Do you shop on Black Friday? Or, do you bury your head in the sand and avoid all the craziness? Why? Why not?

I am never a big fan of shopping, let alone on a day when a zillion people are out doing the same thing, but I am pretty tempted to shop online this year: http://blackfriday2009sale.info

Shopping ... I hate shopping, unless it's for computer hardware (but I don't always need that).

You're lucky the Christmas shopping season starts at the end of November. In Britain, we had Christmas and Halloween items side by side on the shelves!

I'm with TexMex -- I don't enjoy shopping much; too many people. Maybe if I could be the only one in the store, I'd put up with more of it.

And, here in N.S. Canada, we too had hallowe'en junk and xmas junk side by side. The xmas advertising and shelf-stocking starts far too early IMO and earlier every year it seems :/

Sasha

I say they combine Halloween Thanksgiving and Christmas into one mega celebration, then they can have it all on display, everyone will celebrate and buy and drink and eat and pass out. People can trick or treat as they sing Christmas carols, and give thanks at the same time. And eat and drink some more.

Nope I am just too poor. Even if I had some cash to spare, then I would rather donate to Patrick & Co. and LQ, which I REALLY wanted to do already for the past year or so. *sigh*

As far as I'm concerned, if the economy is 'picking up' as they say, even though I don't see what they base it on, since unemployment is 10%+, yet the dow is now 10,000+ for some odd reason, well then it is not *MY* responsibility to help the economy. Let the dumbMasses spend THEIR own money (which they really don't have, and will most likely use a cc again, which was a factor in getting us in this mess besides the sub prime debacle) on crap that they don't need anyways, and take the time to pay off 30% interest off their own credit cards afterwards. I have enough of my own problems as it is, with my financial aid running out at the near end of my graduation, and will have to take a private loan.

Whatever I will end up buying will be from now on purely out of necessity, like a new computer, food, etc. And to reiterate, whatever cash I do plan to spend freely will have to be truly for something worth it, such as LQ and a subscription to Slackware. Maybe this Xmas I hope I will get some cash, and that would also be my xmas gift to LQ and Pat & Co. Screw everything and everybody else!

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Oh, and I also hate shopping too!

My favorite vantage point of "shopping craziness" is either to do volunteer holiday gift-wrapping at the local REI store on Christmas Eve, or to nurse a latte outside the mall jewelry-store and watch the frantic husbands (or hopefuls).

"Black Friday" is small-potatoes compared to that show!

Shopping onlime may be a good choice without going out!

Why shopping anyways? I don't feel obligated to help the economy. Screw it. If someone else is picking up the slack, then that means I don't have to. It means that my money stays in my pocket. Besides, I find it best to just give small gift cards out to family and or friends anyways, rather than take the trouble to find something that most likely will be returned later or traded in. Its all a hassle.

I prefer cash given to me as a gift anyways.

I agree for the most part. This whole consumerism stuff is for the birds. xmas should be xmas, if you are prone to celebrating it for what it is; not a shopping excuse.

SVA

Hate to say it but, yes! i need a new external floppy drive.

Nah, lets get rid of all this Christian nonsense and get back to celebrating the Winter festival of Yule instead.

Right... so, who's turn is it to bring the sacrificial virgin?
WHAT?... not allowed sacrificial virgins anymore?
Right well, er... how about a goat? we can still sacrifice goats can't we?...
Oh good grief! no goats either eh?... So what are we allowed?...
"A chocolate cake in the shape of a log with a plastic Robin stuck on top?"...
Wonderful.

LOL, indeed probably no goats either :/

Anyone catch the news story lately about the "Crusta-stun" ?? It's basically an electric chair for lobsters, so they don't have to "..suffer the horrible death of being put live into a pot of boiling water.." :/ :/ :/

It's alleged to be "more humane". The home or small business version is about $3500.00 CDN and the industrial size model is about $100,000.00 CDN.

I think that neither model would accommodate a goat..

Sasha

Bah humbug eh? Well, to each his/her own, personally I like getting my shopping for gifts done early so that I can go out on the busy shopping days and watch everyone else run around like cuckoo.

Haven't made up my mind about Friday yet, have a lot of other things to do, decorate the house, put up the lights, writing xmas cards...

Don't wait until black friday. Some good deals are out there right now. One of which I'm looking at is...

Kodak 8GB High Speed Secure Digital (SDHC) Card $17

Not a bad deal at all.