advice please: to get up early or not?

[kgracem]

So I need some advice.

I have three HTs within a few miles of my house in Durham NC: the one on MLK, the one at 54/751 and the older one on 54 near Fayetteville rd.

My question is this:

Should I get up at get to the store at 7am so I can get some of the freebies? I've gone in the past around noon the day super doubles starts and most of the products that are free with coupons are gone.

Has anyone had early morning experience at any of these stores? Is one better than the other? And what time do the shelves usually empty out?

Thanks for any advice on how I should approach this!

[$Saving!]

I don't know about your stores, but I try to be at the store by 7am at the lastest (no earlier than 6:30am though) because my stores are pretty quiet then, and I like the 'non-insanity' people that are there then

Wish I could tell you about conditions at your stores, sorry

[JillthePill]

I have no idea about my own store, for that matter. I don't think that most of their regular clientele are serious couponers, but I know that events like Sdoubles bring "non-natives" to the store. I have never been so serious before as to arrive first thing in the morning, so I have no idea what to expect.

I say, go with your gut . . . won't you be up plotting and planning, anyway?


Good luck!

[cpnmaniac44]

Last time I went at 6:45 am. I had never gone early, or even on Wednesday.
I was shocked to see people already in the checkout line at 6:45am.
Numerous others on all isles, getting stuff. I got everything I went for, which was very minimal, but if you want the items that everyone would want if you took a survey, and items where access to the coupons is easy, you better go early. You might want to go at 7am just to see for yourself, what it is like at your store.

[uummm]

Speaking for my own store....I have noticed that usually the only people that are there that early are couponers with binders, not the occasional couponer (they go on Saturdays), but ones that are organized, and generally not with others-or their kids. For about the past year I have gone with my friend and I help her and get for myself too but really we would get there at 8am and there were already quite a few people there. And most of them I haven't really seen before. When you HAVE a store that ignores the DND or is lax about following the rules, or isn't as strict as another store word gets out and this is when people are willing to travel to get those free items without hassle...not to mention those people that manage to get multiple cards and therefor go to multiple stores and things like that....

Just remember when you are allowed 3 of an item, it doesn't take long for that item to go out of stock when there isn't a whole lot of that item in the first place. If a case only has 12 items in it, 4 customers can wipe out that product...And just because the shelf is empty doesn't mean the store purposely doesn't order it...Lots of times these hot items are out of stock at the warehouse so they don't get it in their shipment when they order it-I know that has been an issue before.

If you want to know if you have a hot coupon, go to Ebay and see how much that coupon is going for there...If the price is high then it is an in demand item free or not you might have a problem finding that at the store....

[clippyclippy]

Last time I went at 6:45 am. I had never gone early, or even on Wednesday.
I was shocked to see people already in the checkout line at 6:45am.
Numerous others on all isles, getting stuff. I got everything I went for, which was very minimal, but if you want the items that everyone would want if you took a survey, and items where access to the coupons is easy, you better go early. You might want to go at 7am just to see for yourself, what it is like at your store.

I'm usually there by 8am on Wednesday, and that's early enough for me. Usually there might be 3-5 other binder toters in the store. I've never had a problem getting what I need at that time. If I waited till noon, there might be some stuff wiped out.
But then, I'm further down in Cary/Apex. So it might be different at your stores.

[kgracem]

Thanks everyone! I have to be up early for a doctors appointment so I think I'm going to go at 7 a.m. to see for myself. I am usually one of those binder toters but never the kind to be in line at 6:45. If I didn't have to be up anyways, that snooze button on my alarm clock would be hit tomorrow morning lol.

[leqet]

I was at my store at 6:30 AM and some things were already wiped out.