Black Friday Blues

Target. Best Buy. Toys-R-Us. Gap. Macy’s.

(We don’t even have a Macy’s!)

Anyway, the list goes on: Sears. Kohl’s. HH Gregg, JC Penney. Name a store and chances are they’re going to be doing their best to lure shoppers out tomorrow to participate in the annual ritual known as “Black Friday.”

Speaking for many of us non-shoppers, I can tell you the black in Black Friday refers to the ominous nature of a marathon shopping day rather than the bottom line of retail commerce. And for me, personally, it is no longer fun to be among the throng.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Let’s turn the clock back, shall we, to a kindler, gentler time…say around 2005 or so (I just picked a year…could’ve been ‘04…might’ve been '03). Back in the 'good ol’ days’ it was different. It wasn’t so cutthroat. It wasn’t so…in your face.

For me, there was a time, not that long ago, that shopping on the day after Thanksgiving was actually kind of fun. In those days, the shopping DAY didn’t really start in the middle of the night. It started around, say, 8. Not 7. Not 6. Not 5.

And it certainly didn’t start the NIGHT BEFORE the day after Thanksgiving. (Did you follow me there?).

To be sure, there were deals to be had. Remember the “Tickle Me Elmo” craze? Or “Cabbage Patch Kids?” Retail-mania tied to holiday shopping certainly isn’t new.

There was also something somewhat novel about putting the kiddos to sleep the night before in their street clothes and then hitting the ground running very early the next morning with a few 'must have’ purchases on the list and usually a nice breakfast to top it all off. Some years, my dad even got into the act if he knew hot coffee and doughnuts might be involved.

Then, something changed.

The advertising push is so loud now. And it starts earlier and earlier. So do the 'official’ shopping hours for Black Friday. In a tight economy, competitive retailers vie for your attention; they seek to leapfrog each other to help make up lost dollars. As they have pushed the hours back and racheted up the pressure, you can envision some of the fervent Black Friday shoppers preparing to leapfrog fellow shoppers in order to get the best deal on this year’s gadget of choice.

It’s not all bad. Competition fuels our free market economy. That economy gives us choices.

Thus, I’ve chosen to sit this one out. Lisa’s with me on this. IF there were a Macy’s around, she and Holly might have a change of heart. But for Macy’s, they’d have to drive to another city - like, say, Atlanta. Those trips are usually the ones they make during the summer anyway.

As for tomorrow, the entire clan has decided there isn’t really a must-have item out there. We can still buy a pair of jeans or a DVD. It will still be there on Small Business Saturday. Or even at 2 p.m. Friday.

Don’t get me wrong. For those of you who plan to brave the crowds, I say “More power to you. Hope you have fun. Thanks for doing your part to boost the economy.” And I mean all of those things sincerely and I wish you great success as you pursue the items on your wish list.

As for me, I’m just planning to sleep in.

JG

(Source: Washington Post)

Originally posted 11/24/2011