Also, beware of Mail-in rebates.

Don't buy the item with mail in rebates just because the final price is a good deal.

Be prepared for the rebates to get rejected and denied. If the item is STILL a good deal without the rebates, then go ahead and buy it. If it's not a good deal without them, then DON'T BUY IT!!

FYI, the shark does no jumping ... it just sits there. Instead, the shopping spree jumps the shark; indeed, the post should read "the shark has /been/ jumped".

Just doing my civic duty to notify you.

Or, how about skipping the day all together? I've never really seen the lure to shop on Black Friday, and there are already some good deals to be had this year. On top of that, most of the major retailers have lack-luster B.F. ads anyway.

Now, I just have to figure out what to spend money on... My parents need a new computer bad, but I'm also eying an LCD TV and/or an Xbox 360; none of which I should buy to begin with, but that's not the point, is it?

People buying things that aren't actually on sale happens the most with video game systems. They are almost always regular price but everyone rushes out to grab the game systems on Black Friday when they could have casually walked up and picked one up the week before.

@courtarro: I have to join courtarro in pointing out this colloquial transgression. Ben, please remedy this situation!

@blackmage439: I agree! It's just not worth it to join the insane throngs of shoppers only to save a few bucks, or indeed a few percentage points. I prefer to keep my dignity and my enjoy Friday in peace among family!

I almost think that retailers are too desperate for sales to pull any tricks on black friday. Almost...

I might venture out this year for the first time ever, just to say I've done it.

@courtarro: Literal SteveDave says: Unless it's a bottom dwelling shark, or it has a steady stream of water rushing past it's gills, a shark must move, or else it will drown. So I doubt this shark was just sitting there.

Honestly, I am not seeing any good deals at all for Black Friday. Almost all of the things that they have listed you can buy now either at the same price or less. You're better off just staying home, and looking on Woot! or some other deals website, and you'll do just fine. No waiting outside in the cold for me this year.

Hell, the only good deal that I saw was the Wii package at Sam's Club for $224, but then only to find out it was just a Photoshop jobber. After I saw that, I thought to myself, "Yep, this year is just going down the shitter!"

Fatwallet has a nice spreadsheet they've been updating with all the Black Friday sales: [www.fatwallet.com] .

So far, I think the best sale has to go to Meijer, who's ads just came out.

@blackmage439: I'm with you. Last year I HAD to go out to get House Season 1 and 2 for 14.99 at Target. Luckily, they were handing out rainchecks as they sold out. The only other place I went out to was Staples, who had a 90.00 PTZ webcam for 19.99 after rebate, which I would never pass up any day of the year. It was actually a good day for me, and I felt sorry for the morning people who killed themselves.

@courtarro: Haha yes. This is only the second time ive heard this saying so the word order made me think I had heard it wrong the first time.

Two years ago was the first (and likely last) time I took part in a Black Friday sale. Our son was going to be born any day at that point, and I needed a new [point and shoot] camera, so I settled on those cheap Samsungs Wal-Mart had. Well after the initial morning rush, the cameras were still available. For just under $100, the 5MP camera was worth it. I got decent shots out of it and it wasn't a drain on batteries.

I only got rid of it because I got a Kodak Easyshare that offered higher optical zoom and subsequently more mega-pixels to boot for around $80. [Off of w00t]

That camera is equally as impressive, but definitely not a DSLR.

Outside of that Wii for $224, nothing had my interest. When that price turned out to be bogus, well, nothing else has my nipples exploding with delight.

Maybe it's just me but most of the black friday "sales" seems to be on overpriced junk I don't really need anyways. Ya sure I'd like a new tv, computer, ect but I don't need one. My tv works fine and my computer is okay it has the major flaw that is vista but outside of that it's functional.

Most of the larger retailers also have crappy deals on items of poor quality. Anything that is of value or worth getting at the black friday price they only give each store like 3 of them because they don't really wanna sell them at the deal price.

I half think that the reason why people shop on black friday is it becomes a tradition they go out with their family and friends to look for good deals have a nice lunch afterwords and make a day of it.

i got a 50" plasma a week ago for $1k, looked today it was back up at $1400 from crutchfield, price being the same at BB/CC. The only reason i looked was the article on here about it being more like a black November instead of black friday. I haven't checked to see if it went back up with either of them, but i'm happy with my holiday deal.

