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Black Friday, skip the hassle
By Stephen Showman
Last Updated:2:55 PM EST 11/11/08 Section: Viewpoint
The busiest shopping day is a little more than three weeks away. I am sure people have been planning out the list that you want to buy for friends and family this Christmas. How can the day after Thanksgiving be so hectic and crazy?
I have never been shopping the day after Thanksgiving before 5 p.m. in my entire life. My family made it a tradition to go out to a movie and stay away from retail stores early in the morning. You would never see me up at 3 a.m. no matter what "great deals" are out there to take home to save a few dollars.
I feel as though "Black Friday" is a pathetic way for retailers to sell products for cheap in order to raise more money by people purchasing other products they sell as well. Every year people get suckered into thinking that they are going to be a lucky person to get one of the 10 "great deal" products advertised in their flyers week in advance knowing that thousands of other people in the area received the exact same flyer as well. Every year more and more people get up earlier and earlier to be the first person in line to wait four hours in the freezing cold waiting for employees at Best Buy to open the doors to the pack of wild animals ready to stampede the aisles grabbing for the last DVD player on the shelf.
What happened to Thanksgiving? It seems as though people are going to bed sooner than usual to get enough sleep to be somewhat conscious while ready to battle others to get the "hot items" this year. Does anyone realize that Thanksgiving is being cut short to prepare for Christmas which is less than a month after?
Even before Thanksgiving stores are putting out Christmas trees and lights to sell and get everyone in the holiday season. Stores try to be the first store out with Christmas things and it is getting to be ridiculous.
A friend of mine goes shopping early the day after Thanksgiving to buy things for himself, not for other people. He is willing to get up early to buy televisions and other necessary electronics for 75 percent less than he would any other day of the year. I don't understand why he would do this because everything is crazy and hectic, and you aren't even guaranteed the electronic gift you have your heart set on.
The only way I would risk going out into the jungle of society would be if I was guaranteed to get the "great deal" that I was in desperate need of this year. I would be furious if I spent crucial time that I could be sleeping ,instead of shopping, and didn't come home with anything that was on my mind or list.
To everyone who is set on going out the day after Thanksgiving, I have a little advice; good luck.
I have never been shopping the day after Thanksgiving before 5 p.m. in my entire life. My family made it a tradition to go out to a movie and stay away from retail stores early in the morning. You would never see me up at 3 a.m. no matter what "great deals" are out there to take home to save a few dollars.
I feel as though "Black Friday" is a pathetic way for retailers to sell products for cheap in order to raise more money by people purchasing other products they sell as well. Every year people get suckered into thinking that they are going to be a lucky person to get one of the 10 "great deal" products advertised in their flyers week in advance knowing that thousands of other people in the area received the exact same flyer as well. Every year more and more people get up earlier and earlier to be the first person in line to wait four hours in the freezing cold waiting for employees at Best Buy to open the doors to the pack of wild animals ready to stampede the aisles grabbing for the last DVD player on the shelf.
What happened to Thanksgiving? It seems as though people are going to bed sooner than usual to get enough sleep to be somewhat conscious while ready to battle others to get the "hot items" this year. Does anyone realize that Thanksgiving is being cut short to prepare for Christmas which is less than a month after?
Even before Thanksgiving stores are putting out Christmas trees and lights to sell and get everyone in the holiday season. Stores try to be the first store out with Christmas things and it is getting to be ridiculous.
A friend of mine goes shopping early the day after Thanksgiving to buy things for himself, not for other people. He is willing to get up early to buy televisions and other necessary electronics for 75 percent less than he would any other day of the year. I don't understand why he would do this because everything is crazy and hectic, and you aren't even guaranteed the electronic gift you have your heart set on.
The only way I would risk going out into the jungle of society would be if I was guaranteed to get the "great deal" that I was in desperate need of this year. I would be furious if I spent crucial time that I could be sleeping ,instead of shopping, and didn't come home with anything that was on my mind or list.
To everyone who is set on going out the day after Thanksgiving, I have a little advice; good luck.
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