Getting an early start on Christmas Shopping
Seasoned Pros at this other Holiday Contact Sport
They've prepared and many have been doing this for a few seasons
(Thanksgiving Day in the USA is November 26, 2009)
Here's my favorite link:
Where are the best Thanksgiving Weekend Sales?
Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday..
Where is YOUR favorite store to kick off your holiday shopping at? Traditionally, where have you found the best deals? Let us know here by either adding your link or voting your favorite up if its already listed.
BLACK FRIDAY 2009
Black Friday Deals Available Online NowBest Black more...1 point
Overstock.com
Find incredible bargains on top brand-name product more...0 points
Channel Data
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Thanksgiving Means Different Things To Different People
Food, Spirituality, Family, Tradition, American Football, Shopping and more..
Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, even though the Canadians celebrate it as well. This holiday means many different things to different people. Most of us are excited about a long holiday weekend off: Thanksgiving Thursday, usually the Friday after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), and then the weekend after for the Monday through Friday workers. Thanksgiving in the US usually means an elaborate meal and family get-together. Many people still practice the spirituality that was more inherent in earlier incarnations of this day of thanks. American football fans enjoy big games. Shoppers can obviously rejoice. Here are a few other pages on Thanksgiving - all put together by my fellow Squidoo-ers.-
Thanksgiving Day (A Necessary Reminder)
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I'm making this page about Thanksgiving Day because I feel that our National Holiday of Thanksgiving Day, coming up soon, is getting short shrift, with all of the too early Christmas advertising, and we may be loosing sight of the true meani...
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Tailgating Recipes and Games
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Are you searching for tailgate recipes? NCAA College Football season is here! And that means tailgate parties! It's the time of year to find new recipes and games for your friends and that special tailgating party! Food, friends, fun and football --...
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What is Thanksgiving
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If you ask someone "What is Thanksgiving," the answers you get will depend largely on whom you ask! I think by now, we are all aware that The first Thanksgiving isn't exactly what we read in our school history books. I would first like to give you th...
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Black Friday vs Cyber Monday
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Did you know Black Friday isn't the busiest shopping day of the year? It's true! The busiest shopping days often fall on the 2 weekends before Christmas. There is actually a sharp decrease in sales after Black Friday, then an increase again as Christ...
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The Complete Thanksgiving Directory
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Thanksgiving recipes, decorations, prayers, songs and original ideas! Everything you need to make a perfect Thanksgiving dinner! For flowers that bloom about our feet; For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet; For song of bird, and hum of bee; For all t...
Current Weather in my area
How much will I suffer if I hit Thanksgiving Day Sales at the shops or camp out for BlackFriday doorbusters?
Current weather conditions in Chicago, IL (60639)
Local Pollen Reports
47°F (Feels like 43°F)
Last update: 11/23/09 2:51 PM CST
Humidity: 83%Visibility: 2.0 mi
Dew Point: 42°F
UV Index: 0 (Lawn and Garden Weather)
Barometer: 30.10in steady
Moon: Rush Hour Traffic
Wind: 8mph From: Airport Conditions
Tonight
Low
Low: 42°F
Sunrise: 6:51 AM
Sunset: 4:24 PM
Tuesday
Nov 24
N/A
High: 53°F
Low: 44°F
Sunrise: 6:52 AM
Sunset: 4:23 PM
Wednesday
Nov 25
PM Showers
High: 48°F
Low: 36°F
Sunrise: 6:53 AM
Sunset: 4:23 PM
Thursday
Nov 26
Showers
High: 40°F
Low: 35°F
Sunrise: 6:54 AM
Sunset: 4:22 PM
Consumer Wisdom
Let just the turkey lose his head, while you keep yours this Thanksgiving
Man, I am just FULL of bad jokes this morning. Read a few very sane consumer tips to help you try and keep your head during this holiday shopping season.
Ben McConnel and Jackie Huba's 'Church of the Customer' blog focuses on marketing. It gives you the current news, as well as their views, along with some humourous insights..
How does this relate to shopping? Particularly shopping the Thanksgiving Day Sales and kicking off the holiday shopping season? It helps you pick out the real deals from the hype and scam when you're aware of the types of campaigns that are in vogue now, along with what the expected consumer response will be.
