Ahhhh, cheating is such fun

I have a friend that I know that loves Black Friday.  She thinks it's the greatest creation ever.  The thrill of the hunt, getting up early, grabbing a bargain that someone else might not get, all of that stuff makes her giddy (at least that's what I would call it from what I can tell).

Me on the other hand, I'm no big fan of the Black Friday mania.  I know others are, and I hope they enjoy it this season.  As I type this the people that like Black Friday are probably snoozing a little, taking a nap, getting ready to bundle up and go out and wait in a line somewhere for some super-early Black Friday special(s).  Heck, I was tempted a little myself (I get tempted, but the temptation normally isn't great enough to compel me to join the madness), seeing a 32" Emerson LCD TV at Wally World (Wal-Mart) advertised for Black Friday was a bit tempting, though my wife would shoot me if I bought another TV or TV related item into the house

But, that doesn't mean I'm not participating a bit...

I saw a Blu-ray DVD+/-RW PC drive advertised at Best Buy for $99 on Friday/Saturday, limited count in the stores, etc.  Same drive would have cost me a similar amount if ordered online at TigerDirect.com or any other retailer.  Hmmm, and I happened to have some Best Buy RewardZone certificates to use up too!  Oh, and a $10 gift certificate that I bought from there (a limited edition gift certificate, this year Best Buy's limited edition gift cert is a real, cheap, but real, tinny sounding speaker that plugs into say an iPod or similar type device and plays sound from said device.  Again, not great, but a neat limited edition 'toy', so I had gotten one).  So, if I got the drive at Best Buy I'd be able to use some pseudo-cash to help make the savings even better there.  Hmmm, not bad at all.  Almost enough to make me want to get up early and go see if I could get one of the "minimum 4 per store" of these items.  Almost.

If only there was a way to avoid having to wake up early.  I really hate waking up early.  Even the thought of saving $40 - $60 (or more) doesn't really appeal to me more than blessed sleep and a warm bed.  (You know, if Black Friday was in the middle of the summer, when it's about 70 degrees at night, nice cool and mild, I might not feel the same way...)

Hey, wait!  BestBuy.com seems to have the same price and I can just order there.  I can't do In Store pick-up of the item (that really would be cheating as it would mean I just snagged one of the minimum 4 items without having to wait in the lines just by ordering it online....), but... what's this?!?!  I can just order it online and get FREE SHIPPING!!!  Woo hooo!  So, in effect, well, I did avoid the lines, didn't prevent anyone that might wait in the lines in front of the store from getting the deal and yet got to pay the same price I would have paid if I ordered online and did in store pick-up.  Can't avoid the tax man either way, and must wait a few days for the shipping to happen, but I'm not rushed to get this drive and really didn't want to have to go out anywhere to get it.  Score!

I really didn't see much by way of Black Friday deals that I felt compelled to try to take advantage of.  I'm sure there are some cool deals out there, but I'd rather be home sleeping.  I'll be happy to get my cheap drive from Fed-Ex delivery (or UPS or whomever) and can just stay home and stay warm.  Bless the web and e-commerce

Before I close this short article -- I should note that while I do value my sleep and would prefer to sleep over perhaps saving $40 - $60, there is a certain price point/potential savings amount that would convince me to get my lazy butt up.  It might even be less than $40 - $60, rather than more, but the one important point would probably be that the savings would need to be GUARANTEED rather than simply being a chance to save that much (or I'd need to be guaranteed to get the item I want at the sale price, etc.)  That's one of the things I hate most about Black Friday -- limited quantities and limited opportunities to get the deals.  I'm no fool and I know that the deals are limited enough that unless you are one of the first persons in the line you might miss the deal entirely.  Thanks, but no thanks.  In those cases I'd rather stay home and let others fight for a chance at a bargain.