Monday, November 23, 2015

How I’m Spending Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday

My plans for Thanksgiving and the long weekend that follows are simple: I’m going to eat turkey, spend time with friends, and spoil Spot and Dolly rotten. It’s not often that I take four days off in a row, so I have a dog-centric to-do list ready to go.

Black Friday

While I have no desire to score cheap electronics or whatever people will be fighting over on Black Friday, we will be stopping by our local Petco and PetSmart to pick up this year’s freebies (free with rewards card and purchase, of course).

Petco will be handing out items from its new Dr. Seuss Pet Fans line: a Dr. Seuss Max Horn Headpiece for dogs and a Dr. Seuss Grinch Headpiece for cats. Spot and Dolly will love dressing up as Max! And by “love,” I mean sit still just long enough for me to take a photo before they paw the horn off their heads. How do I know this? Because the photo at the very top of this story was taken during the 30 seconds they kept on last year’s Petco freebie.

Petco's new Dr. Seuss Pet Fans line. (Photo courtesy Petco)

Petco’s new Dr. Seuss Pet Fans line. (Photo courtesy Petco)

PetSmart will give the first 100 customers a Paw Print Ornament and a gift card for a free movie, and we”ll put the latter to good use during the long weekend.

And because all of these freebies are more for the enjoyment of humans than dogs (again, see the very top photo), I’ll be sure to load up on Spot and Dolly’s favorite treats as the required purchase. They, along with many other items, will be deeply discounted this weekend at both stores.

Small Business Saturday

In addition to the chains mentioned above, I regularly shop at mom-and-pop pet-supply stories. We’ll show them love this holiday weekend on Small Business Saturday.

American Express launched the campaign in 2010, and while it no longer offers a statement credit for shopping at participating stores, I still take part because I consider the owners and employees at these stores to be friends — friends who greet my dogs by name and always have a treat for them.

Sunday

We’re steering clear of dog parks these days, as Dolly has a compromised immune system thanks to the combination of meds that keep her cancer in check. Spot loves to swim, though — or, to be accurate, play fetch in the water — so we’ll head to a local doggie day care that rents its pool by the hour. He’ll swim, and Dolly and I will throw his ball from the deck.

(Photo by Pamela Mitchell)

Spotty loves the water. (Photo by Pamela Mitchell)

Cyber Monday

A long weekend wouldn’t be complete without a little online shopping, and Cyber Monday offers exactly that at a deep discount. Two of my favorite brands have announced deals: LazyBonezz and Wildebeest.

At LazyBonezz.com, deals include 70 percent off in its Specials section, where it offers fashionable collars, harnesses, and leashes. The savings run from 12 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, with the collars below available for just $5.10!

Is a new collar on your holiday shopping list? (Photo courtesy LazyzBonezz)

Is a new collar on your holiday shopping list? (Photo courtesy LazyzBonezz)

Wildebeest also has a sale running now through Monday, Nov. 30. Bandanas and harnesses are 50 percent off, and if you spend $100 you get a free Funston Carrier with two rolls of Earth Rated poop bags.

What are your doggy plans for the long holiday weekend? Let us know in the comments!

Also, if any employees of stores offering Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday deals are reading this, please share details!

Read more from Dogster HQ:

About the author: Longtime journalist Pamela Mitchell loves dogs, so much so that she made them her day job in 2014 by joining Dogster.com as Senior Editor. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her sweet and stinky Boston Terriers, Dolly and Spot. Read more of her writing on Dogster.

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