Black Friday tools, meh.

[kmealy]

A bit disappointed.   A drill/driver+impact was on my Xmas wish list.    HD has the one I wanted on Black Friday ad, $149.   It was on sale through yesterday for $139, delivered to home.   Hmmm.    The Bosch Colt was $79 at  Lowe's, originally $119 (really??).  Hmmm. I got it for $99 - 5% a couple of weeks ago.   While saving a bit, we've used it for two days.   As my wife says, "I'm not getting up at 3 am, standing in line for an hour, perhaps missing out on even getting one for $10 savings on something."

[schnewj]

Isn't it amazing how deceitful retailers are to the unsuspecting, uninformed and, yes, lazy buying public.

 

I laugh every time I see a HF add. The item is always on-sale. They list the "normal" price and the sale price. The problem is, that, the sale price is what they sell it for normally. I notice that they raise the price on an item say to $79 a few weeks before a sale and then lower it back down to the "sale price" ($59), which is what they had been selling it for earlier.

 

HF just lost a lawsuit for listing normal prices that they never sold the items for in "sale" adds. Even after losing the suit they are still doing it. A lot of retailers do this. Think your getting a deal when a jewelry store has a 50% off sale on Gold? I really doubt it!

 

Time and time again they have proved that most deals on Black Friday are not deals at all. They offer a few "lost leaders" that draw the shoppers in are gone withing the first few minutes of opening the doors. So, your wife's observation that it "isn't worth it" is spot on.

[HandyDan]

I'm a get it when I need it kind of guy.  If a sale pops up then all the better.  I do not do well in crowds.

[Wichman3]

This is why you see non stop sales in retail:

http://business.time.com/2013/04/09/the-5-big-mistakes-that-led-to-ron-johnsons-ouster-at-jc-penney/

 

 

[HARO50]

1 hour ago, HandyDan said:

I'm a get it when I need it kind of guy.  If a sale pops up then all the better.  I do not do well in crowds.

DITTO! I won't go anywhere NEAR a store having a "sale"!

John

[Grandpadave52]

Did it once one time a LONG time ago when the Day After Christmas used to be the biggie; did it because my wife said I was going to do it and I should find something to like about it.

Queued up in Target's parking lot 45 minutes before the opening time...lined up at the door 20-25 minutes prior to the trophy dash...

My assignment was to snag a shopping cart and meet her back in the Christmas section...we both were more fit then than today...

When the doors opened I had visions of the Boston Marathon or perhaps the Running of the Bulls...no doubt a sign of fear and panic was on my face....I had no idea women could run and block that fast

I survived the preliminary assault obtained a cart and proceeded to the battle front. I managed to make it to the front lines unscathed and was ordered to find a place to stand and guard the cart...

I obeyed the CO, found an obscure out of the way location (I thought at the time) conveniently located by an Emergency Exit should the battle escalate...what happened next instilled a horror in me I shall never forget...

Women of all ages and sizes literally screamed at me to get out of their way...berated me for being there to assist my wife...one even cussed me all the while items were flying off the shelves, whizzing by my head landing into assault vehicles

Maybe it was the cup of coffee in my hand I managed to cling to and I hoped to enjoy  that angered them...maybe the disbelieve and yes, even fear on my face of this crazed, mob mentality...IDK

Anyways, surviving that battle of insanity taught me a very valuable life lesson...STAY THE H3!! AWAY FROM SALES!

Edited November 23, 2017 by Grandpadave52

[kmealy]

I did manage to get the last pumpkin pie in the cooler at Costco Tuesday.  Only because I cut left instead of right.   I'm sure they had more in the back (they did have several pallets of pecan and apple in the aisle in the corner).   But I didn't have to wait 20 minutes for it to get them out and then fight the rush.

 

I did got to Joann's yesterday to get an Ott Light for my wife.   Fortunately, I did not have to have they cut any fabric.   There were carts full waiting in line.  Joann's does not have a "man bench" so the car next to me was a guy sitting there having a coffee and reading the paper while the Mrs. shopped.

 

I have heard there's ALWAYS a sale on some mattress or another.  It rotates between the models.

 

And in shopping for a car this summer, "We actually lose money on this sale because we want to keep you as a customer."   This was AFTER we told the saleswoman that my wife used to have a bunch of car dealers as customers when she was a CPA doing public accounting.   If I'd have had a gulp of coffee, I would have had to spit it out on her.  We know about holdbacks, discounts and incentives.

 

And the famous marketing/sales story about the store that could not sell any $250 coffee makers.   So they brought in one that was $495 and set it right next to it.   Then they started to sell like crazy, because it "was a real deal."

Edited November 23, 2017 by kmealy

[schnewj]

10 hours ago, Wichman3 said:

This is why you see non stop sales in retail:

http://business.time.com/2013/04/09/the-5-big-mistakes-that-led-to-ron-johnsons-ouster-at-jc-penney/

 

 

I agree and disagree with the article.

 

J C Penny killed itself four decades ago. I remember when JCP sold good quality clothes at reasonable prices, not boutique clothes. In additions, you could buy appliances, automotive, furniture, electronics, sporting goods and yes guns and hunting equipment. When they decided to consolidate their retail line, then EVERYTHING went except for the clothing, appliances and home furnishings. Then the appliances disappeared and they became the go-to place for all things shoddy and garish. The last time I bought dress shirts there (in this case Van Heusen) my 18/34 shirt sleeves fell anywhere from two inches above my wrist to halfway up my forearm. None of them fit at all.

