstitutional. Those that carry anyway are patriots.

Personally, I'm all for people owning guns, but fuck-ups like the above should definitely get you banned from any future ownership.

Sure, as soon as we start banning rapists from ever having sex again.

The NRA has time and time again supported these kinds of people owning them, so how can you justify membership?

Because mixing the first amendment with the second feels oh so good.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

What is it with people like you who assume that posting as AC means someone is "afraid" ?

Did you miss the part where the AC acronym is for Anonymous Coward??

I'd wager you're not a real wolf either.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Even our nation's founding fathers wrote anonymously. Were they chicken-shit?

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe the problem is Slashdotters don't like being called tards.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

I see what you did there.

Re:Ammo

[Charliemopps]

Lol, I doubt that. .22 ammunition is actually getting traded around here like money. The gunshops are generally not marking it up because they know the current shortages wont last, but all the local stores like Walmart sell out their ammo before the store even opens and then the employees sell it themselves for double or triple. I know guys that have traded guns, deer, for boxes of ammo. I think the manufacturers are right though. If they stepped up production to meet demand right now I think the market would crash pretty quickly as everyones gun safes got full. Ammo last a long time...

Re:Ammo

[losfromla]

hmm. Those guys were first and foremost rich, white, land and business-owning males, oh, and they owned people too. They were primarily in it to make sure that they had a government that would serve the interests of ... you guessed it! Rich, white, slave-owning males. It is not entirely clear that gun-nut was how they'd describe themselves. Ben Franklin was a party animal, not sure he even ever held a gun but I'm sure you'd know better. Not sure why you mr AC are calling anyone a chicken shit.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

they were nuts about the guns of that time. and being part of a militia. so do it up. otherwise, any of your arguments can just as easily justify persnal sam sites or nukes.

Re:Ammo

[wasteoftime]

What kind of asinine comment is this: " Those that carry anyway are patriots." To equate carrying a gun as being patriotic is beyond stupid. I know many gun owners who are big flag wavers and claim to be patriots, but in reality are self-centered redneck morons. I also know several gun owners who are actual patriots and demonstrate the same by trying to make their country better.

I have always voted for very "conservative" candidates, was in the military, and presently work as a civilian for the US Army. Despite this overwhelming right wing background I consider a true patriot someone who actually tries to do good for their country rather than some flag waving blowhard. Give me a committed CNDer (for you UK folks) or a Snowden any day over a lot of the NRA morons. I work with several of the latter and know what I'm talking about. Never, ever equate a gun ownership stance with patriotism.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

uhm, yeah, but in most cases it just means "I don't feel like logging in".

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

So? I'm not afraid, I just can't be bothered to create an account, as I don't really care that much.

Re:Ammo

[RobertinXinyang]

You know, you sound like the kind of high strung nut that should make to choice to not own a gun.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but the way I use it they should rename it to "Anonymous Terrorist" or "Anonymous Troll"... ;-)

Re:Ammo

[Bing Tsher E]

No, just a collage image of skittles, tea, and Robitussin.

I've been wondering for awhile if anybody has been brave enough to walk in one of those parades, you know, the ones with a picture of the dead thug when he was 12 years old, carrying a Robitussin banner or sign, or waving a bottle of it.

Re: Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

Or someone who forget his Slashdot password.

Re:Ammo

[Anonymous Coward]

To equate carrying a gun as being patriotic is beyond stupid. I know many gun owners who are big flag wavers and claim to be patriots, but in reality are self-centered redneck morons.

Exercising one's constitutional rights isn't patriotic?

Despite this overwhelming right wing background I consider a true patriot someone who actually tries to do good for their country rather than some flag waving blowhard.

So.. you've decided to be an Internet blowhard instead? How's that working out for you?

Exercising our rights is actually accomplishing something. Without it, our rights are meaningless words. I don't agree with anything the OWS agrees with, for example, but I can appreciate their role in an active democracy.

    Give me a committed CNDer (for you UK folks) or a Snowden any day over a lot of the NRA morons. I work with several of the latter and know what I'm talking about. Never, ever equate a gun ownership stance with patriotism.

Ahh, siding with a traitor. Nice.

Gun ownership by itself doesn't accomplish a whole lot, other than being prepared. Those that are willing to confront law enforcement and challenge the infringement of our rights are absolutely fighting for our freedom. The thought that we should live in a country where the TSA gets to molest people with impunity is absurd.

Re:Ammo

[n3r0.m4dski11z]

"Gasoline still hold the title for the tool of most killers in America."

Well if you don't consider horrible economic policies that don't feed every citizen and don't provide state sponsored healthcare as a tool I guess.

Re: Ammo

[JamieIanMacgregor]

just use the standard one: imtheNSAletmein

Re:Ammo

[alanbdee5808]

I've posted as AC because I was too lazy to log in.

Where the FUCK are the KDE3 debs????

[Anonymous Coward]

Goddammit, what is taking so FUCKING LONG???

Friday is Buy Nothing Day

[Anonymous Coward]

"Black Friday" is ridiculous, refuse to buy anything on Friday.

Re:Friday is Buy Nothing Day

[Anonymous Coward]

Absolutely. Don't encourage rampant consumerism because the suppliers want you to.

Re:Friday is Buy Nothing Day

[Anonymous Coward]

Boycott, Black Friday! Buy on Brown Thursday instead! Can I get a yeah Debt to America?

| "Black Friday" is ridiculous, refuse to buy anything on Friday.

Don't!

[EMG at MU]

You don't have to buy anything!

Don't stress out, don't skip spending time with your family and friends, don't become part of a violent mob.

You don't have to. You aren't defined by your possessions.

