When Black Friday Comes: Don’t Let it Fall on ME :)

This morning I am sitting glued to the PC looking diligently for the Black Friday deals. As I type, I am listening to the classic Black Friday by Steely Dan. Like the “Dan”, I am praying that when Black Friday falls, its doesn’t fall on me! Two adorable children have now presented me with Christmas gift lists totaling over $500.00. OY VAY. And that is just the kids stuff, I still have assorted family members and friends to shop for. My sister-in-law came over last night and we started planning the Black Friday strategy in earnest. This is when things get really serious. My sister-in-law observes Black Friday as if it were a national holiday. Two years ago, she lured me on a 5:00 am Black Friday morning run to “Best Buy”, which honestly was one of the worst experiences of my entire adult life. We got just a few of the door buster specials, and then we waited in line for about 90 minutes to buy the stuff. It seemed like a wait of 90 years instead of 90 minutes! Best Buy is the siren’s song of Black Friday, and if you are not careful, you will crash on its rocks.

So last night, we sat huddled around Mom’s kitchen table drinking our discounted Pinot Noir and searching the Internet for lists of the door buster specials. Frankly, the task seemed overwhelming. We visited several of the Black Friday websites and took a look at their circulars to try to decide where we should start the day. This is a big decision. We know that we are going to fade by 9 am, so we have to plan wisely and pace ourselves. After all, Black Friday is the marathon of shopping races.

And then, a ray of hope appeared in the distant light of GOOGLE. Yes, we found a team of Black Friday shoppers who had built an excel spreadsheet from the store circulars. Granted the stuff is mostly toys and electronics, but hey, this the like finding a map when you are lost in the dessert. The spreadsheet even has codes for Mail in Rebates (MIR) and other helpful notes. This is Team Recessionista in action.

So here it is dear readers, the Black Friday Google spreadsheet. Beware, traffic on the spreadsheet is now quite heavy, so you might have to check back. To check store circulars first hand, click here.

Here are a few more helpful online resources for you to check:

That’s enough for now… 🙂