 

It is no wonder that they have gone down the tubes, just like Sears.

[kmealy]

J C Penney has come back to appliances in the last couple of years.  Maybe too little, too late as HD, Lowe's, and Menards are now selling them.

 

My wife hopes JCP hangs around, it's one of the few places that carry tall women's clothing.  (She's 5'12")

 

 

[schnewj]

1 hour ago, kmealy said:

J C Penney has come back to appliances in the last couple of years.  Maybe too little, too late as HD, Lowe's, and Menards are now selling them.

 

My wife hopes JCP hangs around, it's one of the few places that carry tall women's clothing.  (She's 5'12")

 

 

I can appreciate this. Again, I can remember when my sister used to be able to go to JCP in the 70's, and mix and match her bikini swim suit pieces. She was able to buy a next size larger top to fit her well endowed upper body. They were the only place that would do that. An aunt who owned two women's clothing stores went to work managing the JCP women's clothing section after she sold her stores. She finally left as the quality and the "styles" were starting to deteriorate and it was no longer about anything but profit margin.

 

All I can say, is, that, she needs to buy it while she can, Keith. The latest financials for JCP are not good. Several articles I have read recently predict JCP will not be around much longer.

[Wichman3]

11 hours ago, schnewj said:

I agree and disagree with the article.

 

J C Penny killed itself four decades ago. I remember when JCP sold good quality clothes at reasonable prices, not boutique clothes. In additions, you could buy appliances, automotive, furniture, electronics, sporting goods and yes guns and hunting equipment. When they decided to consolidate their retail line, then EVERYTHING went except for the clothing, appliances and home furnishings. Then the appliances disappeared and they became the go-to place for all things shoddy and garish. The last time I bought dress shirts there (in this case Van Heusen) my 18/34 shirt sleeves fell anywhere from two inches above my wrist to halfway up my forearm. None of them fit at all.

 

It is no wonder that they have gone down the tubes, just like Sears.

My point is that a major retailer, JC Penny, made a big production of changing to a no coupon / real pricing strategy and it is credited as a major failure. No other big retailer is going to take a chance on the same thing happening, so we will be struck with the constant sale, coupon, hunt for a deal crap that everyone complains about.

[schnewj]

3 minutes ago, Wichman3 said:

My point is that a major retailer, JC Penny, made a big production of changing to a no coupon / real pricing strategy and it is credited as a major failure. No other big retailer is going to take a chance on the same thing happening, so we will be struck with the constant sale, coupon, hunt for a deal crap that everyone complains about.

I understand the point, Wichita. It was a failed strategy,  just like GM's Saturn car line pricing.

 

People like to feel like they are in control. Pat pricing doesn't allow for being able to "snag a deal" on an item at some point. Bottom line is, that, the sale, coupon, low price hunt is always going to be with us. Stores can't help but do this on occasion, for various reasons; end of the year inventory reductions, new models coming out, poor item turnover, etc., or in the case of Harbor Freight EVERYTHING is perpetually "on-sale". Psychologically, it ropes people in if they think that they are getting a deal. I some cases they are. In most cases they are not. It depends on what you are willing to accept for a lower one time sale price.

 

In my opinion, along with what you are conveying, is, that, stores like JCP,  Sears, Montgomery-Ward, all kill themselves off back in the 70's and early 80's. When they stopped becoming the go-to general merchandise stores they allowed for the rise of stores like Walmart as alternative product suppliers. We all know what has happened with that business model. It killed of the Mom and Pop stores, gave rise to low priced crappy merchandise and it has eventually killed the stores that fostered the downward spiral. M-W is no more, people won't do business with Sears anymore, JCP is teetering on the edge and probably won't last much longer.

 

Amazon is now maneuvering to become the go-to supplier of everything from soup to nuts. Walmart is struggling to emulate and keep up. I personally, hate to shop for personal items on-line. Items like clothing need to be felt, examined and tried on before you buy. On-line it is just a pig-in-a-poke. You order and hope it works.

 

The name of the game is bottom line...giant warehouses, bulk purchase pricing are all cheaper then individual storefront overhead. How many malls do you see empty? When all of the storefronts are no more and Amazon has taken over the world, you will still see; sales, coupons and hunts for lower priced deals still going on within Amazon. 

[kmealy]

Seems that in many cases, C-level management has either no retail experience or fails to keep up with the changing marketplace.  First, they make bone-headed mistakes.   Then they still walk out with their multi-million salaries and bonuses.

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

Black Friday was certainly a bust for me, I had a couple of tools on my list I was hoping to find some deals on...nada!

[Gene Howe]

We succumbed. No, we didn't subject ourselves to the madness of the in store sales. But, we did peruse Amazon's Black Friday offerings and found a TV to replace a little 32" that my tired old eyes have been straining to read the the captioning on. Better pricing than the locally advertised ones, too. Plus, no sales tax and, it's delivered.

Sometimes, lazy pays.

[schnewj]

33 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

We succumbed. No, we didn't subject ourselves to the madness of the in store sales. But, we did peruse Amazon's Black Friday offerings and found a TV to replace a little 32" that my tired old eyes have been straining to read the the captioning on. Better pricing than the locally advertised ones, too. Plus, no sales tax and, it's delivered.

Sometimes, lazy pays.

Isn't there a sign with that on it? If there isn't, there should be and I want one!

[HARO50]

There's an old German saying.....(loosely translated)... "Work makes life sweet, but laziness won't wear out your joints!"

John