Personal Project

Related story: Black Friday in Ventura County 2007 Part 1

Location: Kohl's in Ventura

Opening Time: 4 AM

I arrived at Ventura Kohl's 3:50am.  Kohl's was scheduled to open at 4am.  Kohl's was one of very few department stores in Ventura County opened so early.  There was a long line reaching Barns and Noble.  There were easily over a thousand people in the line.  The line was long.  The first person in the line must have waited for hours.

At 3:59AM I saw some people coming out from their cars and headed straight to the door (instead of going back of the line).  One lady standing in the line shouted to them "The line starts back there.  Don't think about cutting line!"

The door opened on time and the line started to move.  Two gentlemen from Kohl's held the door open for them and gave greetings.

As soon as the line started to move more people came out from the cars and approached to the door.  (below) One guy managed to blend in at 4:01am.

At 4:02am there was a huge group of people trying to cut in line.  It was a scary scene.  They took little baby steps toward the door... Inch by Inch.  A few people started to cut in line by this time.

Below image was taken 4:05AM.  It's a big mess.   They were all pushing their way to the door. 

You cannot see from this picture, but there were hundreds of people still in the line, behind the view.

It took about 7 minutes to have everyone in the line to get inside. All the line cutters made to the store before the last person in the line got in.

Summary:

• It took about 7 minutes for everyone in the line to get in the department store. 
• (In other words) The first person in the line has 7 minutes advantage compared to the last person in the line.
• If you fail to locate your products fast enough, your 5 hours of waiting in the line will not mean anything.
• Most department stores do not have thousand shopping carts.  So, if you are in the back of the line, you will not get a shopping cart.  You better not planning to buy a lot of products.
• If you are in the back of the line, expect there will be a lot of people cutting in line before you.  Those people never have to wait in line.  They will think you guys are "Suckers".  It's not fair, but that's how it is.  But trust Karma.  Those follow the rules are generally high class.  Those break rules are generally poor people.  Let them have their moment.
• As long as your goal is to enjoy the experience (and don't get too uptight about saving money) things will be fun.

I had a lot of fun this morning.  I spent many hours tonight, and I didn't buy anything. 

See you next year... Christmas here we come!

Related story: Black Friday in Ventura County 2007 Part 1

Photography by: VenturaPhoto.com  Please do not copy anything from this page.  Feel free to link to this page.

Related Story: Black Friday in Ventura County 2007 Part 2

Black Friday in Ventura County 2007, Pt 1

The Black Friday starts early Thanksgiving Day morning with a delivery of your newspaper.

This paper contains a lot of fliers and coupons from local businesses. 

If you are planning for Black Friday bargain hunting, Thanksgiving Day's newspaper is a must.  Since my last episode with LA Times, I subscribe Ventura County Star now. (LA Times still owes me $25.00)

Ventura County business opening hours

--------------------------------------------------
Staples - 6am          Circuit City - 5am
Michaels - 6am         Office Max - 7am
Radio Shack - 6am    Walmart - 5am
Office Depot - 6am    Kohl's - 4am
Sears - 5am             K-mart - 6am
Best Buy - 5am         Sports Authority - 5:30am
Toys R Us - 5am       Mervins - 4am
Target 6am              Linens'n Things - 5am

First stop - Moorpark Market Place (12:00AM)

At 12:08am, Kohl's and Linens'n Things at Moorpark were totally empty.  There was absolutely no car in the parking lot, and there was nobody in front of the door.  I was a little disappointed to see virtually no action considering Kohl's would open in 4 hours.

Kohl's & Linens'n Things Parking Lot - Moorpark Market Place

At Target, on the other side of the Market Place, there were about 10 people sitting in the line.  Three people were playing football. 

Target 12:08am - Moorpark Market Place

I was out for less than one hour but I was already getting sleepy.  It was also very cold.  So we picked up some donuts and went back home for a retreat. 

Donut Queen, Camarillo, 12:38am

We left home for the second time at 2am.  As we drove by Camarillo Factory Outlet on 101 fwy, we saw hundreds of cars trying to get into Factory Outlet.  Traffic was so thick that entire Ventura Blvd around Camarillo Factory Outlet was a big parking space.

Next Stop Fry's at Oxnard - 2:15am
Fry's at 2:15am was unreal.  There were a lot of people waiting in line. The line was reaching outside of the parking lot.  Parking lot was busier than what you can see during the normal business hours.

Parking Lot at Fry's (Oxnard) - 2:22am

Fry's, Oxnard - 2:30am

Compared to Fry's, Office Depot was pretty slow.  There was only one person with three chairs.  I guessed some family members were resting in the car.

