So Many Offers, So Little Time
Black Friday. It’s nearly two weeks away. The special ad sections will likely be arriving at your doorstep, and people are already cataloging all the rumored offers. What will you buy? What will you “save” on? Look at those incredible deals in the special ads! I haven’t seen [Insert your item here] at these kind of prices anywhere! Wow, glorious corporate gods, you’ve smiled upon us today.
The infatuation and energy is enough to forget what we’re actually celebrating next week. Hopefully you can read through my dripping sarcasm to realize that Black Friday is not a favorite of mine. In fact, I think it’s a travesty and an assault on families all over America. My family included, we compromised plans for Thanksgiving in order for a Fortune 500 company to reap the rewards of increasing consumer demands and take my relative away.
Goodbye Holiday, Hello Deals
Following a slew of similar announcements from stores including Target, Best Buy and Macy’s, Walmart said Tuesday that it will hold two major sales events at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, two hours earlier than last year.
–USAToday
This year, many retailers will be encroaching even further on family and friend time by opening at 6 PM on Thanksgiving. The early start is forcing people to rethink the concept of “Black Friday.” Rather than recognizing what we are thankful for, helping others, and bringing people together, this holiday has been entirely co-opted by major businesses for gargantuan profits.
Marketing campaigns of epic proportions convince us that now is the time to save – the only time. The fact is Black Friday deals are temporary, and most if not all items will eventually hit these prices. These “steals” and “deals” are made up to capitalize on psychological vulnerability.
The Answer: Buy Nothing Day
There’s an alternative to mall trampling stories, waiting out in the cold, and losing our Thanksgiving dinners. It’s time to start talking about Buy Nothing Day. Started by the protestors at Adbusters (credited with starting Occupy Wall Street), the holiday from Black Friday tells us one thing: resist the urge and enjoy your friends, family, and what you already have.
This horrible holiday of consumerism only comes once a year. Try something different, and save your wallet the punishment of swiping away your savings accounts for “once-in-a-lifetime deals.” Life is about more than a low price and your time with those you care about is truly priceless. There are only 30,000 days to make this special, and it doesn’t start with a weekly ad.
For more information about Buy Nothing Day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day
Love it! The one day a year I would never go to any retailer is Black Friday, so this is a natural for me!
Kurt,
Thanks for reading and commenting. Glad we’re in agreement. 😉
Happy holidays,
Sam
Thanks for spreading the word about this!! I love the idea. Not to mention the traffic that comes with BF, and all the other annoyances. Thanksgiving is late this year so retailers are worried about sales.
-RBD
RBD,
That’s a great point about sales and the quarterly uptick that retailers benefit from. It’s always a big deal for stores, and they’ll make lots of money like always… But maybe we can do our part to protest the onslaught on friends and families that want to enjoy the holiday.
Thanks for the comment,
Sam
Love the idea of a Buy Nothing Day! I’m so sick of Black Friday and our society that thrives off material stuff that means nothing. I never participate in it myself, but I’ll have to spread the word to some other people I know that do take part in the craziness.
I think it’s absolutely INSANE that people would rather wait in the freezing cold, in lines at department stores at 6pm Thanksgiving day rather than eating and drinking with friends and family.
I haven’t really been impressed by the sales, to be honest. I need to buy a new computer, but I’m going to hold out to cyber Monday with hopes I’ll get a better deal. That way I dont have to force some seasonal employee to miss their holiday.
Buy nothing day? How about buy nothing year? http://buyingnothing.com
Looking at people camping outside of Best Buy last year, I’m still not sure what it is that makes them do that. Is it saving, bragging rights, just for fun, boredom, Holiday spirit? For me, none of those do it for me to camp outside for a day.
I’ve never been one to shop on BF. Lured in by “doorbusters”, the masses will end up spending more than they should on things they don’t need. A buy nothing day sounds perfect to me. The stores keep opening earlier each year, it’s actually getting to be offensive! I can’t believe they are opening at 6:00 on Thanksgiving yet people will still be lined up to buy, buy, buy! Whew. That mini-rant felt good. Thanks for the great post!
I would like to know what the reaction of retailers would be when Buy Nothing Day happens. At least for a day, see how it is to reverse the situation. That is some thought, indeed!
I have never shopped on Black Friday, it always looks so insane!! I can’t believe they are opening the stores even earlier this year!
The Black Friday madness is starting to get more serious here too, year after year. We decided to take a step back and just enjoy a regular day. If we need to buy some stuff, we can clearly do it on another day, not rush to buy useless junk just because it’s discounted.