For the most part, I think it is. Sure, there are some deals that you have to get in line 4 days beforehand to take advantage of. But, most of the things these stores have advertised as sales really are not great deals. For example, I went to the mall on Black Friday evening. I went to all the major department stores. Didn't see any sales out of the ordinary. I saw a pair of shoes at Sears that I purchased on sale back in the summer for $29 but the big Black Friday sales price was $39! That's $10 more than what I paid in July! How is that a deal? And people fall for it. I saw so much stuff that they were trying to pass off as great deals that were cheaper just a few weeks ago! People, stop falling for this Black Friday hype! It's a scam, pure and simple!

Savvy shoppers who monitor prices of specific products know when they are getting good deals. I noticed some really great deals on cameras. You may notice that 2 weeks before christmas prices on clothes and other items go up (or sales prices aren't as low).

Yes Black Friday is just a scam. The real sales are right before Christmas and right after New Year's.