Office Depot, Oxnard 2:30am

Shopping at Rose, Oxnard - 2:50am
I crossed 101 Freeway to Best Buy at Shopping at Rose.  I knew this would be the highlight of the Black Friday.  Unlike any other stores, I saw a lot of tents at Best Buy, indicating that they have been there for many hours.  At 3am the line was in the backside of the store. Parking lot was full and there were people walking around everywhere.  Best Buy had a courtesy to provide a porta-potty at the side of the building.

Best Buy, Oxanrd - 2:50am

Behind Best Buy, Oxnard - 2:50am

Walmart (Oxnard) was interesting.  They had a huge police vehicle parked in front of the building. Walmart at Oxnard has two entrances.  They were two lines forming for each door.

Walmart, Oxnard. line for North side entrance - 3:02am

Walmart, Oxnard. line for South side entrance - 3:12am

Circuit City at Oxnard Promenade - 3:37am

At 3:30am, Circuit City's line was very long

Kohl's, Ventura 3:55am - 5 minutes before opening

Pacific View Mall, Ventura - 4:22am

The night was cold and the Moon was bright.  I met a lot of people.  Everyone out there was happy.  People didn't just come out to save money, but they came out to have fun.

A lot of people waved at me and wanted to crack jokes with me.  Some people wanted their pictures taken.  A group of youngsters with loud music pulled up next to me and started to dance. The entire Ventura County was in the party mood. 

Some people talk about Christmas being too commercialized that we forgot about the meaning of Christmas.  As long as people can have fun and share love for the community I think it's all good.

Look at these happy people. It's beautiful. God bless them all.

  
Some of the folks I spoke to, Fry's & Circuit City, Oxnard (2:30am - 3:30am) 

Moon over Oxnard

Black Friday in Ventura County Part 1 ends here

Related Story: Black Friday in Ventura County 2007 Part 2

Photography by: VenturaPhoto.com  Please do not copy anything from this page.  Feel free to link to this page.

We have 2 HomeTown Buffets in Ventura County.  One HomeTown Buffet is in Oxnard, the other one is located in Simi Valley.

I like HomeTown Buffet, but I don't eat there as often.  Whenever I am at an all-you-can-eat restaurant, I tend to lose control and eat too much.

Today I went to Hometown Buffet at Simi Valley for lunch.  As I was eating, unusual amount of older folks started to walk in.  They were all talking to each other, so I guessed they are together.  There were a lot of people, about 30-40 of them. They all looked kind of folksy, and they were all older folks (60's and older).  They all seemed nice and cute.

I didn't think much of it and enjoyed my meal.

As I walk out from HomeTown Buffet, below is what I saw... a lot of classic cars. 

It turned out that they come to HomeTown Buffet in Simi Valley every Friday and display their cars this way.  They use HomeTown Buffet as a club house of some sort.  They come in, chit chat, and enjoy meal for a while. 

- Simi Valley Home Town Buffet -

Photography: I took all these pictures with a Canon Powershot A series camera ($180.00).  Whenever I get the chance, I try to promote "Photography is a cheap hobby".  The Sun was setting fast.  I set my camera at 200ASA and photographed at shutter speed between 1/15 and 1/50. I didn't want to set my camera at 400ASA because cheap camera has its limitation.

There are 2 Hometown Buffets in Ventura County

Home Town Buffet Simi Valley:
1855 Cochran St. Simi Valley, CA 93065 (805)583-3382
Home Town Buffet Oxnard:
1901 Lockwood St Oxnard, CA 93030  (805) 983-8873
http://www.hometownbuffet.com/

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I saw two cool cars today.
This yellow car was turning left at Arneill to Pickwick (to post office & fire station).
I didn't get the whole car, but it's still cool.

And I found this Evil Knievel (look-alike) pickup truck at Camarillo Town Center.

Krispy Kreme at Oxnard is now Closed. There is no Krispy Kreme in Ventura County anymore.  The nearest location is in Van Nuys.

I remember when they first opened the store around year 2000. After taking a bite of that hot glazed donut, there was no going back. They also had good coffee. They've been roasting coffee since 1937. I used to grind & brew Krispy Kreme coffee every morning before I go to work. I still have two Krispy Kreme coffee mugs.

I have 19 pictures to share with you. Some of the photographs below were taken in March 2003 & May 2006.  "After"  shots were taken August 9 2006.

Click pictures below for large images.

Friday, May 19, 2006
At Gateway Center Plaza in Ventura (Where Kohl's & Barns & Noble are located).
This must be a club of some sort.
I have seen another classic car club at Simi Valley at HomeTown Buffett. Click Here

I had a wedding photography job at Santa Paula.
This car was used as a limo for the bride.