Alex's post got me thinking about the whole "black friday" phenomenon. Having worked in retail now for ten years (yes, what was I thinking?) I experience each year the rush and pandemonium that surrounds this eventful day.

Last year, I arrived at my workplace at five in the morning to meet between ten and twenty people standing at the door in the freezing cold just to get their hands on a massive deal we had on televisions. We didn't even open the doors till six. To keep them happy and to keep them from leaving, my manager sent me to Walmart to buy donuts and coffee. This year wasn't so crazy at a different store where I work...we didn't have any tv's, but some lesser deals that weren't so popular.

I suppose I have mixed emotions about the whole experience. On the one hand, Black Friday creates a lot of excitement for the true "shopper". I've known some people who relish the whole challenge of getting to a store at four in the morning, just to be the first in line. If you are of that thinking, Black Friday is a fun and enjoyable experiences. Just to get home at the end of the day and know you were the "early bird that got the elmo" is somehow satisfying. It's the whole "thrill of the hunt" idea. Somehow I think these people would be the ones who, if they lived in the country, would pull up at your house at six in the morning in their pick up truck, get you out of bed, just to show you that big 12 point buck they got on the first day of deer season. Where else in our society can we get that kind of rush? Except maybe in trying to beat the other drivers to the nearest parking spot?

Then there's the matter of stewardship. Say I wanted to buy my wife a new leather jacket for Christmas. Would it be better to spend 200.00 dollars on a regular priced one or 50.00 between the hours of five and eleven am on black friday on a special buy? Or say I needed a new saw from Home Depot. I can pay 99.00 everyday or 59.00 on T-giving weekend? I know which I'm choosing.

On the other hand, there's the danger that Alex mentioned in his previous post. We live in the most blessed nation in the world, yet marketing gurus know how to get under our skin. Flashy ads convince us there's one more gadget we can't live without. So, this hype and frenzy builds in our minds to the point that instead of spending Thanksgiving day actually being thankful, we spend it pouring over Black Friday ads planning where we're going to be at 4 am the next day.

One more little tidbit. Ever wonder why it is that most of the "special" deals at retailers are usually "while supplies last" and if you show up on Saturday they'll be gone? I'll tell you. Many of the black friday specials are "one time only" deals. Some of that stuff is regular stuff reduced for the weekend, but most of it just comes in for that day. Retailers know that if they lived on those specials, they would go out of business. They are just "teasers" to get you into the store. They know that if you'll get to their store first, you won't go somewhere else, and after you've "saved" your money on that special buy, you'll often "spend" your money on something else because "oh, well we're already here, and look at that other great deal!" So, like Alex indicated. Let's keep it in perspective.

Labels: Kim Reeder