@tmlfan81:

So, uh...If I find a deal worthy of your nipples exploding with delight, do you promise to post a video snippet on YouTube?

This is something I gotta see...

Except for the few kidlets in my life, I'm not doing gifts this year. I'm making a donation to a reputable charity on behalf of each of my friends. I just don't have the stomach for it this year.

Why on Earth would I possibly get up and stand in a line at 3AM to get a TV at a slightly cheaper price, knowing that the price will drop like a rock once the holiday "sales" (in quotes, because prices get raised, so they can be reduced) are over?

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: Yeah same here. I actually shopped on Black Friday last year for the first time, but I went in late morning while I was visiting my grandparents in northwestern Arkansas. The stores weren't any busier than a normal day. I picked up a scanner/inkjet printer and 8MP camera combo for $200.00.

Leaving the house at 6am? Yeah, no thanks. I can probably find things cheaper at Newegg anyway.

@quagmire0: I am partial to the listings at bfads.net. I've used them for years.

@tmlfan81:

In for the exploding nipples.

I think i'll be skipping on BF this year, especially with the way the economy is. I may stop at Kohl's and pick up some cheap jeans, but I have no reason to purchase a new plasma TV's just because it's on sale for $50 off. I think I'll stick with my tube TV and 1 year old laptop.

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: Maybe the shark is in a special water tunnel so, even though it is moving relative to the water, it is actually staying still enough to facilitate the jumping. Shark jumping is big business these days according to gawker.

@blackmage439: I went black friday shopping last year because my wife wanted a DS lite and fry's had a super good deal on them.

It was worth it just for the people watching. I've never seen people whipped into such a froth of consumerism. Glazed eyes, twitchy movements, they had it all.

Oh, and it was also worth it to watch fry's in action. 50 registers going full tilt with a 100+ person waiting line. It was beautiful.

I will be standing outside of Fry's or some other electronics retailer.

Perhaps I'll take pics to add to the Flickr pool...

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: I know, who am I to argue with the scientific accuracy of Happy Days? However, in the documentary footage linked below you will clearly see at 0:13 that the shark is basically idle, doing what is described in technical terms as "just sitting there":

Maybe that's the shark equivalent of holding one's breath.

I think BF is going to be hotter than ever with the economy in the crapper, even though the economy is down people are still spending. After witnessing the throngs of cars in parking lots and shoppers dropping $600-700 on a Wii system plus games at Toys R Us when the games will drop to half price each after Xmas I hardly believe the economy is in as bad of a state as everyone is making it out to be. If it was that bad nothing frivolous would be selling at all.

However now that people are all hyped about the bad economy they will be looking for the best deal possible with even more fervor than ever, whether that deal be an actual deal or an overhyped black friday special that is not actually a deal.

Frankly I am staying in, its not worth injury to myself to go out for the BF doorbusters.

BF is 'Buy Nothing Day' in North America. Google it!

Compared to last year's ads, this year is certainly sucktackular. Makes me wish I had gotten a larger TV when I had the chance. I know I'm in the minority here, but I enjoy Black Friday shopping. Also I hate how there isn't a Meijer out where I am. They seem to have great deals.

@xAnarChisTx: yep the deals this are stink. Most can be found for similar prices on a regular sale and if you pay attention to deal sites you have seen far better sales and prices already.

BF ads have become worse and worse each year for at least the last three years. This years ads are so bad that you can find better deals now via the internet than anything the BM stores are offering (with the exception being some media like 2.99 DVDs)

I subscribe to the "As BF becomes more popular the deals become worse" theory. In other words the retailers have us trained to line up and become excited to shop no matter what the deals are, and so have gradually made the deals worse and worse.

@courtarro: He seems to be treading water, or swimming idly in a circle. Hardly "just sitting there".

@Adisharr: I second that. Exploding nipples are something I never thought I would see.

Me and my wife decided that new phones (an iphone for me woo!) is more important then christmas shopping on black friday this year.....so I get to sleep in AND have an iphone. nice :D

@courtarro:
Ithere are great white sharks off the coast of south africa that do quite a bit of jumping, as you can see around :22 in this video clip, so i think courtarro should issue a retraction.