Re:Don't!

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Don't stress out, don't skip spending time with your family and friends, don't become part of a violent mob.

. . . spending time with my family and friends is becoming a part of a violent mob . . .

Re:Don't!

[Anonymous Coward]

...you insensitive clod!

Re:Don't!

[Anonymous Coward]

“I see in the fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables, slaves with white collars, advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of the history man, no purpose or place, we have no Great war, no Great depression, our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives, we've been all raised by television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won't and we're slowly learning that fact. and we're very very pissed off.”

“You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”

Tyler Durden - Fight Club

Re:Don't!

[rtb61]

I was going to write up a sound and reasonable comment on why you shouldn't bother, but hell, I'm not American and I can hardly wait for this seasons Youtube videos of rabid American black friday consumer addicts. As the protesters like to say "the rest of the world is watching" but this time they are just laughing at the lemmings.

Re:Don't!

[rwa2]

Our Black Friday will be driving out to the middle of nowhere for the long weekend, looking out at the night sky, and freezing our keisters off.

Re:Don't!

[PopeRatzo]

Are you trying to suggest that after the first Thanksgiving that the pilgrims and native Americans didn't jump in the car to go stand in line at the local Wal-Mart, where people work for sub-poverty level wages and all the products are made for people who make less than 1/4 of that?

I don't think that's right. I'm pretty sure those pilgrims were big fans of the door-busters. That's what the big hats were for, so you could butt aside all the smelly fat people grasping with their greasy hands for cheaply-made slave-produced products that could mostly be had for the same price every other day of the year while their kids are home huffing cleaning fluid and the Native Americans all got drunk and small-pox and watched the Lions beat Green Bay by three touchdowns.

So you do what you want, but me, I'm gonna strip naked and cover my body with suet so I can slip through the crowds to buy one a them Sylvania big screen TVs and a large tub of carmel corn and then come home and watch the Lions-Packers game on Tivo and see if I can get my idiot uncle to put down a bet on a game that was played 5 hours earlier.

Re:Don't!

[pepty]

Well we got our great depression. So we have that going for us, I guess ...

Re:Don't!

[db10]

Eternal consumption engine! Eternal consumption engine!

Re:Don't!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah. I really want to see a fist fight over some $4,99 toy helicopter. Or people getting stomped while trying to get in to the store. ( yes yes, I know it should not be funny to see people get stomped, but really, if they behave the way they behave because they absolutely need the cheap blender it IS funny ) Go america!

Re:Don't!

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank you! I call the day after Thanksgiving, BUY NOTHING DAY! I like things but materialism in our society is especially out of control this time of year.

Re:Don't!

[nanoflower]

It is kind of sad. I saw a news report of a guy on Monday setting up his tent outside his local Walmart so he would be one of the first in line (yes, there were people in front of him) for the $99 TVs. It's a good deal from what I saw but to stand in line for 3 days just to get it??? And the stores are getting even worse since Walmart and others are opening up on Thanksgiving day to rake in the early money. The sad thing is that those unbelievable deals tend to be in very limited quantities so most of the people in the crush won't pick up any of those special deals. Instead they will end up getting items at prices they could find at many other times during the year. Stores know the big sale prices draw in the customers but they aren't going to stock up on items they are going to sell at a loss or near cost in order to draw in the rubes. Sadly many people don't seem to understand it.

Re:Don't!

[Optali]

How are you going to have fun without being part of a violent mob?
boooooring :P

Buy buy buy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Consume, you fucking motherfucker, consume! Buy that shit, we don't care if you don't need it, buy buy buy!

Re:Buy buy buy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually I prefer it if all of you would go lose your money in Macau casinos. Of course, millions of Chinese losing their money is fine too.

Re:Buy buy buy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you ever buy anything? I can understand people finding the idea (or the reality) of going out to Black Friday sales unappealing or annoying, but I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people on slashdot think that the day when things are cheaper is a stupid day to buy things or makes you a materialistic sheep. Most of the people doing the condemning have just as much crap in their house as the people who pay attention to the sales, and yet they try to set themselves above by not concerning themselves with whether they can pay less for something they'll buy regardless. That doesn't make you better than other people, it means you're dumber and you're a self-righteous twat about your stupidity.

Re:Buy buy buy!

[jones_supa]

I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people on slashdot think that the day when things are cheaper is a stupid day to buy things or makes you a materialistic sheep.

Exactly. And those same people upgrade their phones every 2 years even if the old one does its job just fine.

Re:Buy buy buy!

[RivenAleem]

I'm sorry I can't remember where I read this, probably imgur, but I saw a funny remark:

It's positively American to celebrate one day giving thanks for what we have, and then follow it up with trampling your neighbours to get more things.

Re:Buy buy buy!

[Mdk754]

Stop kidding yourself if you think the sales are that much better than other times throughout the year. Anytime of year when a product is the outgoing generation being cleared out (as is typically the case with blockbuster sales) you will get a significant discount. You are a sheep, you just haven't realized it yet.

Re:Buy buy buy!

[tlhIngan]

Stop kidding yourself if you think the sales are that much better than other times throughout the year. Anytime of year when a product is the outgoing generation being cleared out (as is typically the case with blockbuster sales) you will get a significant discount. You are a sheep, you just haven't realized it yet.

It really depends. Stuff like electronics like to be cleared out before the end of the year because CES brings new shinys that retailres will get the rest of the year (there's a reason why CES is always practically the first week of January). Hell, CES is generally hell if you're in the business because it almost always means working through the holidays so you can be prepared by the new year.