McConnell and Huba just post some great truisms too sometimes! For example, take their comparison of hype vs. excitement. Hype is sales driven: Excitement is value driven. Hype is overuse of adverbs: Excitement is adverb free.
There is some good, common-sense consumer information posted from time-to-time too, like their coverage of the "Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act". They informed us that retroactive rate hikes are prohibited unless you are 60 or more days delinquent, "pay to pay fees" (such as fees to pay online or on the phone) are prohibited, banks must give you 45 days notice before increasing your purchase interest rates, allows for payment within 21 days of the due date before a payment is considered late and many more INTERESTING FACTS for us consumers.
A newer and earlier start to the Holiday Season than "Black Friday"
Kicking things off on Thanksgiving Day
Read this Wikipedia article to find out statiscal data on the Christmas or holiday season around the world. Gift cards are turning out to be a more and more popular gift. Also, many people still leave Christmas shopping even as late as the day before Christmas. Still, Christmas creep has us seeing Christmas decorations next to the Halloween decorations and people going out shopping the doorbuster sales on Thanksgiving Day.
The Christmas season, the holiday seasonThe usage "holiday season" or some variation thereof is usually only used to any notable extent in the United States and Canada. Due, however, to the prevalence of celebration in these countries, this article reflects both the "Christmas season" and "holiday season" namesakes. or simply the holidays is an annual 2 to 4 month festive period that surrounds the Christmas holiday as well as other varying holidays. It is sometimes synonymous with the winter season, and is usually said to occur between October and January. It has been found to have a proportionate effect on health, compared to the rest of the year. Its reference and naming by schools and governments has been the subject of controversy. It incorporates a period of shopping which comprises a peak season for the retail sector (the "Christmas shopping season"), and a period of sales at the end of the season (the "January sales").
The exact definition, name, and celebratory method of the period varies from culture to culture. According to Yanovski et al., in the United States the season "is generally considered to begin with Thanksgiving and end after New Year's Day". According to Axelrad, the season in the United States encompasses at least Christmas and New Year's Day, and also includes Saint Nicholas Day. The U.S. Fire Administration defines the winter holiday season as the period from December 1 to January 7. According to Chen et al., in China the Christmas/winter holiday season "is generally considered to begin with the winter solstice and end after the Lantern Festival". Some stores and shopping malls advertise their Christmas merchandise beginning after Halloween or even in late October, alongside Halloween items. In the UK Christmas food appears on supermarket shelves as early as September.
The precise definition of feasts and festival days that are encompassed by the Christmas/winter holiday season has become controversial over recent decades. Traditionally, the only holidays included in the "season" were Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (in some countries), New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Three Kings Day. In recent times, this definition has begun to expand to include Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Due to the phenomenon of Christmas creep and the informal inclusion of American Thanksgiving, the "winter" holiday season has begun to extend into late autumn, which may include the holidays of Thanksgiving and Halloween. (See also list of winter festivals.)
Thanksgiving Day Shopping
November 27, 2008 - Chicago, IL
Is this what you'll be doing for Thanksgiving 2009?
This Thanksgiving, will you be doing this?
Enjoying a nice meal with friends and family
Warm and cozy in the comfort of your home. Maybe you'll watch some American football or the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Maybe you'll sleep off that huge turkey dinner you ate. At any rate, you won't be shopping!
Ham, Turkey, Yorkshire 'Pud
A Vegan Thanksgiving
Dinner Rolls
The Thanksgiving Turkey
The table is set
Macaroni and Cheese (3 Cheeses)
Pumpkin Pie
Friends & Family
A day of gluttony
Post-Thanksgiving Football
Forget shopping, I'm eating turkey!
There's more than enough time to shop until Christmas
For those of you who WON'T be shopping this Thanksgiving, I've put together another lens you may be more interested in, its all about how to cook the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey. Or this?
You'll be shopping, but you're not getting cold!
There is a more sane way to go shopping on both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Psst, you don't have to leave the comfort of your home either!
Shopping online.
Shopping AND cooking
Or This?
Have you got what it takes to go hardcore shopping?
I see some of these people are properly camping out with tents and all!
Glendora Best Buy, Thanksgiving Eve
Ontario Best Buy, Thanksgiving eve
Perusing the sale papers.
