Black Friday Musings - Sales and Such

Black Friday has come and gone.  In Canada, Black Friday turns into a 4 day sale in stores and turns into a 5 day cyber sale on Monday. Canadian Retailers a couple of years back decided to have their own Black Friday sales to keep Canadians north of the border.  It has been a big hit plus in Canada the doors and sales can start Thursday night at 8pm or earlier for Black Friday sales.

Some websites for handmade items start their BF sales the week before BF, so on Monday, November 19th.  That way they can get the orders in and then send them out the last week of November.  I love handmade soaps, body scrubs and fragrances.  They don't have preservatives or sulfates in them.  Due to my severe sensitive skin these days any sulfates causes me to break out in a rash.  I snagged a Black Friday sale from ScentSations out of the Cayman Islands.  The owner of the Etsy store was having a sale already but added free shipping with orders over $25.  I was able to get twice as much since shipping to Canada is about half the cost through her site.

I also made a purchase from Yves Rocher with a $20 off $60 purchase and free shipping.  I needed a couple more stocking stuffers and some face wash.  I received my order within 3 days as they have expedited shipping.

It seems that all stores and websites were having sales that were really good.  It is hard to pick which ones to buy from.  I always pick the ones with the best prices, products, good CS and quick shipping.  If I know that 1 website will ship out within 1-2 days and has the same price as another website that ships in 4 -5 days I will purchase from the first one.  Canada Post at this time of year is slower than usual and you want to be sure that you get your stuff in the mail in time to wrap it.

One thing I don't understand is spending half the night out in the cold, standing in line so you can rush into let's say Walmart and snag some toy for 70% off.  If you watch on youtube or the news there was so nasty fights over toys.  Isn't your time worth more than $20 or even $ 100?  I would rather spend that time and aggravation in the comfort of my own home and purchase items on those companies' websites.  I wanted to purchase a new HDTV for my parents so instead of going to The Brick for 6am I purchased the same tv online at 8:40pm for the same price.  I still would of had to wait to pick it up BUT I didn't have to get up early and deal with grouchy sales people and customers.

I don't find getting in line all night and rushing in with mobs of people worth it any amount of money.  Black Friday sales aren't the only ones of the season.  People get trampled on, others get violent and get arrested if the stores have the proper security, many get pick pocketed.

Did you participate in Black Friday?  Tell us your experiences.