And while yes, you can often find doorbuster sales at other times of the year, you have to work for them - either scanning the flyers relentlessly, checking deal sites, or browsing it in store. It's just easier to do it one day of the year than to continually try to find the best TV deal all year.

And so what if it's an old model? Often the old model works just as well as the new one. After all, is a 2012 TV any worse than any 2013 TV?

Then there's the time of getting cheap crap for the kids where you don't care if they screw it up, drop it, break it, etc.

And finally, well, for some people, shopping is fun and a way to spend the day. Just like some people use Windows while we scoff at them, others get their kicks doing some shopping. Coming home empty handed is fine (perhaps it didn't look so hot in the store?).

Re:Buy buy buy!

[Anonymous Coward]

After all, is a 2012 TV any worse than any 2013 TV?

Probably better. It's less likely to want to connect to the Internet to report back to the mother ship what you're watching. Besides, my Blu-ray player probably already does that.

Re:Buy buy buy!

[Anonymous Coward]

I've checked the prices for years and years now, and in most cases I actually did or would have gotten the best prices on Black Friday. Electronics are something of an exception because many aren't seen as gifts, and because they're always becoming outdated. Even so, it depends on what in particular you're talking about. For customized Apple products (e.g., upgraded CPU, RAM), for instance, tomorrow is the smartest day to buy hands-down because it's literally the only day Apple offers a discount. For a TV, it comes down to particulars about which model you want; they're often discounted about the same as close-out, and some are used to lure people in to a store, so you can get a ridiculous sale price tomorrow if you're willing to do the long wait outside the store.
 
So, yeah, in some specific cases, for some types of products, you can possibly save compared to Black Friday if you're willing to check regularly on when stores put up the discounts (so what you want doesn't sell out). I still don't get why saving on the things you can save on by buying on Black Friday makes you a sheep.

Nothing!

[s.petry]

I refuse to support a system that makes everything possible as commercial as possible to the detriment of society as a whole. Yeah, I have become what I used to complain about. At the same time, I see things today like my parents saw them back then.

Once prices drop after Christmas, my son will get a PS4. I'm pretty lucky that my kid is just as much against the commercialization of everything as I am. We boycott any store that puts up "Christmas Sale" signs before Thanksgiving. Yeah, that's right! FU Wallzmart, I don't spend a penny at your stores!

Re:Nothing!

[CronoCloud]

Once prices drop after Christmas, my son will get a PS4.

What, a Slashdot geek who actually wants one who didn't get one at the Midnight Launch?

I do doubt there will be a PS4 price drop before 2015. And yeah, seeing stores prepare for Christmas even before Halloween (the local wal-mart had some Christmas things out, before)...annoys me.

Re:Nothing!

[s.petry]

People said the same thing about the PS3 when it came out. My kid said "you are stupid to buy it now dad, let's wait till January" and we ended up with the higher end model for 100 bucks less than the cheap model before Christmas.

Re:Nothing!

[sconeu]

So you plan on supporting a company that deliberately put malware onto shiny disks with music on them?

After the rootkit fiasco, Sony will NEVER get another dollar of mine.

Re:Nothing!

[s.petry]

We all have our lines in the sand. I won't deny that I don't trust Sony PC software for the same reason. If it was just me, I would not own a PS4. My kid is a different story, and to have friends over to game he would have either a Xbox or PS3/4. I choose the lesser of the two evils, and yes the Xbox is way more evil than Playstation.

Re:Nothing!

[Todd Palin]

I'm with you on the rootkit fiasco. Sony has not gotten a dime from me since then. They probably didn't notice it, but I feel great about boycotting them nonetheless..

Re:Nothing!

[sixsixtysix]

We boycott any store that puts up "Christmas Sale" signs before Thanksgiving. Yeah, that's right! FU Wallzmart, I don't spend a penny at your stores!

I find it odd that *that* is what got you to stop going to Walmart

I refuse to support a system that makes everything possible as commercial as possible to the detriment of society as a whole.

Re:Nothing!

[Algae_94]

I won't buy one until they officially add media server software. Sony's excuse for not including it is... okay, but I don't believe them until it is officially in the software.

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

he would have either an Xbox or PS3/4.

FTFY.

--
Notice: Posting anonymously because there is no need to reply

Re:Nothing!

[JoeMerchant]

I call the PS3 - oops, sorry, no more 3rd party OS for you, fiasco my final straw with them.

Also, the fact that I have to update software constantly just to use the console has seriously de-valued it for me.

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sony has done a lot of stupid shit... but so has any large organization with a lot of people.
Hell, IBM sold software to the Nazis.
Sony also closed down their iTunes Music Store type service a while back (like 2007), and I lost all like 5 of the songs I bought on there. Boo hoo.

So now in 2013 I shouldn't buy their Android phone or cameras because in 2007 a completely different product from a completely different division did something sucky? Or because of a DRM scheme gone overboard even further in the past on a few CDs that I didn't own?

If a company does something stupid, you shouldn't reward them for it, so I highly suggest boycotting the offending products/services. It doesn't make sense to boycott the entire company unless you simply hate the company and all the people employed by it. I reserve that honor for SCO.

Re:Nothing!

[formfeed]

We boycott any store that puts up "Christmas Sale" signs before Thanksgiving.

And I don't go Christmas shopping in stores that are open on Thanksgiving.

Re:Nothing!

[JDAustin]

I owned an Apple IIGS. The line in the sand between me and Apple is 20+ years old and hasn't been crossed since the day I sold my IIGS.

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

I begun to boycott Sony too when they removed the PS3 Other OS option, but holy smokes, the PS4 is so historically monumental entertainment experience that I just cannot skip it.

