I don't know. I do graphic arts for a living, and "HD" is a very subjective term. I've never seen an HD set at Target that looked worth buying. It's probably 720p, which is a very low level of "HD" quality.

I don't know about all that *Spacekat* but maybe for the holidays Target will carry better brands, if they don't already at your local store.

For some reason the Black Friday nonsense makes me uncomfortable. I would never go out at 5 am to wait in line for something.

Not even for a $600 laptop for only 200 bucks

It's all about the sense of adventure TS. I go just about every year.

A $600 laptop for $200? With Windows 7 on it, I wonder? Do you have a link?

I am not a M$ fan, but I wouldn't mind having a Windows box around.

That was my exaggeration *Spacekat* I wish I could find one with that much money off. I've already got a great laptop but you can't beat that deal.

Black Friday can give you some good deals but when you think about getting up that early just to stand in long lines for 2 hours or so until the store opens, it's cold, with agitated people that are ready to literally run to a section of the store, it's makes you give it a second thought.

Some people can get violent on black Friday all because they can get a few buck off an item.

Thanks, Pink! I love Black Friday specials.

And I recently bought a new TV. I wound up going with one from Best Buy, but the vast majority of the ones at Target were 1080p.

You're welcome *lilkim* I hope you find some great deals next week!

I got a flyer that the JCrew outlet is having 40% off sale before 8am on Friday!

Thanks, Pink! I am scoping the deals that have leaked online, but my family (well, my mom, my sister, and I) usually looks through all of the sale papers on Thanksgiving and makes our plan of attack then. It's become a fun tradition (and a great way to spend the time when we are sitting around, recovering from our big meal).

"plan of attack"... is the right words to use. That's why you see more women than men in the stores. The women already have a plan the week before and then they make it even better on Thanksgiving when they do a little plan revive - so they can move faster in the store.

Men are good for taking the bags to the car while you continue shopping. And I think that's all the men really want to do anyway. Snatching and grabbing items is not their thing on black Friday.

If BCBG is having a good sale, I might go brave black Friday. I really need more winter clothes since I live in Boston now, and their line this year is just awesome - the best in years.

But as for electronics? Apple tends to work on their own schedule, and they rarely have sales - so it doesn't really appeal to me.

I like to go at night on Black Friday... the crowds are gone but a lot of the deals are still there.

Sometimes the stores don't carry enough. I think if they did there wouldn't be such a ruckus going on. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy know that people are going to be line up very early AND showing up late. But still sometimes they don't order enough of their sale items.

I never tend to need whats on sale... big screen TVs, GPSes, etc... I don't usually buy that stuff so the deals don't usually apply to me.

Though the 3 dollar appliances sound interesting! I'm asking for a slow cooker for myself for Christmas!

There's going to be a lot of people grabbing those $3 appliances and cheap TV's.

Oh, and lets not forget those cheap clothes for children. Women are going to be grabbing clothes for next year.

i think if i brave black friday i'll have to go it alone.

my husband is an amazing guy, but he has boundaries.

Yeah, the men in my family don't go, either. The men in your family are brave, Pink, even if they just carry the bags!

Haus, a lot of the time they put out more of the toys, etc. later in the day, so going late can still be good, as long as you're not looking for any of the big ticket items.

Men look so tired out and frustrated. But you don't see many of them speaking a lot, except to say "yes honey, no honey, they don't have anymore - yes I'm sure - yes I honestly went back over to that department, okay is the last of the bags you want taken out to the trunk this time, bye

Good men are so patient and they are truly tested on black Friday and one week before Christmas when their woman is not done shopping.

I totally agree. I took mine to the Boston Prudential Center yesterday, and he hauled around bags of shoes, my MacBook, and other loot for me all day. He's so great about basically being relegated to Pack mule.

What on earth would Wal-Mart even sell for a Black Friday? I haven't been in one in a decade - but are they deals on shotguns or something?

So far I know that WalMart has a ton of toys on sale. But I think it's ridiculous that they don't come down on their video game prices. You can get a better deal daily at the GameStop store.

Both the PS3 and the XBox 360 just had massive price cuts this year. It's skyrocketed them above the Wii for the first time. Nintendo made 1/3 as much this year as last year, so there's no reason for them to do anything. The PSPgo needs to come down $100 to be competitive, though. I'd like to see that.

There are so many great games out right now, it's ridiculous. Uncharted 2, Dragon Age, Forza 3, Left for Dead 2, DJ Hero. I can barely chip away at them.

I can understand them leaving the game console price alone but the $50 games need to be lower for a day or two. They can't sell them if they're much cheaper elsewhere...everyday,

Wal Mart actually is continuing their business strategy of taking on Best Buy, so they have a ton of deals on electronics. A few years back they focused on toys to knock out Toys r Us and it worked!

I got a great deal there on a trampoline for my sister's stepkids (they were her boyfriend's kids at the time) two years ago.

I think Toys R Us is an awful place to get toys. They did a report on them not long ago, expressing how much more their toys cost and at the wrong time. Some places would advertise one price in the paper and then when customers would get to the stores Toys R Us acted as if they didn't want to give the sale price.

Wal-Mart might want to take on Best Buy - but are they selling anime? Apple gear? Do they sell internal computer components? I just don't think the average small-town red state shopper is in the market for these things.

