Black Friday

It’s not often I make a comment that America has got something right, but when it comes to shopping, having major retail sales before Christmas rather than after definitely makes sense.

The day after Thanksgiving Day is known as Black Friday.  This is the day when major retailers go into profit after 11 months in the red.  This is the day America hit the shops.

There was a bit of a fuss this year because some shops were actually planning to open their doors at 11.00 pm on Thanksgiving Day rather than waiting until one minute past midnight on Friday.  I don’t know what it is about opening a store in the small hours that makes everyone think they have got even more of a bargain than usual, but the psychology works.   If you want to grab a deal, you have to be there – it’s the early bird that gets the worm.

And some early birds certainly got more than they bargained for this year.  Along with news reports of police using stun guns on shoplifters during the opening frenzies, one woman was apparently arrested for pepper spraying her fellow bargain hunters to get them out of her way.  She was referred to by the newsreader as a “competitive” shopper. Disabling your rivals with a noxious substance competitive? Where I come from you'd call that cheating!!  

Americans do like to shop and they do like to think they are getting good value for money.  They lovingly collect hoards of “coupons” – discount vouchers which regularly appear in the mail box or come with the Sunday papers.  To me the word “coupon” conjures up connotations of war time ration books and a world of frugality – here it is exactly the opposite.  Coupons enable you to spend, spend, spend.  

The idea of being able to buy all our Christmas presents at discount prices was certainly very tempting and late on Friday afternoon we took a stroll to our nearest Macy’s store.  Elbows at the ready I was disappointed to discover the store itself was surprisingly deserted, although the shop floor did resemble the remnants of a rummage sale.  We did bag ourselves a couple of bargains but to be honest Macy’s is one of those stores that is always issuing “coupons” and having discount sales.  Canny shoppers can always get 10 or 20% off and it does make you wonder if anything is ever sold at full-price.  Again it’s all about the psychology.

After Black Friday comes Cyber Monday.  For anyone crushed in the stampede or too busy rubbing toxic dust out of their eyes to grab the Friday deals, Cyber Monday is the day to go on-line and double click on e-bargains galore.  Apparently it is the busiest day of the year for internet shopping, and the only hazard  would appear to be a mild case of RSI. 

Personally I think all this consumerism brings out the worse in all of us, and whilst I may be too late for this Christmas, I’ve told my family in the future we need downscale and economize.  Maybe just a small can of pepper spray will do the trick next year.