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

unfortunately they have patents and various agreements
so unless you stop buying tech altogther, they're likely getting your dollars whether you like it or not

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

So you plan on supporting a company that deliberately put malware onto shiny disks with music on them?

After the rootkit fiasco, Sony will NEVER get another dollar of mine.

Millions of the rest of us will enjoy the PS4 without you. Nobody will notice you aren't there.

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean the PS4 that has a slower CPU than you can find in most midrange PCs and a GPU you could pick up for about a $100 for said PC.

Re:Nothing!

[grumpyman]

I didn't replace my CRT TV until last year : )

Re:Nothing!

[s.petry]

Despite how my post looks, that is absolutely not the "only" reason I boycott Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart just happened to be the first store that came to mind as putting up Christmas items in October.

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

I haven't bought Apple since Jobs came back.

I haven't bought Sony ever (except for some speakers) because of their history of being dicks about technology licensing, let alone the whole malware-on-audio-CD thing.

I haven't bought anything Belkin since it was discovered their routers were tinkering with the HTML to insert ads, etc. (Besides, their crap is mostly overpriced anyway.)

I'll (probably) never buy LG again because of their TVs calling home.

I buy products that do what it says on the box, and if they do more, it had better be in my favor.

Re:Nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

I love Sony, they build great stuff. My MP3 player, CD player, DVD player, TV. All great stuff.

If you buy their popular music catalog, you deserve to be rooted. I consider that a service to society.

Re:Nothing!

[Jason Levine]

There are many reasons not to buy from Wal-Mart. In our case, it's the fact that Wal-Mart supports business-backed, for-profit Charter schools which take money away from public schools.

Re: Nothing!

[nazsco]

Enjoy your betamax, disclaser, minidisc, and whatever they use now for their cameras that is not SD card.

every dumb anonymous coward who buy Sony need to be screwed by proprietary media lockin. It's a service to society.

Also, blueray. Suckers.

Stop deluding yourself

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a reason shops price at, say, $299.99... people tend to feel that's closer to $200 than to $300.

So make it a habit to tell yourself "that is practically $300", then deal with it as if it was $300. Which it is. You can save up the last cent for your retirement, see if you'll retire rich.

Re:Stop deluding yourself

[Anonymous Coward]

WHO? Who thinks like that?

I hear that BS all the time... but when I see "$299.99" I sure as hell don't think of it as $200 or even as "closer" to $200.

Who is *that* dumb?

Re:Stop deluding yourself

[AJWM]

Who is *that* dumb?

Alas, most people.

Sales and marketing types have spent a lot of money on studies into what motivates buyers. Yes, most people react (more at an emotional level than a cognitive level) to that first significant digit. They don't "think" of $299.99 as closer to $200 than to $300, but they react that way.

Otherwise stores wouldn't price stuff like that.

(NB, /. readers are a self-selected atypical sample. You and I may not see $299.99 as $2xx.xx rather than $3xx.xx, but enough people do that it's worthwhile pricing things that way.)

Rephrase the question - and a Merry Christmas!

[BigBadBus]

Perhaps I can ask about improving YOUR chances of getting these discounted items? :)
You could go to my website (see the URL below) and click on and one of the Amazon links; you don't have to buy the item on display as you can remove it from your shopping basket. We get a tiny commission (about 10 cents or less) for each item sold while you are logged on.
Have a very Merry Christmas (and who knows, maybe next Christmas WE can afford to buy some of these wonderfully discounted items :)

Re:Rephrase the question - and a Merry Christmas!

[Curunir_wolf]

1995 called. They want their web site design back.

My strategy...

[Anonymous Coward]

is to not share my strategy on Slashdot.

Nothing

[DogDude]

Invariably, the shit that is on sale on "Black Friday" is also shit that nobody really needs. I ain't buying anything on "Black Friday".

Re:Nothing

[Duhavid]

undoing moderation

Seems like

[wizden]

Poor people problems. I'll get my mini giraffes online and not have to deal with that mob.

Black Friday is for Amateurs.

[CronoCloud]

Pro shoppers do not shop on Black Friday. It's crowded, noisy, simply annoying...wait and shop when it's less busy. Yes you miss out on some loss-leaders, but don't give into the hype, you will enjoy your Christmas better.

Re:Black Friday is for Amateurs.

[Anonymous Coward]

Some of us don't even aspire to be a "pro shopper." Black Friday and Every Other Friday, I've usually got something more interesting to work on than honing my shopping skills to the professional level. I can't be the best at everything in life --- I'm fine with being just a reasonably competent shopper, and making up for it by being a bit more "pro" in other areas.

Re:Black Friday is for Amateurs.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure, I skip out on the in-person hassle, but I save pretty much all of my year's discretionary personal purchases (e.g., clothes, movies, music) as well as tech purchases for work for Black Friday. Why not save money when you can? (I check every year, and sales after Black Friday that offer better deals are extremely, extremely rare -- not something you can count on.)
 
Plus, I'm sure it keeps my total number of purchased items down each year, since it's easy to feel gluttonous buying everything at once when you wouldn't think twice about buying 1/12th as much every month.

Don't buy on Friday

[hawguy]

I do all of my shopping online, so I'm not buying anything on Friday regardless of how cheap it is or how badly I want it. I'm going to wait for Cyber Monday!

Actually, a tv? A samsung "32" inch class led

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe it's the lack of research I have done. Based on my antiquated research, a 32 inch class (aka 31.5") led samsung tv for 277 is cheap. Atleast I think. I'm aiming for a recognized brand. Add in a coupon for new egg and I may buy it. Best buy had it as well, minus the coupon.

