Part I: Black Friday - a thrill or nill?
Reporter:
- We're reporting live from Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota where retailers and shoppers alike are gearing up for Black Friday.
Mall of America is the largest shopping center in the U.S. There's bound to be some drama here when the day after Thanksgiving at 00:01 a.m. on the clock retailers will drop prices and offer incredible deals on all kinds of consumer goods.
Here with us is Sarah-Anne McGee, 55, a hardcore Black Friday shopper. Mrs. McGee, are you excited?
Sarah-Anne McGee, 55:
- Nah. I remember when Black Friday used to be a thrill. People would queue up for hours in front of stores in anticipation. Fights and stampedes would follow when stores finally opened their doors to the agitated mob. These days, however you can find Black Friday deals online a few weeks in advance. You can search for best offers, compare prices, evaluate your options to get the biggest bang for your buck. For me, that takes away all the excitement. I don't have to draw blood to get 199.99$ off of my new iPhone? Where's the fun in that?
Reporter:
- Have you ever really been in a fight on Black Friday?
Sarah-Anne McGee, 55:
- Sure! I'd often get roughed up at a store on Black Friday. But what are a few cuts and bruises when you get that flat screen TV at a 50% discount? I once got punched in the face for a blender, marked down 80% from its original price. This blender is still one of my most treasured possessions.
Reporter:
- No pain no gain, huh?
Sarah-Anne McGee, 55:
- My thoughts exactly. On Black Friday I would blaze through the department store sweeping stuff off the counters, whether I needed it or not. Black Friday shopping sprees left me broke, but happy. Nowadays it's just business as usual.
Reporter:
- Thanks, Mrs. McGee! We will continue our live broadcast after the break.
Part II: Black Friday tips from a pro
Reporter:
- Welcome back to our annual Black Friday special where we go live with Mall of America shoppers in Bloomington, Minnesota and talk about their opinions on the biggest shopping event of the year.
Joining us tonight is Loren Greendale, 26. Ms. Greendale, are you looking forward to saving big on Black Friday deals?
Loren Greedale, 26:
- I am a sucker for good deals. I shop the sales almost exclusively. I simply can't pass up marked down merchandise. Half of my wardrobe is made up by clearance items and the other half is from the «as-is» bargain bins. So obviously Black Friday is my Christmas, birthday and summer vacation rolled into one.
Reporter:
- So you're a seasoned bargain-hunter. Could you share any good tips with our listeners?
Loren Greedale, 26:
- With pleasure. To prepare for Black Friday I start bargain hunting in early November. If you scout the stores beforehand, you'll get a better grip on their layout and potential location of sale items. This way on the day of the sale you'll waste no time getting to the racks and counters to pry away best offers. I know our mall like the back of my hand, especially women's clothing departments.
Reporter:
- All that legwork really pays off?
Loren Greedale, 26:
- For sure! Like, last year on Black Friday I came home with a dozen of shopping bags filled to the brim! I got my hands on piles of designer apparel at greatly reduced prices.
Reporter:
- Is there any downside to shopping on Black Friday?
Loren Greedale, 26:
- Well… Last year I squandered my paycheck, maxed out ten credit cards and blew through my next month's advance... But on the plus side, afterwards I learned to live on oatmeal and water and lost 20 pounds! Now, of course, all those outfits I snagged on Black Friday are way too big for me... That's why I am selling them on Craigslist to raise funds for this year's Black Friday shopping spree!
Reporter:
- We wish you best of luck, Loren. I guess the best shopping advice we can get from you is “don't lose your head”. Stay tuned as we'll be back with more Black Friday stories after a word from our sponsor.
Part III: Nightmare on Black Friday
Reporter:
- Our annual live broadcast from Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota on the eve of Black Friday continues. We've all heard cautionary tales about bargain-hunting gone wrong, but our tonight's guest, Minnesota native Mr. David Willowby, 43, has a story to top them all. Mr. Willowby, as I understand you had a rather unpleasant experience last Black Friday?
David Willowby, 43:
- To put it mildly, yes. I stood in line outside Wal-Mart for 4 hours. Just like a thousand other customers, who came there looking for deals on everything from fancy gadgets to diapers.
Reporter:
- Did you get trampled?
David Willowby, 43:
- No, I squeezed through the doors, carried by the huge crowd. I stepped on toes and pounded on knuckles to get to the coveted brown goods department. I raided the electronics aisle and by a stroke of luck I grabbed off the shelf the Holy Grail - the 32GB iPhone 7plus marked down 70% from its original price. The last one left in the whole store!
Reporter:
- Fantastic! I'm sorry, Mr. Willowby, that doesn't sound like an unpleasant experience to me..
David Willowby, 43:
- Wait for it. Here I was, at the cash register at Wal-Mart at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, on the cusp of a deal of a lifetime...with not a penny in my pockets. In my mind's eye I clearly saw my wallet lying on the table at a doughnuts shop where I'd stopped for a snack prior to shopping. I was crushed.
Reporter:
- And then what happened?
David Willowby, 43:
- I heard a young woman's voice behind my back. «Looking for this, mister?» I couldn't believe my eyes – it was the waitress from the diner where I'd left all my money. So I cried out, hopeful, «You followed me to return my wallet?». And she was like, «Return? No. But I'll gladly exchange it for this iPhone you're holding».
Reporter:
- Ouch! That would have crushed anybody's faith in humanity. As our annual Black Friday special draws to a close, I leave you with this: no deal is good enough for you to trade your conscious for it.
