Black Friday Mayhem

Personally i wouldn't be caught dead in a store on the friday after
thanksgiving, let alone at 5 am. I just don't have the nerves for it
these days!!

Personally i wouldn't be caught dead in a store on the friday after
thanksgiving, let alone at 5 am. I just don't have the nerves for it
these days!!

Personally i wouldn't be caught dead in a store on the friday after
thanksgiving, let alone at 5 am. I just don't have the nervs for it
these days!!

this isn't very nice on my part, but i find the greediness of the
whole Black Friday deal extremely offensive. It isn't what Christmas
is about. It's just plain old greed, having nothing to do with
celebrating the birth of Christ. So when things like this happens to
the people who participate in this nonsense, i find it to be the hand
of karma.

This is the reason why I think major stores need to let go of these
Black Friday sales promotions. Across the US they were accounts of
fist fights, injuries, and definate shortage of products and
disatisfied people, all in the name of a sale. It will probably take
someone getting trampled or killed to get these companies to wake up
and realize they are doing no good. I know its hard to afford things
at Christmas, and everyone is trying to make their dollars stretch...
but if everyone would stop falling for these fake gimics maybe stores
would offer more reasonable sales/offers that everyone can take
advantage of.

Very interesting letter. I read through it, but could only think that
this sounded like a person who went out on the Friday after
Thanksgiving and never got what they wanted, so they're complaining.

My question would be if Sears did hand out the number of cards they
promised. If they did, which is what it sounds like, then it sounds
like Crissy is just upset because she was in line and still never
received a card just because, when they opened the doors, they didn't
hand them out in a more organized fashion. It was just left up to a
free for all. Isn't that what this day is all about?

costs department stores more and more every day. They just don't
realize it right now, but I know many people who once were avid
Wal*Mart shoppers. Now, due to poor customer service, most will go to
places like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Fred's. Just seems like
customer servcie is 10X better a the cheaper stores than Wal*Mart and
Sears. Isn't that something?

Very fair complaint.

If the ad said the cards were going to be handed out at a specific
location, they should have been handed out there. And I agree that if
you were in the wrong location, someone should have told you.

We've all seen the Black Friday videos of people being trampled in the
chaos. Really bad move by Sears.

For the next letter, Crissy, I would recommend leaving out how much
money you planned to spend at Sears. While, indeed, you may have been
planning to spend $1200, it may be seen as dramatic or overkill on
your point. Certain cynical people might even speculate that you're
inflating the amount you anticipated spending to get a response from
Sears. I am definitely not saying you are ~ I am just saying what
some people might think.

You were planning on spending $1200 and you're upset about not getting
a $10 giftcard? LOL.

Crissy, I agree this whole situation was not handled well at all. If a
particular entrance had been specified for the gift cards, then the
people lined up at that entrance should have been the ones awarded the
cards or at least informed of the change and some sort of marker given
to show how long they had been waiting.

However, and this is merely a personal opinion, if this is a tradition
you and your family have had for many years, then I don't see why the
lack of a $10 gift card should stop it. Reading that you left the
store and spent your money elsewheres because of this just sounds like
sour grapes.

Just something for you to think about. This is about why the employes
didn't look at you in the eye and you couldn't find managment.

I have worked a Black Friday. And when I did, I was so rushed that,
even though I wanted to, I didn't have TIME to look at each and every
peoson. Most of the empolyes are just there for the Holidays and don't
really know all (or most) of what is going on. It is VERY stress
full. Shopers are upset that you some out of something. Or they
don't like the crowed and take it out on the cashers. Yes, it is
true.

As for the Managers, they may ( I am guessing) had been having a
stressfull time too. Most stores open earlier than normal, so that
means that the Managers and employes are up earlier than normal. Most
Managers and employes get to the store (if it opens at 5) at 4 am or
earlier. at it you are not used to being up that early, things are a
bit more stressfull than they really are.

I am NOT making excuses. I am just giving you something to think
about.

personally, i would never shop on black friday. too many crazy
people(no im not saying you are crazy at all) shop that day, so i
prefer to stay off the roads.

but seriously, the first thing i have to say, is that the employees
who walked by you before they were on the clock had no obligation to
tell you where to stand. they might not have thought,"oh, hey, these
people are waiting to get the gift cards", but instead
thought,"wow...alot of peole are eager to get inside." another
possiblity, these employees might not have known where you were
supposed to stand either. unfortunately, companies tend to think that
the employees in the store doesn't need to know everything.

once inside the store, i have no idea why employees would have ignored
you,unless they were too busy trying to deal with another customer at
the time you tried asking a question. i don't really know what
happened. i really don't think you should have been ignored though.

So many of the responces seem to be focusing on the fact that the
writer chose to get up early and shop on Black Friday. So what if she
did, that was her choice. I personally love going shopping with my
hubby on Black Friday. Yes, we stand in the Best Buy line nearly
every year for at least 2 hours while waiting for the doors to open.
Just because the writer chooses to do this does not make the actual
complaint any less valid.

If Sears advertised $10 gift cards for the first X amount of people at
their doors on Black Friday morning, they should have honored that.
If they did advertise the gift cards being available at a certain
entrance and they weren't available at that entrance, Sears screwed
up. If they didn't advertise a certain entrance, than each entrance
should have had an equal amount of gift cards available. This way,
Mrs X at entrance A who got there at 2am gets a card rather than Mrs Y
at entrance B getting a card even though she didn't arrive until 5am.
It shouldn't matter which entrance you decide to stand at.

