My Black Friday Doorbuster experience is to this day one of the best memories I have with my dad.   I was 23 years old and had just moved into my first apartment by myself.  I only recently started my first entry-level job, so money was TIGHT.  My dad said he would buy me a TV for my new place as my holiday gift – but there was a catch.  It had to be a Black Friday priced TV and I had to go with him to get it. 

I had no problem with this.  I had never really given much thought to Black Friday.  I had seen all doorbuster commercials and heard the horror stories of people getting trampled to death in search of a $10 dollar toaster, but I was desperate for a TV so I was game for anything.  

My Black Friday Doorbuster Experience

At 2am after Thanksgiving my dad woke me up and said it was time to go.  I told him he was crazy; the stores didn’t open until 5am.  He ignored my protests and dragged me in into the car, headed for Target.  When we got to the parking lot, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  There was already a huge line of people camped out in front of the store. WTF?!

The Wait

I reluctantly got in the line and began chatting it up with the guy in front of me.  Apparently, everyone in line was there for the same 46″ $250 TV.  The guy said that he did some calculations and that he thought that there might just be enough inventory for us to get one of the last TVs – if we ran fast enough.  WTF?!

He told me each store had a very limited inventory for the doorbuster TV – roughly 50 units.  He said that we were around 60th in line, however, we still had a shot at getting one because a lot of people ran into the store and went straight to the electronics section.  They don’t put doorbuster items in their normal sections, he said.   Instead they stack the items in random sections of the store. Apparently, this guy was a Doorbuster professional, and he had “insider intel” that the 46″ inch TVs were stacked in the women’s lingerie section.  WTF?!

He said that if we got to the lingerie section and there was no more 46″ inch TV’s our best bet was to bolt it over to the camping aisle and try to get our hands on the 40″ inch less desirable model.  He said I could run with him over to the lingerie section, but once we got there it was every man for himself.   WTF?!

I seriously couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  People actually come out here and wait hours in the freezing cold and there is a chance they won’t even get a TV?!  But there I was, an hour in, standing in line.   By this point, there NO chance in hell that I would spend all this time waiting in the freezing cold to come out empty handed.  Dignity and politeness were about to be thrown out the window.  I was about to trample or be trampled -for a television.  I was now one of “them” – a doorbuster. 

My dad is a pretty big guy and knew he wouldn’t have the stamina to keep up with me and the guy in front of us, it was all riding on me. 

Door’s Bust

At exactly 5am, the doors the doors flung open.  We were off! 

You probably won’t believe what I am about to describe.  If it were me, I wouldn’t, but all you have to take my word for it.  What I am about to describe is exactly how the next 10 minutes played out.  

You never know what the human body is truly capable of until you are tested with running for your life – or for a Black Friday doorbuster. The scene could only be described as a war zone, and everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. People were tripping, pushing, and flying around everywhere.  I was holding on to my newfound friend’s backpack for dear life as he led the way to the lingerie section amongst the chaos.  As we turned the corner to the aisle, my adrenaline was pumping.  This was the moment of truth….

And then I saw it.  A grown man and a woman playing tug of war with the last TV.  Just as I felt the tears coming my new friend suddenly shouted, “TO THE CAMPING AISLE” and I remembered the 40″ inch!  Once again, we were off, dodging bodies and falling items as they were being knocked over from shelves.  We made our way to the camping section and behold!  There they stood.  Two 45” inch TV’s, one for me and one for my new BFF.  We immediately jumped on them and claimed them as ours.  If we were only 2 seconds slower, we would have been too late. 

You never know what the human body is truly capable of until you are tested with running for your life – or for a Black Friday doorbuster. The scene could only be described as a war zone, and everything felt like it was happening in slow motion.

We cheered and high-fived like we had just won the World Series.  I didn’t come in first, but I wasn’t coming home empty handed like the poor souls trying to pick themselves off the floor.  

The Win

I thanked my new friend, and we parted ways.  The next order of business was to find my dad.  As I called him, I prayed that he hadn’t been trampled to death in all the chaos.  He picked up, thank god.  I asked him where he was and told him that I didn’t get the 46″ inch but had managed to get my hands on the last 40″. 

His response was “I got it.”
“Got what?” I asked. 
“I got it.”  He said.   
“Got what?!” I said again.
“The TV.” “I got the TV.”
“What?!” I said. “The 46″ inch?!”
“Yes.”
“How?!” I saw the eyes of a poor guy I beat out for the last 40” inch, still trying to pick himself off the ground” dart up at me.
“Meet me buy the shoes.” he said and hung up.

I flung my body over my 40 inch, protecting my new prized possession from the jealous onlookers foaming at the mouth, and started dragging us both toward the shoes. 

When I got there.  There he was with the 46″ in the cart.  I couldn’t believe it.  