Black Friday, Best Buy - 3:00 am
Circuit City, 5:00 am, Black Friday
Black Friday, 5:00 am
Black Friday, 2004
Black Friday Target
Target Black Friday
This was at like 5pm, do these people even have Thanksgiving dinner or what? The...
Best Buy Black Friday
The Apple Store, NYC, Black Friday
Black Friday 2007, Best Buy 5:30 am. Despite the huge lines, employees kept ...
Staples Black Friday
Macy's Black Friday, 2008
Some Training Scenarios You Can Use For Defense
Get creative and protect your quarterback, your twinkie or your doorbuster item.
The Simple Life - Thanksgiving becoming a non-holiday holiday?
What is next for Thanksgiving Day Shopping?
This excellent blog post from Syracuse.com on Thanksgiving Day Retail Facts, History and Future Predictions offers some interesting grocery sales facts for the Thanksgiving holiday (provided by Nielsen) as well as some predictions on where the Thanksgiving Day shopping trend is headed. Originally only done by Big Lots and K-Mart, more and more stores are opening up on T-day. Syracuse.com even encouraged its readers to twitter line reports, sales items and funny stories to them. Good idea! Turkey Tweets
Recognizing the call of the wild shopping turkey
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- lordprofits
- RT @doschicostees: Thanksgiving Day Sale - 20% Off Tees - http://eepurl.com/ffte
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- loumetroparks
- Seneca GC is having a Pre-Thanksgiving Day Sale today-tomorrow. 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. 20-50% off all items in the pro shop. 458-9298 /Jon
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- doschicostees
- Thanksgiving Day Sale - 20% Off Tees - http://eepurl.com/ffte
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- VoucherCodes2U
- RT @SandiKruise Thanksgiving day sale for all CE courses on www.kruise.com use coupon / voucher code: THANKS to receive 10% off your purc..
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- SandiKruise
- Thanksgiving day sale for all CE courses on www.kruise.com use coupon / voucher code: THANKS to receive 10% off your purchase this weekend!
A Wider View Of Things
What else is being said about Thanksgiving Day Sales Online
- Feedmysearch needs your opinion, help and advice
- Dear feedmysearch user, Feedmysearch would require some serious server upgrade and a bit of developm...
My Hand-Picked Thanksgiving Sales Directory!
Plan your strategy whether you're staying in or not.
I run an online shopping website a called Centsible.net. Every year I devote one page of site specifically to Online Thanksgiving Day Sales. I mark all the deals by department (family clothing, intimates, jewelry, electronics, giftable items, toys, etc..). I then mark them all by the time they'll be onsale (separating the all-day deals from those that finish by noon, or 9:00am or start at 5:00am, etc.. I do this for all the stores that are represented at my site so you can look at all the menswear doorbuster deals for example and decide where the best prices are.. Check it out! Of course its my favorite Thanksgiving Day Sales link..PS - The deals won't be up until I get wind of them. This probably won't be 'til November. Feel free to check back in October though!
A few things to remember if you're overnighting for doorbuster sales
You'll be glad you thought of these Extreme Shopping strategies
Don't go alone - That's just silly. What are you going to do when you have to use the toilet? You'll lose your place if you haven't got a partner with you to hold your place in line! It might be kind of dangerous to just fall asleep surrounded by strangers as well: you should take shut-eye in turns with your diehard shopping buddy.
Bring along things to keep you warm and cuddly - this could be blankets, sleeping bags, portable heaters, coffee, balaklavas, snuggies, you name it.
What will you do with your blankies? - You want to be sure to stash your camping gear in time to make it for the mad dash when the store opens its doors! Have your buddy drive the car up about an hour before opening time so you can pack your travel essentials away in the car.
What about when nature calls? - Seriously! I've never spent the night outdoors waiting for doorbuster sales, so I really don't know what everyone does! I doubt that stores will provide port-o-potties (please someone, let me know if they DO though!). Going behind the bushes? OUT! Holding it? For 13 hours!? Devise a plan. Maybe this will involve a trip to a nearby fast food restaurant while your partner holds down the fort. Again, don't try this trick alone folks!!
