A little off topic....but

[ckrobyn]

This is a bit off topic, but not totally because the shopping I intend to do this weekend IS for my upcoming cruise ;)

For all you Americans - is it true that Thanksgiving weekend is better shopping in the USA than boxing day?

I'm Canadian and plan to cross border shop this weekend in Buffalo, New York - if the sales are as good as I hear they are, border traffic will be a nightmare.

Any insight is greatly appreciated :)

[wastin' away]

While I can't offer advice for the Buffalo area, I can say that traditionally the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year. A lot of the stores offer incentives for EARLY shoppers but IMO, the sales are not overall any better than any other holiday sale - some stuff you can get at a steal (ie - free w/ rebate or similar) but most stuff is like normal sales w/ percentage off and the like. Again, that is the Seattle area - I'm not sure about New York. Hope that helps... and I hope you have a great time shopping!

[wastin' away]

sorry for the double post... argh!!

[wrp96]

There are really good deals if you can be at the stores in the first couple of hours after they open (around here at 5am or earlier on the day after Thanksgiving). After that you have to balance whether it is really worth the cost of gas and the busy malls to try and get any deals. The deals are still better than most other shopping days, but not quite as good as the deals for the first shoppers of the day.

 

For example, this may not be true, but the early shopper prices that have been leaked include: at Wal-Mart $30 for a TV/DVD combo, $200 for a laptop computer. I may be off on the exact numbers but the prices are absurdly low for the early shoppers - but the deals are limited.

[ckrobyn]

There are really good deals if you can be at the stores in the first couple of hours after they open (around here at 5am or earlier on the day after Thanksgiving). After that you have to balance whether it is really worth the cost of gas and the busy malls to try and get any deals. The deals are still better than most other shopping days, but not quite as good as the deals for the first shoppers of the day.

 

For example, this may not be true, but the early shopper prices that have been leaked include: at Wal-Mart $30 for a TV/DVD combo, $200 for a laptop computer. I may be off on the exact numbers but the prices are absurdly low for the early shoppers - but the deals are limited.

 

The $200 laptop is worth the drive! ;)

I have been in border traffic in the past - waited up to 2 hours to get back into Canada....not sure I'm up for that again......but that laptop - how can I resist??? :eek:

[wrp96]

You have to be there when they first open and at the front of the line to guarantee you will get the deals.

 

Last year, my brother and I were up and driving out of town by 4:30 am (that year the stores opened at 5 am), and on the way out of town we drove past a lot of the major retailers (Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy), at every single place there were already at least 100 people in line waiting to get in.

[LetsGoCruisN]

I, personally, chose not to get up that early for the so-called deals. Like previous posters mentioned, the deals are only offered on a limited quantity and the really good deals are usually gone within the first hour or so.

 

Plus, I don't like the attitudes people tend to bring with them. It gets pretty fierce. I've seen people give old ladies the elbow and knock people down to save a few bucks. To me, it's not worth the hassle and getting shoved and pushed around to save a few bucks. The "not-so-nice" impatient part of me tends to come out, too. ;)

[dad son team]

Not only will you have the shopping traffic, but lots of traffic in general because of the holiday.

[megessey]

Oh man I highly recommend staying far away from the big shopping areas this weekend. I agree with LetsGoCruisin-- the shopper's mentality can be brutal, and definitely can break your spirit of the season.

 

I shop online almost exclusively now. You can compare products with several stores, plus user ratings and comments for some websites, and best of all.... you can shop in your pajammies if you wanted to :D

 

......or, well.... naked for that matter!..... not that I would ever do that....... :o

[ORANGEinINDY]

Day after Thanksgiving sales would be difficult from long distance (Canada). As said it starts EARLY, like 5 or 6AM, and you need to read Thanksgiving day newspapers (Like a BIG Sunday paper) to create a "plan of attack. With my DW and DD its more of the event than the shopping, to sat we "did it". I go along as long as we find a Starbucks along the way.

As others said, watch for pointy elbows and such. Once in a while I'll pick up something that looks like it will sell out and carry it around for an hour, then put it back on the empty table or give it to a kid that looks disappointed.

[BobBeaSea]

Robyn, unless you can put up with unbelievable crowds and horrendous traffic in and around the border towns (I assume you are looking at Niagara/Buffalo), DON'T GO. As has been mentioned the Friday of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is the BUSIEST shopping day of the year...it kicks off the Christmas season; great deals but unbelievable crowds. If you go, good luck.:)

[ckrobyn]

Robyn, unless you can put up with unbelievable crowds and horrendous traffic in and around the border towns (I assume you are looking at Niagara/Buffalo), DON'T GO. As has been mentioned the Friday of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday is the BUSIEST shopping day of the year...it kicks off the Christmas season; great deals but unbelievable crowds. If you go, good luck.:)

 

Hey BobBeaSea - how are ya? Long time no speak!

Thanks to everyone for your advice - I think I'm going to heed it! I really wanted to shop this weekend, but the traffic and overall shopping bedlam doesn't sound like it's really worth it...

I guess I have to wait until after X-mas for the deals - in Canada!

[Aliann]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in (probably not even worth that), but I'm with the others and glad you decided it wasn't worth it. To get the $200. laptop deal, I'm sure you would have to be there in line by 3 a.m. when they open at 5 to be the first 10 people. And a $200 laptop? What could it possibly have in it? A hard drive? Maybe just the shell? The gas and hassle aren't worth it to me, my times more valuable.