He told me that when he got over to the lingerie, he saw the same man and woman playing tug-of-war he asked an employee standing nearby if there was any TVs left in the back.  The employee said he would go and check.   A few minutes later he came back with 5 more TVs and yelled, “line forms behind this gentleman” as 4 others quickly assembled behind him.  And just like that, my dad got the TV.  NO pushing.  No trampling.  No running. 

We looked at each other and just started laughing.  What are we going to do? I asked.  The answer was obvious.   We were going to buy both!   We found another cart and started making our way to check out.  As we rolled our carts, we heard people whispering.  LOOK, they got 2. The chatter got louder.   And then, I kid you not.  PEOPLE STARTED CLAPPING and congratulating us.  WTF?!  We checked out and walked to the doors where frantic people were still running in.  The asked us if there were any more left and we just started laughing. Little did they know, they never even had a chance.

We approached my dad’s car still feeling like rockstars when our glory suddenly came to a halt.  How the hell were we going to fit two big screen TV’s into my dad’s compact sedan?!

Thirty minutes and a real-life game of Tetris later, we had miraculously managed to fit both tv’s in the car.    When we got back to my parent’s house, we ran inside to share the good news with my mom.  “We got 2 TV’s!”we exclaimed.   My mom who had been fast asleep rolled over. 

“It’s 6:15 in the morning!” she grunted.   

But we got two TV’s!  my dad said. 

“COOL!” “Can I go back to sleep?!”

At that moment, I realized I would never be the same.  A mere 6 hours ago I would have reacted the same way if someone had woken me up like that to announce that they had purchased a television.  My mom wasn’t a doorbuster.  She would never understand.   

What I Learned About Black Friday Doorbusters

Black Friday Doorbuster events are much more than a sale.   It’s a shopping experience that has become annual tradition to deal-seekers and thrill-seekers.  To them, it’s a game, where the winners are those who score the best deals which they parade around like a badge of honor.   My big screen TV was my trophy I displayed proudly in my living room for years.  

My first doorbuster Black Friday experience was also my last. Honestly, I don’t think I will ever do it again. Now that I have some disposable income where I can afford to purchase things I need; I value my time and sleep more than a smoking deal.  Also, now that a lot of doorbuster deals can be found online, there is less incentive to fight the crowds. 

With that being said, there are still exclusive in-store only CRAZY doorbuster deals that are totally worth it. If you are in the market for a particular product, and are a thrill-seeker who value’s a bargain, I say go for it!  Just remember these tips and secrets for for scoring the best deals.

Black Friday Doorbuster Secrets

1. Know Exactly What Your Buying

Doorbuster products can be misleading, especially for things like tech items.  The advertised product can look exactly like existing models, but they often aren’t.  Many are either discontinued products or models, or ones made exclusively for these door buster deals. Even if it’s from a top brand, they often aren’t of the same quality as their normal products.  My TV looked like an existing model, but I later found out it made exclusively for this Target doorbuster. For the most part, it worked great, but the remote was almost impossible to program with my cable box.  A majority of these products cannot be returned, and if it’s a technology product, it might not have a good warranty, or even one at all. 

2. Find Out The Quantities Made Available

As I mentioned in my story, there are usually very limited quantities of the advertised doorbuster items available in stores. This is for a reason.  The doorbuster deal is to get you in the door.  Once you are there retailers hope you will continue to shop for other sales and items.  Or, if you were beat out on a doorbuster, you will buy a more expensive model because you have already invested the time and energy.  The advertisement will usually say if there are limited quantities, but not the amount.  Call the store ahead of time and ask how many units they are expected to have available. They will usually tell you.  This will help you determine how early you need to arrive. 

3. Do Some In-Store Recon

Go to the store a couple of days ahead of Black Friday and talk with the store employees.  Ask them what they are expecting the lines to be like and what items they are expecting to fly off the shelves first.  Find out where they are intending to place doorbuster items.  If it wasn’t for my friend I met on line, I would have no idea that the TV’s would have be in the women’s lingerie section!  Also, get familiar with the store layout and what sections are where.

4. Have A Strategy

After your recon mission, put together a general Black Friday strategy.  What time do you need to arrive? Are aiming to go after multiple doorbusters and/or multiple stores?  A lot of stores now have rolling doorbuster items and deals throughout different times of the day.  Make sure you know when items you want will go on sale or made available on the floor.

5. Ask and You Shall Receive

Based on everything I thought I knew about doorbusters, I would have never thought to ask the store employee if they had more stock in the back.  Luckily, my dad did!  Asking goes a long way.  Maybe you missed the doorbuster sale price for a certain item?  Ask an employee if they will still honor the price.  Black Friday is about making as many sales as possible and keeping customers spending and happy, so there is a good chance they will still give you the deal!

When I sat down to write this post, I had a totally different outline but it kind of took on a mind of its own!  With that being said, I hope you enjoyed my story!  Have you ever shopped Black Friday doorbusters before? Did your shopping experience relate to mine at all?  Reading my story, would you ever consider it?   I want to know.  Let me know in the comments below!