Keeping up appearances - OK, I know people that spend the night on the sidewalk waiting for a doorbuster sale are absolute foaming-at-the-mouth lunatics, but don't you want to have nice sparkly teeth behind that foam? Don't forget to pack an overnight bag! Maybe bring some deodorant, a pre-pasted toothbrush, comb, razor for the guys, undereye concealer for the gals, change of underwear, you get the picture..
Think about your evening as you would a camping trip or tailgating party and you'll probably be successful!!!
For Diehard Shoppers
If you're going to wait overnight to take advantage of the best "doorbusters", try to have some fun and think of it as a camping trip or tailgating party!
Strength Training In Progress
Is this guy getting ready for Thanksgiving Day Sales or Black Friday Doorbuster shopping?
Wait In Comfort
Be prepared to make the dash when the doors open
Also, don't forget your Snuggie! This would be the ideal use for one!
Coleman Oversized Quad Chair with Cooler, Blue
Amazon Price: $35.02 (as of 11/23/2009) 
Stansport Portable Outdoor Butane Heater
Amazon Price: $39.77 (as of 11/23/2009)
Gasone Butane Fuel Canister (4pack)
Amazon Price: $11.90 (as of 11/23/2009)
Snuggie Fleece Blanket As Seen On TV
Amazon Price: $18.49 (as of 11/23/2009)
Thermos Nissan 14-Ounce Leak-Proof Insulated Travel Mug
Amazon Price: $18.75 (as of 11/23/2009)
Turkey Care Package
Maybe you can talk a family member into dropping off a care package from your family's Thanksgiving Dinner for you!
The Uniform of Champions
Make sure you have the proper clothing
Snuggie Hunter Green
Amazon Price: $18.49 (as of 11/23/2009)
The snuggie became a cult clothing item after television adverts that were originally ridiculed. Snuggies became a staple for pub crawls and I expect to see alot of them at Thanksgiving Extreme Shopping Campouts. The whole thing just fits.
Keep Yourself Fed Well
Don't starve yourself if you're waiting for the doorbusters
The coffee machine can plug in to your car's cigarette lighter for power. The cooker makes use of Instastart technology for matchless lighting and makes use of propane pressure control.
Kelty Toto (Green Chili/Steel)
Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009)
Koolatron 12V 10-Cup Portable Coffeemaker
Amazon Price: $36.99 (as of 11/23/2009)
Coleman Heat'N Serve Portable Cooker- Red
Amazon Price: $69.99 (as of 11/23/2009)
MINNESOTA VIKINGS Team Logo Plastic / Paper PARTY PACK for 24 People ( Plates, Napkins , Cups , Forks )
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 11/23/2009)
You'd hope your neighbor in line thought of this too!
Don't get there and realize you forgot about this!!
PS - the bathroom tissue can double for your runny nose if you get a cold out there!
Handy Solutions Toothbrush/toothpaste Kit Crest, Packages (Pack of 8)
Amazon Price: $11.25 (as of 11/23/2009)
Sanitation Equipment Visa 268 Deluxe Portable Toilet
Amazon Price: $114.99 (as of 11/23/2009)
Crest Pro-Health Rinse Refreshing Clean Mouthwash, Mint Flavor - 36 ml (package may vary)
Amazon Price: $0.68 (as of 11/23/2009)
Alba Botanica - Tea Tree Stick Deodorant 0.5 oz - Trial Size Products
Amazon Price: $2.50 (as of 11/23/2009)
Charmin Bathroom Tissue Plus a Touch of Lotion with Aloe, 8 Giant Rolls (Pack of 5)
Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009)
Give us a little advice.
I'm sure I've left out something.
I've never done this doorbusting thing outside the comfort of my own home, so I'm hoping SOMEONE has some first-hand advice they'd like to give. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe you'd like to vote a particularly clever comment up. Go ahead!
A Yahoo! group on Thanksgiving Day Shopping
Strength Comes In Numbers
Online, Doorbuster or Not At All
What sort of a Thanksgiving shopper are you?
Do you hit the Thanksgiving Day sales? Online or in person? Do you have a dinner and then head straight out to spend Thanksgiving night on the streets awaiting Black Friday Doorbusters? Do you not shop at all? How come?