Otherwise. I'll probably be masturbating, drinking, eating turkey, and enjoying my family.

Enjoy!

i dont have any money

[Anonymous Coward]

so fuck off!

Best Buy campers

[Tailhook]

So yeah, I bought a 3TB drive from Best Buy today for archival purposes, not caring less if they put it on sale Friday, and I noticed a tent — a god damned tent — just outside the entrance. Some fuckwit is actually camping outside a Best Buy to be first in line.

There will be a reckoning. Keep printing Ben; lets make this implosion every inch of whatever it is they mean by `American Exceptionalism.'

Happy Holidays.

Re:Best Buy campers

[blue trane]

Righties have been making the same prediction since the very first administration when Alexander Hamilton assumed the states' war debts, and started the United States Bank. And yet grandkids have always had a higher standard of living than their grandparents. Maybe it's time to challenge your faith in your feudal economic theories?

Re:Best Buy campers

[Bing Tsher E]

I really REALLY doubt that my nephews are ever gonna have the standard of living that my father has. Then again, he started working at IBM in 1956.... And they're now college graduates who can't find jobs.

Re:Best Buy campers

[Anonymous Coward]

Could always be worse. Here (Canada) we have "boxing day" which is right after xmas. People stand in line an camp overnight but its usually 10F or lower so probably less fun. The stores will post good deals, but have "min 10 per store" (which means they have exactly 10). Right afterwards you can hit up kijiji and see all the "new in box" listings.

Just a waste of time, but i do enjoy driving by and watching them standing there for at least 3 hours before the store even opens.

Re:Best Buy campers

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, but if you define the standard of living by the gadgets they own they are ahead! Portable computers, almost self driving cars. Furniture you can(also have to, because it breaks) change every other year! I call that a LIFE! When they find a job the get to work for 70 hours a week to keep their shiny toys. I call that a great LIFE! GO standards of living!

Re:Best Buy campers

[blue trane]

The obvious solution: give people money to enjoy leisure time. Productivity increases, automation for example, mean that less human labor is needed to produce the goods that society demands. So fewer people need to work. Create a basic income, so that everyone has the choice of working on what they want to do, instead of what a boss tells them to do. Stimulate innovation by holding challenges.

Re:Best Buy campers

[n7ytd]

My grandfather dropped out of high school to work his entire adult life in a phosphorus mine while farming on the side to make ends meet. He never traveled more than 1,000 miles from the place he was born, and died before 60 due to lung disease.

I work in a climate controlled office. My wife and I are taking our kids on vacation next week, we thought it would be fun for them to ride on an airplane for the first time, and Disneyland seemed like a good place.

I feel like a lazy shit whenever I think about how my grandfather (or even my father, who was 6 when they got indoor plumbing in their home in the 1950s) worked to provide for their families.

The fact that your nephews are college graduates with 3 square meals a day counts for something towards "standard of living", I think.

Fight Terrorism!

[asmkm22]

Black Friday represents everything about America that the Terrorists hate, so help fight Terrorism by fighting your neighbors over a $300 TV. And remember to report any suspiciously non-American activity to the proper authorities, such as Fox News.

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[Anonymous Coward]

If it is an event in which it is socially acceptable for me to punch my neighbor then I am all in.

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[Known Nutter]

Black Friday represents everything about America that the Terrorists hate, so help fight Terrorism by fighting your neighbors over a $300 TV.

$300?!?!? Pffft... try $98 bucks! Them's fighting' words!

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[asmkm22]

I guess that tells you how long it's been since I bought a TV...

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[Known Nutter]

CHAPEL HILL, NC -- Area resident asmkm22 does not own a television, a fact he repeatedly points out to friends, family, and coworkers -- as well as to his mailman, neighborhood convenience-store clerks, and the man who cleans the hallways in his apartment building.

asmkm22, who tells as many people as possible that he is "fully weaned off the glass teat."

"I, personally, would rather spend my time doing something useful than watch television," asmkm22 told a random woman Monday at the Suds 'N' Duds Laundromat, noticing the establishment's wall-mounted TV. "I don't even own one."

According to Melinda Elkins, a coworker of asmkm22's at The Frame Job, a Chapel Hill picture-frame shop, asmkm22 steers the conversation toward television whenever possible, just so he can mention not owning one.

"A few days ago, [store manager] Annette [Haig] was saying her new contacts were bothering her," Elkins said. "The second she said that, I knew asmkm22 would pounce. He was like, 'I didn't know you had contacts, Annette. Are your eyes bad? That a shame. I'm really lucky to have almost perfect vision. I'm guessing it's because I don't watch TV. In fact, I don't even own one."

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[asmkm22]

You should at least attribute your sources, rather than try and pass them off as your own. In this case, http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-tel,429/

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[Known Nutter]

Wow! Such doge! Very google! So pro! Clap!

The article is over 13 years old and pretty much well known by any one who cares.

It's called a sense of humor... try one on!

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[Applehu Akbar]

What the terrorists really hate is that we are fracking ourselves away from being dependent on their oil. No more cushy income for the latest weapons.

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[Bing Tsher E]

Actually, gay rights rallies represent everything about America that the Terrorists hate. So camp around and make fun regarding 'those dumb Americans afraid of the terraists' at your peril.

Re:Fight Terrorism!

[Bing Tsher E]

Right. Now tell us how long it's been since you watched a TV show. ("why do you think they call them programs?" etc. etc.) That's classic nerd pride, dude.

Re:Actually, a tv? A samsung "32" inch class led

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll probably be masturbating, drinking, eating turkey, and enjoying my family.

God damnit, grandpa.

