Black Friday
Posted by admin on 28 Nov 2008 | Tagged as: Musings
I must start with a confession. I have only shopped on “Black Friday” once. It was a few years ago when I purchased my parents a web tv system, one of the few gift successes I have had as they still use it. If I purchased it at Thanksgiving, my parents could use it for 30 days, so when I came home again before Christmas, I could return it without cost.
In fact, I find myself mystified by the whole reality. I value sleep too much to be getting up early in the morning (Kaybee Toys opened at midnight) to shop. Moreover, this year it seems even less likely that prices will be different after today.
I don’t understand the whole race to be the first in the store. At a Wal Mart on Long Island, a security guard was killed, presumably because he was trampled to death. Is there really anything in a Wal Mart that is so important that we can’t wait a few extra minutes to get it?
Retailers need merchandise to move, even if they don’t make much (if any) of a profit. So I suspect even though I didn’t make it out to shop today, finding what I need at an affordable price will not be a problem.
That having been said, I am not a typical shopper. The economy will not depend on me, since I shop for so little. And, while I am an interested “Black Friday” watcher, it is still a phenomenon I do not understand.