They actually don't have Wal-Mart here in Boston. I don't know if it's because their business practices are so deplorable they aren't allowed here (big box stores are discouraged), or if it's because no one would shop there.

I also agree that Toys R Us sucks. I've bought my husband many a Star Wars toy there, but they are overpriced.

skg, walmart does sell ipods and iphones. Their electronics department is pretty big, they sell all the usual tvs, gps, dvd players, digital cameras, etc. I haven't the faintest idea what being a small town red state shopper has to do with buying electronics, but besides that walmsrts aren't just in red state small towns.

No WalMart in Boston! Dang, I thought Wally World was everywhere

Well, in my mind, the blue state places I've lived - San Francisco, Washington DC and Boston, have had cultures that revolve around youth and education. There must be 6 colleges within 3 miles of me here in Brookline, including Harvard and BU. Youth culture seems synonymous with Apple gear, anime, computers, video games - etc.

At least to me.

That's cool that Wal-mart sells iPods. I haven't been in one in years. I guess they really are mainstream now!

I should also say, you had to go to Pentagon City to find a big box store when I lived in DC, and I don't remember there being Wal-marts. In San Fran, they are on the outskirts - like in Palo Alto, but they also don't exist in the city.

Walmart also sells video games and computers. If they weren't in the cities you lives in in the past, it's almost guaranteed it's because of local regulations and not because people wouldn't shop there, regardless of how hip, blue, youth-culture-oriented, whatever the area is.

I don't generally shop there (but my parents do, so I end up there over the holidays). Obviously there's enough fodder for sites like peopleofwalmart.com, but it's not like they only sell shotguns and cheap beer to rednecks.

i would think its because the rent is far too high for a store the size of wal mart to be in a city... do you normally see Target in cities? Sears? Kmart? I can't think of one but who knows.

Wal Mart has been working on redesigning stores to make them more pleasant and actually, it is a lot nicer than it used to be. I think the goal is to have them all remodeled by the end of 2010.

Oh God, that Peopleofwalmart site is awesome. And so true.

I remember buying a decent Nvidia GPU at Wal-mart come to think of it. So, I agree with you. And I'd also suspect that because land is more expensive in real cities, it's cost prohibitive to a company like Wal-mart - who doesn't even want to pay its employees a living wage.

But let's not kid ourselves - Wal-marts are filled with rednecks buying "cheap beer and shotguns." At least, they were in Mississippi when I used to go there.

There are many Targets in Boston, HausFrau. And in San Francisco.

spacekat - when is the last time you set foot in a Wal-Mart in MS?

I'd guess about 6 years ago? 7, maybe? It's been a while. Why?

According to Target's and Walmart's store locators, there are no locations for either store in San Francisco proper. The closest Target is in Colma, the closest Walmart is in Oakland.

Because I am from MS. Born and raised. And this is the third or forth time you've made references to redneck hicks. Quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing it. To me, it's as derogatory as the N word.

The people of MS and other states in the South are not a bunch of redneck hicks. We are normal everyday people who happen to work hard for ourselves and our families. So what if we shop at Wal-Mart? Who cares.

Please quit calling Southern people rednecks.

According to Target's website, there are also no locations in Boston proper, though there are in the suburbs like Dorecester and Somerville.

Haus, rent is probably also an issue. Enough space for a walmart or target plus parking would be insanely expensive in a downtown area.

But I think some cities have successfully banned stores over a certain size. I know in San Diego they did something fancy like, no stores over 100,000 square feet with with more than a certain percentage devoted to grocery stores, so they can have walmarts and targets but not the "Super" kind with a grocery section.

Mazel Tov. My parents were born there too, Dad in Magee where a bunch of black Civil Rights workers were murdered by police. I spent a decade there, and graduated from Ole Miss. I've had many a weekend in the Grove, I love eating on the Square, I think Jackson is one of the most fun places I've ever lived - and I liked being able to drive everywhere.

But, I'm also entitled to my opinion.

Well, I certainly wouldn't say the word redneck is as offensive as the n-word. For example, you typed out "redneck" but chose to use a euphemism for the other.

Beyond that, I don't live in the South, but I'm still an every day person who works hard for myself and my family.

But it is wildly inaccurate to characterize Walmart shoppers as small town red state shoppers who have no interest in things like Apple products, anime, or computer components. They make $12 billion a year, it's not just from selling shotguns and camo t-shirts.

I don't think anyone is claiming that. it would be absurd to claim that. But, these products are clearly not their primary market.

There are now several big chain stores in DC proper. There's a Target and a Best Buy in Columbia Heights. The closest Wal-Mart is only about a 15 minute drive or so, if that.

I remember reading once that Wal Mart is the #1 retailer of ipods in the U.S., but I'm not sure where I read it. I'll try to find it again.

Also, until very recently, the Wal Mart in Ohio, where my parents live, didn't even sell beer.

And, just to point out, to me, Wal Marts are full of people who are living on strict budgets, some living paycheck to paycheck, and some who can't afford to shop anywhere else. People like to bash Wal Mart, but it serves a very important purpose. Not everyone can afford to shop at locally owned stores and Whole Foods.

Kim's right in #49. Talk junk about Wal-Mart if you want to, but they help many people that can't afford much.