Saturday, November 14, 2015

Black Friday Blahs



Early Black Friday (BF) Specials are being announced everywhere. They’re in the newspaper and arrive through my email. They’re showing up in the mailbox and as important announcements on voicemail. 

My first instinct is panic. If all these great specials (and I’ve seen quite a few) are being offered now, they’ll be gone before Thanksgiving. Should I max out the charge card and go now while the getting’s good?

The next feeling is compassion. There are millions of people who plan their BF shopping trip all year long. They will either be disappointed because the good bargains are gone or upset because they jumped early and could have saved more. 
There are bargains everywhere!


 
Finally, curiosity got to me. Isn’t this sale of all sales celebrated the day after Thanksgiving or at least starting Thanksgiving afternoon? I headed over to my favorite search engine to get some legitimate and/or wildly imaginative answers.

It turns out the semi-official day started as the day after Thanksgiving and gradually worked its way up to retailers opening early. Hours lengthened to add Thanksgiving Day in 2011 and 2012. It will be interesting to see how the numbers reflect what is considered “THE” busiest shopping day of the year, with all the earlier hoopla taking place. 


Tweed Heads' Shopping Centre in Australia is still busy in the new millennium.
I think I’ll stay home and have a turkey sandwich and another piece of pumpkin pie.
Which season earns most of your shopping time?

10 comments:

  1. I love to shop on Black Friday (partly because it's so interesting to people watch). Most of my shopping is done throughout the year as I find killer deals.

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  2. I have never been Black Friday shopping. Always wanted to, but never wanted to deal with the crowds and late nights. I pretty much just shop online because some of the deals over the year are better than Black Friday.

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  3. It was a tradition with a friend and I. We'd done silly hates, grab hot chocolate and have fun. Not anymore though. The stress and frenzy of it all isn't worth the fun, at least early in the morning. I shop from home or wait until later in the day!

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  4. I avoid all the store on Black Friday. I may do some shopping online, but that is it. Catherine S

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  5. I don't like to go out and shop on Black Friday! I did shop cyber Monday at home though.

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  6. I tend to avoid Black Friday now although that evening I may look online and see if anything is interesting. I'm with you for another pie slice though.

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  7. I love to shop online. The crowds give me anxiety lol.

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  8. I'm not Black Friday shopping. I have no interest this year. I've gone before though.

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  9. Black Friday is a tradition for me, my sister and my mom. We refuse to go anytime before midnight on Thanksgiving!! We might not get all the "deals" but that's not why I go! I've been doing this since I was a kid!

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  10. I absolutely 100% refuse to support any store that is open on Thanksgiving. No deal is worth making your employees work on a holiday. it's horrible. My husband or I will go out on Black Friday but we've never stood in a crazy line for more than 1/2 hour so we probably don't get the best deals but that's okay.

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