Black Friday
If there's one thing people like more than holiday shopping, it's holiday bargains. And no day is better for that than Black Friday. Black Friday is that mythical day-after-Thanksgiving when all the stores lower their prices, open at the wee hours of the morning, and brace for the onslaught. Like many others, I am one of those crazy people that enjoy getting up at 4 in the morning in search of a Christmas bargain. In the real world, you bolt up from your turkey coma bright and early, stuff your purse with newspaper ads and department store circulars and gird yourself for the inevitable shopping crowds of this notorious post-holiday holiday. PriceGrabber.com released a list of its best selling items from Black Friday. The items are broken down into best overall product sales, top categories for 2007 and for comparison PG throws in top selling categories from 2006 as well.
The top selling products according to PriceGrabber.com for Black Friday this year include:
1. Nintendo Wii Console
2. Microsoft Zune 30GB Media Player - Brown
3. TomTom ONE 3rd Edition GPS
4. Activision Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock Bundle
5. Canon PowerShot SD1000 Silver Digital Camera
6. Microsoft Office 2004 Student and Teacher
7. Western Digital My Book Essential Edition External 500GB Hard Drive
8. Magellan Maestro 3100 GPS
9. Canon PowerShot SD750 Digital Camera
10. Canon EOS Regel XTi Black SLR Digital Camera
Top Product categories from Black Friday 2007:
1. Plasma & LCD TVs
2. Digital Cameras
3. GPS Navigation Systems
4. Toys
5. MP3 Players
6. Laptops
7. Wii
8. Shoes
9. Women's Handbags
10. Computer Flash Memory
Top product categories 2006:
1. Digital Cameras
2. Plasma & LCD TVs
3. MP3 Players
4. Toys
5. Laptops
6. Women's Handbags
7. GPS Navigation Systems
8. Fine Jewelry & Watches
9. Living Room Furniture
10. Xbox 360
Many people are pessimistic about if the deals are worth-while. From my personal experience this year, I think it is definitely worth the chaos. I bought a cashmere sweater for $20 (originally $60), an LCD 42-inch Panasonic TV for $1200 (originally $2500), and the Magic Bullet for $19! (Originally $59.) I think the key to a successful shopping experience on Black Friday is having the products you want picked out the night before, have the coupons in order, and map out the stores you will go to. Talk about a Merry Christmas!