Re:Actually, a tv? A samsung "32" inch class led

[ArcadeMan]

Otherwise. I'll probably be masturbating, drinking, eating turkey, and enjoying my family.

That's a very weird way to spend time with your family.

Re:Actually, a tv? A samsung "32" inch class led

[zugmeister]

Yipes! Just don't do all four at the same time!

Black friday?

[ArcadeMan]

I'm white, you godamn racist holiday!

Re:Black friday?

[Anonymous Coward]

It is called Black Friday not Nigger Friday.

Re:Black friday?

[Anonymous Coward]

Another butthurt nigger want to waste a mod point?

Re:Black friday?

[ArcadeMan]

Flamebait? I was trying to do a reversed social commentary about the name of the event.

Re:Black friday?

[Anonymous Coward]

People actually say 'butthurt'?

They "waste" modpoints so people who have their filter to zero still see the anonymous posts, but miss useless stuff like what you wrote.

Re:Black friday?

[Anonymous Coward]

> Flamebait? I was trying to do a reversed social commentary about the name of the event.

How'd that work out for you?

Re:Black friday?

[ArcadeMan]

As of this writing, it half-worked:

Moderation
50% Flamebait
50% Funny

Re:Black friday?

[mrchaotica]

Yeah, it's almost as bad as "white papers!"

Re:Black friday?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a black dude and found your comment 100% funny. :)

Re:Black friday?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm white, you godamn racist holiday!

That's why Cyber monday is also known as "white Monday".

I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[hambone142]

Frankly, I can't think of anything I want to buy at this stage of my life. I have a good stereo set, a decent flat screen TV, about 6 computers or so, a car I'm happy with, a boat that I'm happy with and I'm pretty much satisfied with my life. Oh yes, I have a good life partner, place to live and health (so far). Now and then I take a trip to the local "technology store" (Fry's) and I take a look at newegg and tigerdirect to see if I'm missing out on anything. I'm not. I seem to spend most of my discretionary funds on travel lately (mostly tropical places). If there was some trinket I needed to buy, I would have already bought it. I guess I'm just in the "enjoy life" stage and really don't want to buy any crap at this time. I already have enough of it. I'm a bad consumer. I'm happy with what I have.

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[JoeMerchant]

Bad consumer, I hope you are at least eating all the tempting foods and letting your health go so you can prop up the medical industry?

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[Anonymous Coward]

That's called "privilege." *Most*people would be "happy with what [we] have"if we had the kind of money needed to have 6 computers, 'decent' (read: likely quite pricy) flat-screen TV, a presumably-'nice' car, a boat, and funds to travel around the world to tropical paradises. Most folks aren't anywhere near that lucky, even if they're careful with their spending.

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[Anonymous Coward]

I seem to spend most of my discretionary funds on travel lately (mostly tropical places).

I'm a bad consumer.

Yeah.................

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[Kwyj1b0]

I have a good stereo set, a decent flat screen TV, about 6 computers or so, a car I'm happy with, a boat that I'm happy with and I'm pretty much satisfied with my life. Now and then I take a trip to the local "technology store" (Fry's) and I take a look at newegg and tigerdirect to see if I'm missing out on anything. I'm not. I'm a bad consumer. I'm happy with what I have.

Actually, you are quite a good consumer by most reasonable standards. Not to start a flame-war, but the "must-have-latest-iThing" mentality is in the minority of the people I've met. You have made a lot of purchases, many of them with long lifetimes, so it isn't surprising that you don't get more now.

On the other hand, do you rent/buy movies? Or music? Or games? The first three things you mentioned are largely dead-end devices in themselves. A stereo without music is like a really expensive paperweight.

The only real consumption that I feel forced to take part in is the phone - my last phone was bought in early 2012 (no contract) - but it is getting to a point where planned obsolescence and poor battery life makes me feel compelled to buy one.

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[Anonymous Coward]

Intetresting. I was raised (rightly or wrongly) that you exchange gifts with family and friends, not buy stuff for yourself. I was also taught that it's the thought that was important not how much you wanted what was given. Overall you sound rather self-absorbed.

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually most folks are. They just think they have to upgrade their computer every year, and their tv every two years.

A nice stereo set costs about $1000, after they you won't be really hearing any difference in blind tests unless you have golden ears. That set will last for 20 years at least. So that's $50 per year.

TV you an get for $300. Works untill it breaks. Anywhere from 3 to 30 years.

Forget the niceness of the car, just buy a toyota or a honda or something that you don't have to repait all the time and just works. It's a damn vehicle for transport, not a showpiece. Boats can be very cheap or very expensive, it's not like it really matters if it has golden handrails or not. Also, most people don't want a boat, they need a lot of maintenance.

If I wanted to I could travel to tropical paradises 4 times a year, and i'm not making that much. I just know where my money goes. And what I could do without without really droping my quality of life a single bit.

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[Gavagai80]

I'm less monetarily lucky than about 70% of Americans and I don't see anything particularly worth buying either. I've got a computer, two LCDs, a smartphone and a tablet (all of which together probably summed $600). What would I do with another gadget? It's perplexing how people manage to spend so much for so little.

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[InsightfulPlusTwo]

Trying consuming experiences rather than things. I always ask for a vacation with the family for Christmas. It's fun, and it's always something different! :-)

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[Anonymous Coward]

Not necessarily, contentment or happiness is much more a state of mind than a product of your possessions. I am, by all measures, poor. I get by on around $10k/year. I have a nice laptop, no TV, no stereo just some decent headphones, and my car is on it's last legs. Yet I also don't particularly feel the need to buy anything. People ask me what I want for Christmas and such, and I can't even really come up with a proper answer. Life is not about buying gadgets and crap.

