In theory, if Walmart doesn’t have a sale item in stock when you’re at the store, they offer rain checks. Here in the real world, no one at David’s local store seems to know what a rain check is, let alone how to issue one. A rain check is a document that allows you to get the sale price on an out-of-stock item, even if the sale is over when the item comes back in stock. Apparently, it’s a relic of the era when customers couldn’t just whip out a smartphone and order the same item elsewhere at a cheaper price. That’s precisely what David did, anyway. [More]
black friday
Retailers Squeezed $25 More Out Of The Average Shopper With Extra Thanksgiving Sales
By 11.26.12
The Black Friday creep seems to have paid off for retailers (even as it casts a dubious shadow over Thanksgiving), as shoppers shelled out about $25 more per person during this year’s Thanksgiving-centered sales last week. Of course in many cases, Black Friday wasn’t even limited to just Friday, with plenty of retailers hosting sales and opening their doors on Thanksgiving. Overall, shoppers spent about 13% more than we did last year. [More]
Why I Left Best Buy After Waiting In Line For Two Hours On Black Friday
By 11.26.12
Like many people in his Connecticut town, Consumerist reader RC thought he would pop by Best Buy when it opened at midnight on Black Friday to see if he could land a deal. But either the store management grossly underestimated how many customers would show up or they have no idea how to manage the checkout process. [More]
Alleged Shoplifter Dies After Being Tackled By Walmart Employees Over Holiday Weekend
By 11.26.12
Every year shoppers get amped up to shop the Black Friday sales, and it seems that every year, that energy unfortunately leads to a few tragic situations. Early on Sunday morning, a man who cops say was trying to shoplift two DVD players from a Walmart in Georgia died after he was apprehended by two employees and a contract security officer. [More]
Remember To Send Us Your Black Friday Photos And Horror Stories
By 11.21.12
Given the sheer number of people who will be out and about this weekend, it’s inevitable that some of you will have experiences ranging from the ridiculous to the horrifying to the horrifyingly ridiculous. But don’t just keep them to yourself, share them with Consumerist. [More]
7 Things To Keep In Mind When Shopping This Weekend
By 11.21.12
Though some of us plan on spending this holiday weekend the traditional way — hiding in our room, away from the shame of being caught drinking directly from the gravy boat — some of you will be out shopping and spending. And like any risky expedition, it’s best to go into Black Friday sales fully prepared. [More]
Ford Dealership Will Accept “Anything Breathing” As Trade-In This Black Friday
By 11.20.12
For people who have been looking to buy a new Ford but don’t want to trade in their current vehicle and have some livestock they wouldn’t mind parting with, a dealership in Laramie, WY, may be the place to visit this Black Friday. [More]
Animal Shelters Make ‘Black Friday’ Literal, Adopt Out Black Pets For Free
By 11.20.12
You may have noticed in the past few years that the staff and readers of this site are rather fond of animals. Specifically, cats, and the occasional dog. That’s why we wholeheartedly support a Black Friday promotion we can get behind that involves no doorbusters, no big-ticket item lines, and can even help you get rid of your leftover turkey this holiday weekend. We’re referring to the Black Friday weekend adoption promotions aimed at finding homes for black cats and dogs. [More]
Small Businesses Hoping To Cash In On Big Box Stores’ Early Black Friday Openings
By 11.20.12
While Walmart, Target and other huge national retailers make the headlines every year for opening earlier and earlier for their Black Friday sales, a growing number of small businesses are following suit in the hopes of picking up the stragglers who are looking for things other than $79 laptops. [More]
Black Friday Creep: A Security Guard’s Perspective
By 11.20.12
It’s hard to hear the word “doorbuster” without remembering the death four years ago of Jdimytai Damour, the 34-year-old temporary crowd control worker stationed at the door of a Long Island Walmart who was trampled to death when the crowd ripped the door off the hinges, clamoring for the best deals on flatscreen TVs as the global economy collapsed. [More]
3 Reasons Why 350,000 Signatures On A Petition Won’t Change Target’s Mind About Opening On Thanksgiving
By 11.19.12
For the second year in a row, a Target employee has managed to secure hundreds of thousands of names on a petition asking Target to rethink its plans to start its Black Friday sale on Thanksgiving night. And for the second year in a row, Target is politely declining the suggestion and moving ahead as planned. [More]
Best Buy Online Sale Shows Company Not Quite Ready To Become E-Commerce Powerhouse
By 11.19.12
Last week, new Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said the company needs to make online sales a priority, as the retailer continues losing market share to e-tailers like Amazon and Newegg. But if this morning’s scheduled sale is any indication, Best Buy is not ready to compete with the big boys and girls. [More]
Yep, Shoppers Started Camping Out For Black Friday This Wednesday
By 11.16.12
Yes, it’s advantageous to line up for an irresistible sale early. A duo of California shoppers were a little too early to this year’s Black Friday sale at their local Best Buy, though, camping outside of the store more than a week ahead of time. Security staff booted them off the property, asking them to return on Thanksgiving. Thank Providence someone in this scenario is sane. [More]
IKEA, Where 50% Off Is Really Just An Approximation
By 11.16.12
Consumerist reader Brad was looking at IKEA’s Black Friday mailer that went out this week and noticed that something just was just a bit off about the math on this deal on soft toys. [More]
Missed Black Friday 2011? Don’t Worry, Most Retailers Are Selling Same Stuff At Same Sale Prices
By 11.14.12
Did you miss shopping Black Friday sales last year and have regretted it ever since? Don’t. Our friends over at NerdWallet nerded over this year’s “leaked” Black Friday ads and determined that so far, nine out of ten stores are offering the same exact items on sale at the same exact prices. [More]
Moving Black Friday Up A Week Could Save Thanksgiving
By 11.13.12 — Updated: 11.13.15
We don’t know when the warm water finally started to boil, but it’s safe to say that Black Friday now begins shortly after dinner is served on Thanksgiving. But rather than continue to fight this trend, we think that the only way to restore Thanksgiving is to have Black Friday sales begin a weekend earlier. [More]
6 Holiday Gifts You’d Be Better Off Buying Some Other Time Of The Year
By 11.12.12
We’ve told you before that while there are plenty of sales on Black Friday, it is rarely the best day to get the lowest price on quality goods. But a new report claims that you’d be better off buying some common gift items outside of the holiday months. [More]
Target Employees Not Exactly Thrilled With Idea Of Opening At 9 P.M. On Thanksgiving
By 11.9.12
Last year, one Target employee managed to get 200,000 signatures on a petition asking Target to reconsider its plan to have employees start work at 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving night. Target not only went ahead with that early opening, it’s apparently moved up the opening time to 9 p.m. this year, causing a round of new petitions. [More]
