Ho… lee… crap. Best Buy is running a contest for Black Friday. One winner in each of 25 select markets gets a $1,000 gift card, a ride to Best Buy in a limo, early access to the store (that’s at 4:30 AM, mind you), and a bunch of other stuff. Sheesh.
So how do you win? You submit a 250-word story on AskABlueShirt.net about what you do “to make the day after Thanksgiving a particularly fun and special day.” The press release says that Best Buy is looking for people “to share how Black Friday shopping is an important holiday tradition for them and their family.” Nothing like a little rampant American consumerism to bring loved-ones closer together, eh?
Full press release:
Do You Want to Be a Black Friday VIP at Best Buy?
Enter for a Chance to Win a $1,000 Gift Card and Early Entry into Select Best Buy Locations on the Morning after Thanksgiving
MINNEAPOLIS, October 29, 2008 – Best Buy recognizes that for many families across the country, getting out early on the day after Thanksgiving is an important annual tradition. That’s why the nation’s leading consumer electronics retailer will celebrate the Black Friday tradition this year by recognizing 25 shoppers through their Black Friday VIP contest, launching today.
Best Buy is looking for consumers in 25 cities to share how Black Friday shopping is an important holiday tradition for them and their family, and what kinds of rituals they have to make the morning after Thanksgiving an enjoyable kick off to the holiday season. Consumers can submit stories on AskABlueShirt.com from October 29, 2008 – November 18, 2008. One winner in each market will be notified by November 24.
“We know that for many of our customers, getting out early on the morning after Thanksgiving is about more than getting a great deal, it’s a way to celebrate the start of the holiday season with friends and family,” said Greg Johnson, senior vice president of marketing for Best Buy. “We do our best to make Black Friday a fun, festive time for our customers, including hundreds of hours of training to get ready for the day. This contest is another way we can recognize the importance of this tradition, and give some customers a truly special experience.”
Major VIP Treatment for 25 Winners
One winner from each of the twenty-five eligible markets will win a $1,000 Best Buy Gift Card and full VIP treatment including: a limousine ride to and from the designated Best Buy store below, on-site pampering and prizes for the winner and up to three guests, early admittance into the store at 4:30 a.m., and the opportunity to purchase up to four doorbusters. Each winner will also receive a Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder to document the Black Friday VIP experience. Some limitations apply. Full contest rules are available on AskABlueShirt.com. Participating stores include:
Atlanta
Store #896 – Edgewood
1210 Caroline St NE
Atlanta, GA 30307Baltimore
Store #282 — Security
1701 Belmont Ave
Baltimore, MD 21244Boston
Store #436 – Dedham
700 Providence Hwy
Dedham, MA 02026-680Chicago
Store #815 – Clark St.
2650 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614-1523Cleveland
Store #1161 — Steelyard Commons
3506 Steelyard Dr
Cleveland, OH 44109-2388Dallas
Store #58 — Walnut Hill
9378 N Central Expy
Dallas, TX 75231Denver
Store #1134 — I-70 & Tower Rd
3511 N Salida St
Aurora, CO 80011Detroit
Store #1406 — Allen Park
3349 Fairlane Dr
Allen Park, MI 48101-2874Houston
Store #291 – Galleria
5133 Richmond Ave
Houston, TX 77056
Los Angeles
Store #183 – Atwater Village
2909 Los Feliz Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Miami
Store #1502 – Doral
10760 Nw 17th St
Miami, FL 33172-2012
Minneapolis
Store #1000 — Mall of America
340 W Market
Bloomington, MN 55425New York
Store #1028 – Midtown Manhattan
529 5th Ave
New York, NY 10017-4608
Orlando
Store #157 – East Colonial
4601 E Colonial Dr
Orlando, FL 32803
Philadelphia
Store #579 – Deptford
1851 Deptford Center Rd
Deptford, NJ 08096
Phoenix
Store #260 – Mesa/Fiesta
1337 S Alma School Rd
Mesa, AZ 85210Pittsburgh
Store #882 – Waterfront
680 Waterfront Dr E
Munhall, PA 15120-5000
Portland
Store # #1454 – Washington Sq.
8905 Sw Cascade Ave
Beaverton, OR 97008-7496
Sacramento
Store #364 – Citrus Heights
6110 Birdcage Centre Lane
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
San Diego
Store #352 – Mira Mesa
9540 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126San Francisco
Store # 187 – San Francisco
1717 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Seattle
Store #498 – Bellevue
457 120th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98005
St. Louis
Store #42 — Watson Rd
9450 Watson Rd
Crestwood, MO 63126Tampa
Store #561 – South Tampa
1725 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa, FL 33607Washington, D.C.
Store # 1092 – Columbia Heights
3100 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20010-2310
I love to wake up my family at 3 in the morning and force them to stand outside the stores in sub zero temperatures and then fight our way through crowds and knock down and step on other people so I can buy large pieces of plastic that were assembled overseas by children making less then minimum wage.
So, yeah, Doug: rampant American consumerism is what holidays are all about. Don’t forget to bring your tazer!
Gosh, I dont need limos, I need a jetplane to get me there… well, I’m from other country, I guess I’ll pass that…
I won, i’m going to be the one at the Dallas store on N. central expressway :)
Im very excited
I won, i’m going to be the one at the Dallas store on N. central expressway :)
Im very excited
THats Great! You won HoW were you contacted? Email or Phone?
denisi po ta shkrun nje leter bleart me dashuro te dua
Black friday is very important to me, year ago i was an alcoholic and i forgot everyhting that was important to me, liquor was my best friend not even my kids could compete with it. iruined a lot of lives, so since then i have adopted adopted 3 more kids, my partner and I. I am not working right now ,but, i get unemployment for the sum 250.00 a week. so, for the last 6 years i have been out on black friday trying to get my kids and grand kids what they want and best buy is always on the list its the only way i can get what I want with the money i got.I try very hard for my kids so they will have a merry christmas. I don’t know what I would do without black friday it’s a life saver. so, thats why it is so important to me and i have a big list for best buy this year. i try so hard to make everyone happy and it’s not easy , but without black friday it would not happen and with my finances this year I don’t think it will happen this year. So, this is why it is so important to me