As we get ready for year end parties, Thanksgiving parties and full course meals, we forget that it also means that consumers aren’t the only ones salivating!  Retailers salivate like crazy too!  Know why?  It is because it is the time of year when we “officially” start the Holiday Shopping Period. 

Between 2005-2007, retailers made over 9.4% of their annual sales on that one day!  There is dispute for the origins of how it got to be called Black Friday but here is what we know.  It is the Friday after Thanksgiving and many retailers open up as early as 5am (some as early as 12:01am!).  It was widely felt that a lot of retailers would run in the red (minus numbers) but as soon as the Holiday Shopping Season started, retailers would suddenly start to run “in the black”.  In 1965, Woolworth (remember them!?!) and Macy’s started to open up for shopping the day after Thanksgiving because a lot of other retailers would be closed through the weekend.  Macy’s one upped them by starting to hold parades on Thanksgiving Day!  In fact, if any of you lived in NYC, you would have noticed that Macys was actually open during the parade! They thought of a way to get people into the stores and one way was to grab a few items and sell them as loss leaders.  Hence the tradition of Black Friday started. 

Recently, with the advent of the internet, we have been able to see a lot of the sale items before they actually go out on sale for Black Friday.  A well organized family would scour the internet and organize and plan what it is that they want and where to get it.  When I lived on the mainland, people would camp out in front of Fry’s or Filene’s Basement and rush the store like crazy on opening and leave a barrage of clothes and items all over the floor (sometimes people too!) and rush out to the next store to grab a loss leader or ridiculously low priced item. 

Last year, a friend and I waited from about 1am in front of Circuit City (more closer to Monterey Bay Canners!) and sat there while people around us played music, ate food, traded stories of which TV they were getting or just flat out slept.  Some people came around and passed out religious articles, a news crew came around and interviewed the mess of human flesh waiting on the sidewalks and when all was said and done, what was once a peaceful line of people turned into a big wide mess once the doors opened.  Craziness at best.  All to save $200 for a TV. 

So, for this upcoming Black Friday, I have a list of hints and tips for you to take a look at before you go out and punish yourself with no sleep, screaming people and endless lines at the cash register.

1) Go to some well known websites like www.blackfriday.info  or www.tgiblackfriday.com and check out what each retailer has got going for themselves.  Some of these are updated daily so be sure to keep checking back!
2) Compare the prices of the items with what other retailers are offering.  Remember, just because an item is a loss leader at XXX retailer, it doesn’t mean it could be at YYY retailer.  After we ran into Circuit City and realized they were out of the TV my friend was looking for, we gave up, made our obligatory drive to Walmart, grabbed a couple of items and on the way back, stopped by another retailer, and once we found out they had the same item, mentioned it on sale at the previous place for $xxxx.xx and they matched it.  I sat there dumbfounded and realized a lot of places now PRICE MATCH. 
3) Get some good rest on Thursday.  I think women may have a knack for shopping on very little sleep but this was an ordeal for me!
4) Bring food and wear comfortable clothing.  REMEMBER, there may not be any bathrooms nearby!
5) Less is more.  Don’t bring chairs or anything to wait in line with.  Trust me, it is a sprint once the doors open and there is no time or thought for furniture.
6) Go with a friend.  its always safer sitting in the dark with a friend.
7) Have a list of items you want.  Preferably, print out the website you checked out and have a print copy with you in case you need to run to another store and ask for a price match.
8) Make sure to check out small shops as well since some of them have deals just as awesome!
9) While you wait overnight, stay focused on what you want and then move on to the next store!
10) Make sure your phone works in the store!  I found out last year the reception in the store I was looking at was horrific and almost ended up buying two televisions while we waited in separate lines!

So why does a computer guy write about Black Friday?  That’s easy.  Some of the most common items you will see taking a plunge in pricing would be items such as

• Digital Cameras
• Televisions
• Computers
• Computer accessories (printers, monitors, external hard drives)

The preliminary reports I have been reading about don’t mention incredibly ridiculous price drops on the usual suspects like televisions but with a few more weeks to go, a new President going into office and unrest on the economy, who knows?  Remember to check out the websites frequently and after the hustle and bustle, I wish you all a super start to the last couple of months for the year!  Oh. And for you lazy readers out there, remember Cyber Monday (The Monday after Black Friday).  This is one of the busier days for internet shopping!  Why?  Who knows.  We can keep that thought for next years article!