[ckrobyn]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in (probably not even worth that), but I'm with the others and glad you decided it wasn't worth it. To get the $200. laptop deal, I'm sure you would have to be there in line by 3 a.m. when they open at 5 to be the first 10 people. And a $200 laptop? What could it possibly have in it? A hard drive? Maybe just the shell? The gas and hassle aren't worth it to me, my times more valuable.

 

I have to agree Aliann - it's just the lure of a really cheap laptop that makes me second guess my decision! You're right though - I can't imagine the quality for that price :rolleyes: Truth of the matter is - I wish the shopping were as good in Canada as it is in the States....

[1HAPPYCRUISER]

just a tip i heard..all the retailers are putting their specials on-line on thanksgiving day..you can order on line and most are offering no shipping charges..so if you go to walmart.com on thursday or best buy or toys r'us you should get the same specials the others are getting on friday...just a tip!

[Happy ks]

Shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving is a joke and I cannot understand how many people fall for it. It is said to be the busiest shopping day of the year, meaning massive crowds and long lines.

 

I've gotten most of my holiday shopping done so far, before the rush and I have found everything to be on sale already.

 

So, the only valuable thing I can add here is to pay attention to the early hours the week or so before Christmas. Some of the major dept. stores will open at 7am, I have gotten up and gone on some of those days. The stores are empty, the sales clerks are the only other people there. Most of the stock is still neat and all put away and it is a pleasure to shop during those times.

[kc320]

Ditto what everyone has said about the crowds & traffic! It's enough to drive a person to drink, as if we needed a reason,;)

 

1happycruiser, that would be great if it's true I will be able to get the sale prices online. I've already gotten the Walmart sale online & they have a couple clothes items I'd like, but NOT enough to get trampled on trying to find them!

[brn2crz]

This is a bit off topic, but not totally because the shopping I intend to do this weekend IS for my upcoming cruise ;)

 

For all you Americans - is it true that Thanksgiving weekend is better shopping in the USA than boxing day?

 

I'm Canadian and plan to cross border shop this weekend in Buffalo, New York - if the sales are as good as I hear they are, border traffic will be a nightmare.

 

Any insight is greatly appreciated :)

 

Ok..Please forgive my ignorance...But what is boxing day??:confused:

 

For a few years,when the economy was down...There were some good sales to be found...Now...Its all hype...Not worth it..Usually better sales closer to Christmas,and if its for personal items...After Christmas..

Either way...

Merry Christmas

[ChoosinCruisin]

Through experience we found out that the "specials" we soooo limited in number--like 3 computers per store--and they were rebate situations. So you pay full price then two months later you get the rebate. And CKRobyn be careful if you choose to tdo this, some rebates are US residents only.

 

Happy Holidays and Smooth Sailings

[LittleBit]

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas - the day servants were given off... It was the day poor boxes were open with monies going to the poor and gifts given to your servants.

 

Not an American thing

 

It's St. Stephen's Day (the first Christian martyr)

[LittleBit]

Fie on double posts!!

 

Save a cow - Eat more turkey

[curiousjly]

I used to work at Wal-Mart, unitil I got smart and returned to college to get my degree.

 

It is totally HELL on that day. People are there at 2:00 a.m. with their kids, in pj's. I watched as they knocked over a elderly gentleman in a wheelchair to get through the door, a lady slapped a child to get a toy from her. :eek: People broke out into fights over the sale items.

 

Walmart only sends 3-5 of the special sale items, and most are items that are being discontinued at the manufactors. Such as the laptops, they will be old styles, and might be worth $200 or $300, but not worth the hassle to get one.

 

A lot of people remarked to the cashiers that they and other employees probably bought out the items before the store opened. But not true, we were not allowed to buy them until after the sale day was over, and of course, there were none left. If we could get a friend or family member to come and get it, okay, but we weren't allowed. The records were checked to make sure we didn't sneak and get one.

 

I worked there for 2 years, and it turned me against Christmas. It has been 6 years now, and we didn't decorate for Christmas until last year. There was no Christmas spirit, just spiteful people who wanted to get something cheap and didn't care who they hurt to get it.

 

So, my opinion, don't go, stay home and enjoy your family, spend time thinking about what Christmas is really supposed to be for. :) Family, friends, a time of sharing and peace.

 

Janette LY

[miclane001]

Walmart is selling a HP laptop for $400, not $200.

[ckrobyn]

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas - the day servants were given off... It was the day poor boxes were open with monies going to the poor and gifts given to your servants.

 

Not an American thing

 

It's St. Stephen's Day (the first Christian martyr)

 

Okay, for the record - I'm Canadian and I don't have any servants! :eek:

[ckrobyn]

Through experience we found out that the "specials" we soooo limited in number--like 3 computers per store--and they were rebate situations. So you pay full price then two months later you get the rebate. And CKRobyn be careful if you choose to tdo this, some rebates are US residents only.

 

Happy Holidays and Smooth Sailings

 

Thanks Choosin'

I will be very careful if we end up shopping over the border. Sometimes it sux to be Canadian, especially when there are items that I need and even if I order on the internet - ie: Amazon.com they won't ship to a Canadian address - really aggravates me! :mad:

There is a non fat, non sugar - coffee flavouring that I am DESPERATE to buy, but no-one will ship to Canada! The stores where the product IS available are nowhere near the area in NY where I usually shop. It's times like these that I wish I had a long lost American relative! :rolleyes:

In case anyone reading this wants to help the "needy" ( me of course!) take a look at this website and see if there is a store near you.....if you can ship me the product - I'll pay for it and the postage upfront! Of course if you ever visit Toronto - I'll give you the grand tour ( not to be mistaken for the Grand Suite!) ;)

www.flavourcreations.com