@blackmage439: What's wrong with your parents' computer? Can't you rejuvenate it?

I agree that BF deals have become worse and worse as time as gone on (part due to corporate greed, part to the internet's abundance of deals), it's to the point where it's not worth the loss of sleep and battle against the crowds to save $50.

More and more retailers are also putting their specials online as well, so there's little need to to to the store in person unless it's for a "doorbuster," and even some of those have found their way online from time to time. You do need to take into account shipping and how that eats into your savings with the items somewhat, although if it keeps you out of the stores it probably is worth it.

@LoriLynn: the positive side to this is you wan't have as many friends next year to buy for.

@downwithmonstercable: The primary trick i have seen this year is offering giftcards with the purchase of an item marked at the normal price. This makes it look like a deal, while ensuring the money goes right back into the same store eventually.

Except in the case of circuit city where giving out gift cards is like giving out a time bomb. They have the most offers that include gift cards, which makes one wonder if they almost count on not being around to redeem them later.

With most of the Black Friday deals usually contingent on insane money invested in rebates, and a major rebate fulfillment house having recently declared bankruptcy because they misplaced nine million dollars (what do they think they are - our military in Iraq on a quick lunch break?)...

Black Friday is officially transitioned to "Buy Nothing Day."

I hate "Black Friday" ever since i worked in retail. All these idiots packing the stores because it was some made up day by retailers. Also, i'm not going to wait out in the cold lining up with a bunch of mouth-breathers outside of a Wal-Mart when i could be enjoying Thanksgiving with my whole family.

IDIOTS.

I need a larger tv for the place I'm moving into but I'm so convinced I'm going to get screwed over and end up writing about it to Ben and crew that I'd rather just go on a normal day and pay a little more.

@tmlfan81: I've already seen nipples explode with delight. Do you have a hovercraft full of eels?

Never seen so much buyer remorse - before you even buy! My son and my nephew camped outside the Best Buy last year with generous hot chocolates, food, and pizza runs from every member that could drive until late that nite. Afterwards, the "line" people talked together, shared campers and fell into a camraderie that Prez-elect Obama would now be proud of.

We bought what we needed and then some becuz the prices, and the products, were too good to pass up. Yes , the Panasonic plasma TV was a prize and I am SORRY for those that think the tube is just as good...NOT!!

The laptops are still going on their Vista OS's and, now get this, my son says he would do it all over again if he had to....but, not necessarily this year. Why? We got it last year!

If you didn't get it last year, and the prices are just as good - you research it since The Consumerist provides lots of sites to do so - then what are you waiting for? Or do you just like being a couch potato and chronic wuss and whiner like a lot of the naysayers above who have no credentials at all.

@blackmage439:

Guess I'm weird. I actually look forward to the thrill of staying outside all night in a line in the freezing cold to get a steal (Note this is in Canada, we have the equivalent of your Black Friday on 'Boxing Day', the day after Xmas).

I'm so hardcore I bring a tent and cooler! I wish I could figure out a portable heat source that I could use in the tent without dying from the fumes. :-( I'm open to suggestions!

Maybe if I ever end up with kids I could make Boxing Day so exciting they'll prefer waiting until the evening of the 26th for gifts, since they'll (ok, I'll) be able to afford better ones.

The advice about the star not necessarily being a real deal: uh, so? If you get something for the price that seems like it's okay to pay, then it's okay for you to pay it. That's how selling and buying works: if you're okay paying for it, then it's okay. If you grumble about the price, you shouldn't buy it. Doesn't matter that the price is.

@ceilingFANBOY:

I think what they are doing is grabbing them while they are in stock. Wii is always 249 but never in stock. On BF stores try and have them in stock.

Also, the game systems are regular price but include extra games/giftcards on BF.

@ceilingFANBOY: Actually the BF deal I got last year on a DS was a real deal because I saved $30 on getting the system and game together, so the game was almost free.

If I shop a Black Friday deal, it has to be an actual deal (and yes I do check) plus it has to be instant savings, NO MAIL-IN REBATES!

Mail-In rebates make the baby Jesus cry.