Today is Black Friday, the name traditionally given to the day after Thanksgiving. I did not know why so until Bill explained to me in simple economic terms. It is a day of extreme discounts offered by most store chains, each clamoring for the attention of the holiday shoppers by opening in the wee hours of the morning (5am is the standard) and ending the store-wide sale by 11am.
It is also the day when the stores would generate the most sales for the year, literally turning their balance books from red to black. I’ve read in the past years about shoppers lining up a couple of hours before opening time, each wanting a piece of the action of the mad rush for the cheapest buy of the day.
The closest I got to one was the last one, dropping by a WalMart around 9.30am. The carpark was near full capacity and I think we decided to just walk away for we really do not fancy jostling for position to partake of the bounty.
This year I did not participate too, in the real rush. But I did wake up early in the morning and took part in the Black Friday sale galore, in the warm comfort of home. I’m referring to the online sale events (and I’m pretty sure the goods go for the same advertised low prices). No lining up outside the store in the cold. No rushing through the aisles looking for the coveted item, and definitely no lining up again to pay for the purchase. Granted I will be receiving the goods sometimes next week. But for the comfort and the absence of stress-induced agitation, I could live with a few days’ wait.
Well, different folks, different tunes. I don’t rule out that there are people who enjoy the adrenalin rush engendered by real competitive action, beating somebody to the line, the cashier line.
And I still had energy left to accompany my family for a movie treat in the afternoon: Happy Feet, in the IMAX theatre. And after that, this blog early in the night.
2 comments:
The one time I got up early for Black Friday was when Jin Quan and I were staying with Stella and Uncle BH, and they got up early to go to Meier & Frank at the mall. They ended up shopping for a really long time, and JQ and I were both tired and I don't think we even bought anything. Ha!
This year I said we would go, but then I got a cold, and plus, it's very difficult to get me up before 9 on a non-workday. :D Plus, I think the real savings are on electronic items, which still end up costing more than a couple hundred dollars, and Dan and I simply can't afford nor need such expenditure right now. Ah, well. Many more to come!
That's the spirit. Buy what you need, not what you want.
And today's Tampa Tribue reported that not all the good deals are offered only on Black Friday. There's also a Cyber Monday when holidayers return after Thanksgiving.
Also, Black Friday is not the busiest day for shopping on record: it lost out to the day before and the day after Christmas.
So you still have a month to plan.
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