Shopping on Black Friday
Americans can probably blame one of the original magnates of retail, Macy’s department stores, for the Black Friday phenomenon. The Black Friday sales date back to just before the Great Depression, in 1924 when the New York-based retailer began its famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. Or we might be able to lay the blame on President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who told people to get out and shop after Thanksgiving in 1933 during his weekly radio address.
People spend hours poring over the multitude of ads in their paper on the day before Thanksgiving, carefully planning out their every move for “the biggest shopping day of the year.” Then Friday, at three in the morning, they drag themselves out of bed, still bleary eyed from the Thanksgiving turkey and “just one more glass of wine, thank you” hangover. The lines are wrapped around the building three times, but this doesn’t stop these determined shoppers, they simply wrap themselves in blankets – whose blanket, they have no idea and nor do they care – and dream about all the “bargains” they will leave with.
The doors open and the freezing crowd ignores the icicles dropping off their noses as they push their way through like a documentary nature film that shows a herd of wildebeest jumping into a river teeming with crocodiles. The store owners stand handily by, chortling with glee at the gullibility of the people with their overflowing shopping carts, ready to help them spend every last dollar they stuffed into their purses, pockets, and overcoats – at three o five in the morning.
Apparently the masses have decided that spending money equates with saving money. Although maybe, not spending as much money might be a good thing. Maybe if it was spent on something that people truly needed, and could thereby afford more of it say – heat, food or clothing it would truly be a saving. Instead, the masses demand video game consoles at the bargain price of three hundred dollars.
Whatever the root cause of this one-day shopping binge, one fact remains – retailers announce “amazing bargains” available for ONE DAY ONLY for the shopper lucky enough, and early enough, to acquire it. SAVING MONEY of course is one of the big catchphrases that seems to somehow, however illogically, lure in shoppers. And if you read the fine print on those ads, you’ll see that those sales have limited availability, sometimes saying they will have just a handful of a particular item available. There are knock down, drag out fights for the one item available at some ridiculously low “loss leader” price.
Jerry Springer and his entourage should be standing by to mediate and film the chaos.
The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday because that one day – ONE DAY – each and every year, is THE day that can either put a retailer in the black, or keep them in the red, when they report their annual profitability.
And through decades of promotion, Black Friday shoppers have come to resemble an invading tribe of Goths or Vandals storming Rome, intent on sacking the store and sometimes attacking each other in the melee.
Shoppers, thinking how smart they are for taking advantage of these great sales, spend their hard earned cash on insignificant doodads or thingamabobs while risking broken bones in their feet from the trampling masses bent on buying. They face down that mother, intent on one, and only one goal, getting to the section where the Little Miss Molly Street Hooker dolls are on sale. Shopping for sales on Black Friday seems almost suicidal.
Of course, if shoppers were really as smart as they think they are, they would consider going to these stores on Wednesday, buying up everything that retailer is putting on the SPECIAL PRICE, and standing outside of that store on Black Friday to sell them to the highest bidder. That would be more like the American way of entrepreneurism.
Black Friday is aptly named, because the mere thought of shopping on that day should turn someone’s mood MOST black. But the herds flocking to the stores always appear, prodded by store owner shepherds. Apparently shopping for sales on Black Friday really IS worth a black eye!
All this can be avoided by shopping online and shopping “smarter not harder”. What better way to accomplish this by comparing prices, vendors, products etc. all from your computer at the convenience and comfort of your own home while sparing yourself the long lines, elbows, pushing and tugging of frantic shoppers. In light of the current volatile economic crisis, do you really want to add to your stress level by forging the masses in the malls on Black Friday??? Think again and take another sip of java from your favorite cup and sit back. Happy holidays and enjoy surfing for all of your gifts!
About the Author
Owner of JLCGifts.com online gift store offering discount designer fragrances, jewelry and gift baskets for all occasion. My “Fresh Scents” Blog provides educational and informative articles on the fragrance industry.
An accountant by occupation for 20+ years and currently employed as a Controller in the non-profit industry for an organization providing social services to women and their families.
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