I will say however that I wouldn't have taken my business elsewhere
just because of a gift card. A bummer, yes, a deal breaker, no. It
was Black Friday, things are crazy and employees at no retail outlet I
know of enjoy working on this day. Most likely the whole gift card
mess was created by one manager that gave the orders. Each employee
should not have been held responsible for the mess.

Everyone makes choices in their life. All sears had to do was have
someone give out two hundred gift cards.It was up to them to be within
the first two hundred. Whoever was 201 or more thought of it as a
contest, they simply weren't within the two hundred range They dealt
with it and kept shopping the specials offered at the store. I agree,
it was handled extremely poorly. I don't see it as any of the
employees business to make a sign or open a door and attempt to tell
people where the gift cards were to be given out.
I do know the Sears store here couldn't possibly hand out the cards at
the customer pick up entrance. It's a four car drive on ramp off a
side street that leads to another mall on one side and a Sears exit to
another street on the other. Even at that hour, it's just dangerous to
have two hundred plus people lined up at that particular entrance. Not
that I don't believe you.

Our Sears flier for black friday simply stated that the first 200
people AT THE REGISTERS would receive a ten dollar gift card. It also
went on to explain percentage off sales and exclusions in fine print
(things like Lands End, Certain brands of watches, find jewelry were
exceptions to "All 20,30,40 percent off sales prices.(don't have it in
front of me but that's what I recall....i just decided for myself it
wasn't worth the chance at ten bucks, plus the fact that I shop sears
about once in a blue moon since my previous experience, much like your
not shopping walmart for the same reason.

Anyway, good luck, and Happy Holidays

on another reply. It stated at the merch pick up. And it is NOT on a
side street, by any means. It is in the mall parking lot, and very
well lit. It IS the stores responsibility if they are changing what
was printed in the ad, to let the custpomers know.

There is no way on this green earth, that I will spend hours in a line
with a bunch of cranky people who partied too much the night before
and didn't get enough sleep and are probably still dealing with
hangovers LOL! But, that is neither here nor there

I saw a TV comercial about the $10 gift card (did not see the actual
flier) and in that commercial no "door" was specified. Not calling you
a liar since I did mention not seeing the flier.

I think you have a valid point..IF..a specific door was mentioned.
Here, in my Sears, there are several doors so I can imagine what
mayhem could happen if all doors had a line to enter.

About the employees..regardless if they were inside, outside or
whatever..the store doors had not opened and so they are under no
obligation to come and greet you. Now, had I been you, if one walked
past me, I probably would have asked if I was standing at the right
door.

A $10 gift card is not that much really.. considering that there were
tons of folks and you already knew that you MAY not get one, to begin
with.

Perhaps, next year..they will do things differently.

I will say this. If the ad really did say where to line up to get a
card (and I have never seen an ad say that before..not in my whole 31
years on earth and 14 years in retail) then yes, Sears is wrong and
something should be done to make up for that mistake.

However, I wanted to point out that at no time was an employee
obligated to speak to any customers on their way into the store. They
were not on the clock yet and did not have to say a thing. I wouldnt
have spoken either. I wouldnt have even looked at you all. I would
have run in as fast as possible and locked the door behind me. I am
sure they had no idea anyway of what was going on with the gift card
situation. This issue is not their fault. I am sure many of them were
just hired on for the holidays anyway and had no input into such
matters.

I would say I wouldnt stand in line for hours for a gift card but who
knows. I might. I did it once, while pregnant, just for a stuffed
penguine. LOL! But those days are long gone. I have only shopped on a
Black Friday once in many, many years and that was last year. I went
out for one thing and the store I stood in line at didnt even get them
in even though it was an ad item. So I went somewhere else, got a
better deal and then I was done and went home. But, I think it would
have to be a much better deal than 10 dollars to get me to get up that
early and stand in the cold for hours.

I guess its just a learning experience that on Black Friday you should
be out for the sales and not the freebies.

I would absolutely question the rational for lining up so early for a
$10 gift card. With that said, Crissy, there are no guarantees that
you will receive anything on black Friday. You line up and hope for
the best. The reason management wasn't available to handle your
complaint, I am sure, is because of the unbelievable rush taking place
around you.

I can also tell you that one of the worst things you can do, with such
a letter, is make idol threats of spending a large sum of money. The
response I would give you is that, if you'll return to Sears this
week, spending the $1200 you claim, I will see to it the $10 is
deducted.

Finally, I would proofread your letter a little better, as there are a
few noticeable errors.

Happy holidays!

You got in line at 3:00 a.m. and stood there for two hours in an
attempt to get a $10.00 gift card? That being asked/said, if the
printed ad for this year clearly stated that the cards would be handed
out at the merchandise pick-up entrance and this particular Sears
store changed the location without informing their customers by way of
a sign at the merchandise pick-up area, then Sears was wrong and might
send you, the letter writer, (but not all of your "party") a $10 gift
card.

I guess I'm just not very sensitive any longer and if this had
happened to me and there was something at Sears that I really wanted,
I wouldn't have marched out over this issue. But - - that's just me.