Black Friday 2012: Strange Things You Saw While Shopping

A woman wading in a mall fountain? A cow in line at Best Buy? Patch hit the local shopping scene Thanksgiving night and Black Friday to talk to shoppers about the craziest, funniest or weirdest stories from the day.

Black Friday is a day for doorbusters, discounts and lines—oh, the lines. Shoppers of the Southland descended upon Orland Park, as the mecca of shopping and home to Orland Square Mall, Best Buy, Target and big names in retail. Patch hit the streets—and the lines—Thanksgiving night and Black Friday to chat with shoppers about their tales from the retail frenzy.  Some, like Nicole Harris, filed into line outside Best Buy as early as 11 p.m. Thanksgiving night, with hopes of an encounter with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. Harris sacrificed the comfort of her own bed in the name of shopping.  "We camped out last night in our tent, but we weren't the first ones here, which was kind of a surprise," Harris said. Those in line alongside Harris …

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Black Friday Deals: Where Are You Headed?

Start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday to get great deals.

Best Routes to Drive to Orland Square Mall on Black Friday

With serious shopping comes heavy traffic. Patch has a few suggestions for getting in and out of the large retail center during one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Big crowds at shopping centers mean clogged roadways, and that can certainly be the case near Orland Square Mall. We have a few driving suggestions to lessen your holiday madness. With the mall opening for business at midnight Friday, LaGrange Road will likely be crowded, with its connections to I-80 and I-55.   With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for getting into the mall area, most of which avoiding LaGrange Road. Also, try our interactive map above to plan your own route. From the North From the South From the East From the West

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Lincoln-Way Black Friday 2012 Shopping Guide

You don't have to leave the Lincoln-Way area to find special sales on Black Friday.

Don't worry if you're too full to move very far the day after Thanksgiving—even if you want to participate in the mad rush of Black Friday, there are lots of local deals that will keep you in the Lincoln-Way area.  Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is known as the unofficial start to holiday shopping and often features early hours, long lines and special deals. Here are what some local stores are offering: Get news alerts and Facebook updates from these Lincoln-Way Patch sites:

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Anna Schier

11:58 am on Thursday, November 22, 2012

Hi KS829, We'll have lots of local business coverage on the site tomorrow and the next day for Small Business Saturday. Thanks for reading, and happy Thanksgiving! :) Anna   more ›

How Early is Too Early for Christmas Shopping?

It used to be Black Friday was for the earliest of early shoppers. Not anymore. Look around. The stores are ready now.

Look around the Chicago area and you'll see all the signs: The early birds no longer wait until Black Friday to do their Christmas shopping. This year, Black Friday is on Nov. 23, but big retailers and mail-order companies are starting well in advance. Amazon, for example, is beginning its Black Friday on Nov. 14. Crazy or crazy smart? Just how early is too early to shop for Christmas 2012 gifts? Take our poll.

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Early Black Friday Deals in the Lincoln-Way Area

In the Lincoln-Way area, Best Buy and Super Target begin matching prices of online retailers beginning Nov. 1.

So, you just can't wait to get your Christmas 2012 gift-shopping groove on? You don't have to wait until Black Friday to get some great online deals. Best Buy's announcement that it will allow in-store customers to price-match online retailers by showing the price on their smartphones has been matched by Target and Super Target, according to BFAds.net, a website devoted to Black Friday and gift-shopping alerts. Among other online retailers, the stores will match prices of Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com. Best Buy's price-matching begins Sunday, Nov. 4, while Target's begins Thursday, Nov. 1. Check out the price-matching deals at Best Buy in Tinley Park and Target in New Lenox. Get news alerts and Facebook updates …

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Landmark Flooring

6:54 am on Thursday, November 22, 2012

$100.00 off on any sale of flooring and installation combination this Friday only ! Open 10am to 2Pm 708-349-0011   more ›

Record-Breaking Black Friday Weekend Blasts Retailers into Holiday Shopping Season

The National Retail Federation says more shoppers participated in Black Friday weekend than ever.

The holiday shopping season traditionally has started around 6 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but by that hour this year, Walmart employees and those of other stores who braved an early morning shopping rush in Evergreen Park—and across the country— had already seen the end of a long shift. They were catching their breath to prepare for the next group of shoppers. The waves of crowds had gone, leaving dirt-tracked floors and managers with bloodshot eyes and rumpled shirts. This time around, more shoppers purchased and took avantage of deals on the biggest shopping weekend of the year than ever before, according the National Retail Federation. [ Related: Shoppers Share Their Best Black Friday Bargains ] In mid-November, a …

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What Was Your Best Black Friday Find?

TVs, diamonds, cookware, game systems and computer printers — what were some of the best deals found Friday in Southland stores?

Friday was all about the bargain. Several folks told Patch about their best finds on Friday. Tell us about yours in the comment section. FOUND AT TARGET, OAK LAWN Gina Roach and her mother, Sharon Valente, both of Beverly, caught a few good deals early Friday at Target in Oak Lawn. Their finds included a Fisher-Price laptop for $22.99 and a 9-inch LCD TV for $55, down from $120. "I'm tingling," Valente confessed with a laugh. FOUND AT BEST BUY, HOMEWOOD Mrs. Thomas (who declined to share her first name), of Chicago, visited Best Buy in Homewood to find the last Kinect bundle for $199. The bundle included the gaming system, a controller, a charger and two batteries. Thomas hovered over her merchandise protectively until a salesperson …

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White Wedding on Black Friday

Edward Kossman and Jennifer Jasudowicz met six years ago on Black Friday at Orland Square Mall. The couple married at the same spot they met on this year's Black Friday, Nov. 25.

Black Friday is a door-busting, deal-making shoppers holiday that sees millions upon millions of Americans rush stocked shelves in an effort to take home the best bargain — and this year was no different. There was a twist on this year's Black Friday activities at Orland Square Mall, though, as Edward Kossman and Jennifer Jasudowicz of Burbank tied the knot on the second floor of the shopping mall, taking each other as husband and wife before family, friends and shoppers. The couple, who met six years ago at nearly the exact spot they were wed, said the unusual locale was the perfect spot to seal their love. “I'm very, very, very happy and I'm just glad we made it, especially here of all places," Jasudowicz said.  "This was incredible, to …

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Couple Found Love on Black Friday, Returning to Orland Square Mall for Wedding

Neither were expecting to find their match when they chose to go shopping on Black Friday, but now they are returning to Orland Square Mall to get married…on Black Friday.

Edward Kossman didn’t think Jennifer Jasudowicz would even talk to him. “I thought for that split second that I could let her walk out of my life, or just go up to her,” Kossman, 47, said. “Something just made me do it. I’m pretty bold guy, but I don’t just normally go right up to women and just ask them.” Little did he know that Jennifer had her eye on him, too. Even through the massive crowd of people at Orland Square Mall on Black Friday five years ago, the two found each other. And now five years later, they are returning to the spot they met to become husband and wife. “Usually, when guys approach me I brush it off, but I think we were destined to meet that day,” Jasudowicz, 36, said. Neither Kossman nor Jasudowicz ordinarily shop in …

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