Consumerist: mob shopping

Be Prepared For Black Friday

Ben Popken — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:28:31 EST

Before embarking on America's asinine adventure in mob consumerism this Friday, use the checklist inside to make sure you're ready. We've got:

• Price Matching Policies
• Store Hours
• Easy shopping list compiler.
• Common sense advice you'll smack yourself for forgetting
• And more.

The madness, the glory, the Black Friday checklist, inside...

Print out store price matching policies : Many retailers offer price matching, which can cut down on the number of stops you need to make. Keep a copy of these guidelines on hand if a store employee gives you static.
• Circuit City's "Price Protection & Price Guarantee"
• Best Buy's Price Guarantee (price matching voids rebates!)
• CompUSA's Low Price Guarantee
• Sears Price Matching Plus Policy
• Staples' Price-Match Policy

Write down what you're buying in advance : Bfads even offers you a shopping list feature for compiling your items.

Keep a copy of the real-world Black Friday print circulars: If you're pricematching, you'll have a harder time wielding a computer printout.

Know the Store Hours! : Find out which stores are running "Early Bird", or "Door Buster" promotions, and when their Black Friday sales officially start. Check this list of Black Friday store opening hours.

Reality Check : Research the web first to make sure going to the store is really a good deal.

Read the fine print : Look out for asterisks,
rebates, or other hidden agendas impeding you from receiving the listed price.

Be sure to check out our post on the Best Black Friday deals, a nifty trick for skipping Black Friday lines, and surviving the wait outside the store. — BEN POPKEN

CompUSA Stays Open Thanksgiving Night

Ben Popken — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 10:45:10 EST

CompUSA announced plans to open from 9am to midnight on Thanksgiving night, giving it, and its customers, a jump on Black Friday.

Christmas Creep, indeed.

"The holidays are over commercialized as it is," Joy Weaver, an ethics writer, said. "To take us away from our families and away from giving thanks just so they can make another dollar is wrong."

Who says it has to be so divisive? Why not bring the whole family along for some quality shopping time. They can stand in line for you, fan out for deals, run and screen plays when dashing for the last $100 laptop. — BEN POPKEN

CompUSA to Reopen on Thanksgiving Night [Chicago Tribune]

Smack Deal Of The Day

Ben Popken — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 12:52:25 EST

Jellyfish's Smack Deal of the Day goes on at 1pm. It's like Woot! except a reverse auction: as units sell, the price goes down. The game is to buy the product at the lowest price possible.

Today's is a Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3.0 Keyboard & Mouse, starting at $64.91 with free shipping.

Previous Smack Deals had XBox360s with $151.67 cash back, and a 80gb video iPod with $144.58 cash back.

Jellyfish posts each day's deals at 12:45 pm ET every day on their blog.

Nice to see some innovation in the mob-shopping sphere.— BEN POPKEN

Smack Deal Of The Day [Jellyfish] (Thanks to Keith!)