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[antdude]

Same here even though I have very old stuff like my 19.5" Sharp CRT TV, VCR (not for recording, but interfacing between my desktop PCs, DTV Pal DVR, TV, etc.), Casio Data Bank (DB) 150 calculator watch, Windows XP Pro. SP3, KVM from Y2K, analog 2.1 speakers, etc. I don't have cable and satellite TV services, but do use Internet and over the air (OTA). I don't even own a mobile phone. I am simple and old school. I will upgrade/replace when it is time. :)

Re:I guess I'm just a bad consumer

[n7ytd]

"Spend your money on experiences, not things." A wise man once told me.

buy online

[Espectr0]

i don't get all the haters here that say to avoid the day. if you NEED something, buy it if you can find a good deal, and if you want to avoid people then buy online. that's it.

sometimes Americans just try to find a cat's fifth paw .

Re:buy online

[Anonymous Coward]

Show me a Black Friday deal for something anyone needs. Last I checked there were no deals on food, housing or jobs.

Re:buy online

[Anonymous Coward]

I need tech hardware for QA testing my software, which is what puts food on my table. Not to mention most of us need clothes. Stop being a pious twat.

Obligatory Autotune The News...

[Press2ToContinue]

let's hear it for American Exceptionalism...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eooXNd0heM

How about this?

[Jawnn]

We all spend our Thanksgiving with family and friends, giving thanks, watching football, etc. and not playing into the infinitely cynical hands of the retailers. I don't give a flying fuck about what killer deal Wal-Mart is offering to 20 "lucky customers" tomorrow. I really don't. Why do you?

Re:How about this?

[rubycodez]

haha, while *watching football*. you are so funny, you head is crammed so far up the ass of the hyped consumerism mass entertainment bunghole you don't even notice the stink.

Re:How about this?

[nblender]

I'm not a USian but I just don't get it... People cramming into planes flying halfway across the country to watch TV with their family and then cramming into planes again to go back to work...

 

Re:How about this?

[Anonymous Coward]

>I'm not a USian but I just don't get it

They don't go to "watch TV", they go to see the people they like. It's not that difficult to understand.

Re:How about this?

[retchdog]

rubycodez is right.

mod up, or live with your hypocrisy.

Re:How about this?

[Anonymous Coward]

unlike somewhat more civilized parts of the world, vacation or other time off from work is not mandated by law. thanksgiving is traditionally a paid holiday, and many get the following friday off too... giving a 4-day weekend/vacation that a lot of people don't have to waste precious vacation time to get; and parents can count on there not being school either... it's the only such weekend during the entire year in the u.s... christmas, by comparison is usually just a single day off for most, and that day can fall mid-week.. so that's why thanksgiving is traditionally the most-traveled holiday in the u.s.

Re:How about this?

[Bing Tsher E]

Well, for one thing, we're not already crammed into the land as those tight airplanes planes as you Yurpeans are, so travel to visit with family means a further distance. And we haven't euthanized grandma, so she's available to visit.

Just ignore it and get WOW at 75 off

[WillAffleckUW]

Why not just ignore the whole thing.

if you want a deal, you can download World of Warcraft for 75% off on Black Friday, but you'd be better off doing the Friends and Family thing instead - during the month when you get 2x experience you could get up to at least level 70.

If you want tech, Cyber Monday is usually better.

How much would you be willing to pay...

[cervesaebraciator]

not to have to stand in the cold for hours, fight a mob, get cussed at by numerous irrational drones, guarantee that you'll come home miserable and exhausted, force a retail employee to skip Thanksgiving, and then stand in interminable check out line before going to do it again at another store? If this amount is greater than the $75 you'll save on that TV, then you should just stay home and do something you'll actually enjoy. How much is it worth to you to have a day off, to be able to read an extra book to your kids or, if you don't have any, to yourself?

Re:How much would you be willing to pay...

[Reziac]

Not to mention the old marketing trick (I recall a study of same being a /. article a few years ago) of raising the price the week before, then lowering it to slightly *above* what it was originally, so they can advertise this great bargain for Black Friday... knowing that a lot of people only see the "price reduced" part, and have no idea what it was before.

Not only that, but tech stuff commonly has a price drop in January...

Re:How much would you be willing to pay...

[cervesaebraciator]

Not only that, but tech stuff commonly has a price drop in January...

Want to give tech stuff to a loved one for Christmas? Russian Orthodox Christians have got this thing figured out.

Re:How much would you be willing to pay...

[Reziac]

Heh heh, a good use for an 'outdated' calendar! :D

A pizza or some Indian food

[msobkow]

It's not on "special", but with all the yahoos at the stores, I should get *great* service at my local restaurants, whichever one I choose to go to lunch at.

Re:A pizza or some Indian food

[SeaFox]

LOL.

With everyone out making a day of shopping for themselves -- er I mean, their families, lots of folks eat lunch out since they're in a shopping area already at that time of day. Restaurants are normally packed, too. And packed with tired kids that got dragged along by their parents and people with shopping bags they aren't keeping out of walkways.

Re:A pizza or some Indian food

[msobkow]

I'm downtown well away from the "big box" stores that draw the crowds to the edge of the city. The only "competition" I expect at the restaurants is from anyone who's working downtown. (It's not Thanksgiving here in Canada -- we had ours a while back. It was verra nize.)

GTA V

[rhodium_mir]

I've never gone to the stores on black Friday and I don't intend to start this year... But I did notice Amazon and Best Buy have Grand Theft Auto V on sale for $33.99 so I might go ahead and grab it since I was planning on buying it soon anyway. They also have some pretty slick deals on the Breaking Bad blu-rays.

