My Look at Walmart’s Pre-Black Friday Sale

My son got a new job that required him to be at work at 6AM this morning and of course it was the coldest day of the year so far.  That meant his mother didn’t want him to ride his bike to work, but did that mean his mother volunteered to drive him?  Heck no! 

So I was up early anyway so I thought I’d run down to Walmart and see what was going on for their Pre-Black Friday sale.  I expected a mad house but was a surprised to see what looked like a very normal Friday morning.  I headed over to the toys and saw that the shelves were neat and orderly, everything was tagged and it looked great.  (Kudos to the Management and staff of Walmart #5416.  The more horror stories I hear from people who shop in other stores, the more I realize this store has its act together.)

They were sold out of the LeapPad and Skylander toys that were on sale but I saw a couple people with them in their buggies so they had just sold out.  They also were out of the $3 toys that were $3 at Toys R Us but with just those few exceptions, they seemed to be well-stocked on most everything else.  The store was well-organized, there were plenty of registers open, several associates in each department straightening up as needed.  All in all, if this is what Black Friday shopping looks like at Walmart, I say “bring it on!”

However, it must be said that my experience is hardly universal.  A quick perusal of the Walmart FaceBook page shows some pretty horrible (and a little funny) stories of bare shelves and poorly trained associates.  If you had a bad experience, tell me in the comments.

Still looking to find great Pre-Black Friday deals?  Look at Walmart.com here or at this Pre-Black Friday circular.  if you are shopping on real Black Friday (as opposed to today’s Pre-Black Friday) here’s a look at the Black Friday ad and here’s what you need to know about the wristband program.  There is also a 2013 Walmart Holiday Calendar you might be interested in.