What is the best way to shop Thanksgiving Weekend Sales
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byIn person - camping out or fighting the crowd is the way to go!
lakern26 says:
My sister and I have always gone shopping on Black Friday. It can be a lot of fun! No matter how much we love the hustle and bustle, though, you'll never find us camping outside!
Posted August 07, 2009
Either online or not at all. Prices will drop.
Its Not Worth Dying Over
Remember that its not worth your health or anyone else's if you get that special deal! Calm it down!
Do you have any tips on shopping the Thanksgiving Day Sales?
Share them here!
I can't be everywhere at once. Try as I may to give everyone the most inclusive shopping deals, I can't get it all. Do you have any tips or inside info on this year's Thanksgiving Day Sales? Share them here!
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Reply
- Tipi Tipi Oct 30, 2009 @ 12:31 pm
- Cool lens!
Blessed by a Squid Angel today!
Best wishes,
Susie
Do you have any expert sales shopping advice?
Let us know about it on your own lens!
Have you ever been to a doorbuster sale?
And what did you think?
Here I am, the person who put this lens together and I've NEVER been to a doorbuster sale. All of this advice is how I WOULD prepare to spend the night on the sidewalk. My advice is probably pretty good because, although I'm not YOUR mother I am a mother and that just makes me infinitely knowledgeable about things like care packages and how to be prepared. Anyways, let us know if you've been to a pre-dawn doorbuster sale and what you thought about it.
PS - The closest I've got to one of these things was attending the IKEA Schaumburg's Christmas shopping special where the first 100 people in the door (dressed as a Christmas pressie) got a $100 IKEA gift card. Was I dressed as a gift? Bows and all! Was it cold? It was December in Chicago: of course it was freezing cold. What time did I go there - 2 hours before the doors opened, 7:00am. I thought I was early, but the line snaked its way all the way through the parking lot with well over 100 people by the time my friend and I arrived. Quizzing a few brave souls at the head of the line, we learned they'd been there since the previous afternoon. I just left, extremely amazed that people would subject themselves to that. Public humiliation is one thing, but I've gotta draw the line somewhere!
Check out my other lenses on holiday shopping.
From Thanksgiving Day Sales to Black Friday, Cyber Monday to After Christmas Sales
If you enjoyed this coverage on holiday shopping tips, you may also be interested in the other holiday shopping lenses I've put together. Check them out!-
Liquidation Sales Tricks - Focus On Linens 'N Things
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All Linens N Things stores set to close by January 1, 2009 On October 19, 2008, Linens N Things announced via email that it would be shutting its doors permanently. Liquidation sales had begun 2 days previous to that, on October 17. As of January 10...
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Shop The After Christmas Sales
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Most people are caught up in a shopping frenzy during the days preceding Christmas. It makes sense to limit your shopping during these days though. Gift shopping doesn't need to be a big deal. Purchase a few thoughtful presents for those close to yo...
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Black Friday Shopping
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Is it worth it to get up at the crack of dawn on a cold November 27 morning to get some good deals? The deals are phenomenal often, but the crowds can be dangerous and a little scary too! See what to expect for Black Friday shopping, find out what sa...
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Shopping Online With Centsible.net
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Centsible.net is my own website, coded from scratch by myself. Even Centsible's graphics were designed by myself on Microsoft Paint. I bought the domain name Centsible.net on my birthday back in 2004. Now, in 2009, I work from home while I take care...
What did you think about the information presented here on Thanksgiving Day
Do you have a game plan now?
Please let me know what you thought about my contact-sport coverage of shopping the Thanksgiving Day Sales!
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Reply
- LauraSchofield LauraSchofield Aug 7, 2009 @ 4:58 pm | in reply to lakern26
- Thanks! You know, I think I've almost convinced myself whilst writing this to give the camping thing a try this year. Almost.. If I do, I'll definitely document it and ham it up to the fullest! I bet you could make it an amusing adventure with enough preparation. The cold weather up here scares me though. And that bathroom situation must be bad. I don't know if I could find a willing partner to hold my place in line!
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Reply
- lakern26 lakern26 Aug 7, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
- Wonderful lens! Very funny and surprisingly thorough coming from someone whose never been BF shopping. Love the centsible.net link, too, and plan to check it out. 5*
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by LauraSchofield
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