Charity

[Anonymous Coward]

You materialistic fuck. Hardware is redundant in this day and age. Donate some good conscience you imbecile. Pffft, black friday, the symbol of every thing wrong in the first world.

Nexus 7

[darkain]

I picked up the Asus Nexus 7 16GB (2013 edition) for $151.12 off Amazon Prime just two weeks ago... How is $199.99 a deal in comparison?

TL;DR: Nothing is appealing this Black Friday.

Re:Nexus 7

[Anonymous Coward]

I picked up a 2012 Nexus 7 16GB for $59.99 from walmart.com (AMEX offer).
Can't beat that.

Re:Nexus 7

[Anonymous Coward]

I picked up the Asus Nexus 7 16GB (2013 edition) for $151.12 off Amazon Prime just two weeks ago... How is $199.99 a deal in comparison?

By not requiring you to first join a club and pay $79 dues before you get your "deal." So, worst case, the math is is follows:

$199.99 is less than $151.12 + $79.00

Sparing me your stories of all the other discounts you get from Amazon, did you really not see that?

fuckeEr

[Anonymous Coward]

theoRistS -

Re:Actually, a tv? A samsung "32" inch class led

[losfromla]

Otherwise. I'll probably be masturbating, drinking, eating turkey, and enjoying my family.

Enjoy!

Did you realize how wrong this sounded (on so many levels) when you posted it and were going for the lolz? Or did you surprise yourself too?

Moto X

[Anonymous Coward]

$150 off an unlocked moto x puts it at the same price point as the nexus 5. I already have the nexus 5, but that's a damn good price for a phone made in the USA.

Lenovo black friday "sale"

[alantus]

I'm in the process of customizing/buying a Lenovo X230 for a family member, despite their BIOS whitelist shenanigans.

The Lenovo store always has a super special e-coupon discount, they are kind enough to give you the code right there in the checkout process.

A few days ago the laptop in my cart, with the coupon, was $1,037.
Now, after applying the new black friday e-coupon (10% discount), the price is $1,061.10

Perhaps I should buy it now, before they have an even better Christmas "sale".

The only way ...

[SpaceLifeForm]

... to win, is not to play.

Re:The only way ...

[Anonymous Coward]

"The only winning move is not to play."

Doorbusters aren't worth it

[JonBoy47]

So they lure a gazillion people in with 25 different doorbusters, that they have, like, 12 of, each. The rest of the shit in the store is marked down barely, if at all, from the "normal" price. No thanks. Now Walmart is doing the doorbusters in phases... No thanks, I don't need a 32" Funai TV that bad, even if it is $98...

Black what?

[YoungManKlaus]

we dont have no black friday in europe!

Re:Black what?

[wonkey_monkey]

amazon.co.uk seems to think we should.

Re:Black what?

[YoungManKlaus]

amazon.de only knows of cyber monday (week)

Re:Actually, a tv? A samsung "32" inch class led

[Anonymous Coward]

what? You dont like turkey?

Meh

[Black LED]

I'm not really impressed by these sale prices since I can usually find deals that are just as good any other day of the year. A couple of weeks ago I bought a 32" 1080p HDTV, which I am using as a monitor, for $130. I don't see any deals that good in these ads.

"regular prices"

[Anonymous Coward]

from wsj article...

The red cardigan sweater with the ruffled neck on sale for more than 40% off at $39.99 was never meant to sell at its $68 starting price. It was designed with the discount built in.

i thought this kind of crap was illegal, and that advertised or displayed "regular" prices have to be a price that normal retail sales have occurred at... and not some inflated figure pulled out of some marketing manager's ass.

Re:"regular prices"

[wonkey_monkey]

Then just sell it at $68 for the minimum period - if any suckers buy it then, you've made more profit. Then you mark it down, people think they're getting a bargain, and you still make the profit you wanted.

Oh, so THAT's what Black Friday is

[wonkey_monkey]

I wondered what amazon.co.uk were going on about.

Oddly

[Dripdry]

Not buying anything, why fight the crowds? I tried it once and there was just nothing I really wanted to buy, but it was an experience I won't forget. In fact, I'll do the same thing as last year: Absolutely nothing. I saw no one, and bought nothing. It might be the best Thanksgiving I've ever had. No running around, no madness, just me, myself and I.
I can't decide if the fact that I'm neither going shopping nor spending any time with family is a good thing or not. Please, internet, tell me what to think!

Re:Actually, a tv? A samsung "32" inch class led

[hraponssi]

Otherwise. I'll probably be masturbating, drinking, eating turkey, and enjoying my family.

Enjoy!

So you are just having a regulard nerd day? Nice.

Guns??

[Anonymous Coward]

Black Friday has nothing to do with guns or America.
But here we are again talking about the right to carry a weapon.

FYI America is just about to have a revolution, and after seeing what your corrupt system is doing I too would be thinking about target practice.

If you really want a Surface you can do better...

[Shirley Marquez]

The Best Buy deal on the original Surface pales next to the deal at Micro Center: $179.95 INCLUDING the black Touch Cover.

Saw lines Thursday night :-(

[billstewart]

Spent Thursday with friends. We had a US-style turkey dinner (well, veggies for me) at church at lunchtime, hung out for the afternoon, went to Korean BBQ for dinner, and on the way there we saw people waiting in line at Best Buy.

Ok, going to restaurants technically counts as "buying things", but we didn't actually do that Friday.

Comet-watching?

[billstewart]

I really do need to pay enough attention to this comet, figure out if it's worth a trip to the middle of nowhere to watch.