Sell Out to Up Sell

When I went back this morning to look at the picked over laptop selection, I found a Samsung that fit the bill. It was not until I got up to the register when I found out that the only $299 laptops that were left came with a $70 Geek Squad setup.

So instead of pay $70 to have someone go through the automated setup, I am holding out for a cyber Monday deal.

But what a great way to upsell earlier than ever, open at Midnight be sold out before the doors open, and only have premium options left. There were no other $300 or even $350 laptops left like there usually is on any given day.

After the earliest black Friday start ever, all that was let of the tents and the crowds was one left behind winter jacket crumpled up right of the entrance.

Sold Out Before Its Open

So it's 11:51 and I am writing this with Siri as I'm driving out of the Best Buy parking lot. It turned out they sold out of the laptop that I wanted before the doors even opened. How?

They finally did come around to hand out the the passes for hot item. Printouts with a hand written code on each one giving the beholder an opportunity to buy one of the doorbuster deals. All that was left were big TV's and more expensive items. What bothered me was the process and the attitude of the employees. I guess customer service only comes with full priced items and regular store hours. There were police escorts for each employee passing out flyers. Like one of us animals would tear them to shreds over a stack of papers that let you buy a 55" LCD for a G.

So I walked out of line just before midnight, a little bit down about the loss.

Now it is a bit before 9 am and I am going back to survey the damage.

30 to Go

About 30 minutes until the doors open and we have made a four big moves to the door, but still no magic tickets.

Donatos rolled by peddling pizzas, but where is the Starbucks vendor?

A few stories of deals from the 10 PM openings have came in, usually a black friday team that divided to conquer. Some deals grabbed but most of the stories were about long lines and crazed crowds. One guy talked of shrinked wrapped pallets marked for the morning that were ravaged and stripped.

We creep along, but we will see.

Occupy Best Buy: Police Presence

The paddy wagon (we debated if it was patty or paddy) is here rolling back
And forth just to let the public know that know good deal goes unpunished.

Civility is gone at an event like this. So its probably a good thing they are here.

"For $4 I will buy it. I Didn't hate it that much"

As a few 20 year olds tell parents how "kids these days need sidewalk chalk"... Standing in line for a Nintendo 3DS on Thanksgiving has suddenly given them perspective.

"Sucker Punch". Standing in line this is the first time I have heard of this movie, but I remember when Bad Boys on regular DVD hit $4 and it was a must-buy black Friday deal.

About Sucker Punch
suckerpunchmovie.warnerbros.com/dvd/
Sucker Punch is an epic action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides ...
The google preview is enough for me to move on, but this new low for Blu-Rays is an example of what black friday is all about. Cheap Stuff. I heard about a woman in Florida that has been camped out at a Best Buy for over a week. Despite the superior climate for a retail camp out, a week out the deals a mere speculation. People are not standing in line to fill a need or even a want. This is filling a "because its a deal". Like when my mom would buy some canned vegetables that we never ate only because they were on sale. "It's like we are losing money if we don't buy it.". That's why these people are here. For a shot at a $200 LED tv or some cheap CD's to put on their ipod. This is a line of people waiting for a chance to buy stuff they didn't even know they wanted.

I overheard these people say, "it's only. $4, I didn't hate it that much". These people pictured here, a little grainy but look closely. You see the monster, shorts AND THE BABY! Enjoy Sucker Punch.

Wal-Mart Overflow

When I drove by Wal-Mart on my way to Best Buy, they were just about to cut the ribbon for the 10 PM shopping cart sweep. I have never seen the large parking lot so full and there are people crossing the road. Overflow parking into the adjacent movie theater is probably over the $200 Xbox 360 with Kinect (plus a $50 gift card.)

Cars continue to poor into the Best Buy lot, some staying to join the line while others make a lap and choose sanity as they head for the exit. The line has stretched to the end of the strip mall past Kohls. So far no tiket.

The Earliest Black Friday Ever: Live Blogging

Turkey dinners have not even digested before the tented and multi-layered patrons line up outside the Best Buy in Grove City, OH.

This photo was taken at 7:10 PM Thanksgiving evening. I drove by to check out the crowd and caught an early fight. I wasn't ready to line up yet, but I returned at 9:45 to stand in line and hope to get a ticket do I can buy a laptop for my Mother-in-Law. $179 for a Lenovo laptop, perfect for checkin email, and it won't be used for much else.

This year Best Buy is opening 5 hours early for a midnight rush on cheap tech. I am going to blog while I stand here in line. So far it is an interesting mix. Just now 10:00 PM and the tickets are goig to be handed out for first dibs on the goods.