Have you heard the news? Thanksgiving is coming up, and you know what that means. No, not turkey, not even the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It means Black Friday. For me, Black Friday is a nightmare, and frankly, a health hazard. I do not care to wait in line all night just to be trampled the following morning to get some material thing I certainly do not need.
For some people, Black Friday has become a tradition. They wake up early after a filling Thanksgiving meal and hit the mall to start and finish their gift list in one day. For some families, the deals are unbeatable. However, it seems like companies target impulse buyers, looking for the customer who is willing to buy just because. Did you really need that second jumbo TV just because it was a “good deal”?
Don’t even get me started about Cyber Monday. Really, why? Why do we need to purchase more online because we can? Isn’t that the beauty of the Internet? We can find what we need the moment we need it and, if you do your research right, for as cheap as possible. Our generation has, perhaps, the most savvy Internet explorers (pun intended), yet we still have days like Cyber Monday. I just don’t get it.
Although I am a self-proclaimed shopaholic, I have not, and will not, partake in Black Friday. I don’t see the need or necessity. Neither does REI it seems. The major outdoor retailer will be closed on Black Friday. Good for them. But could that spell trouble for their fourth quarter? Perhaps they have found their clientele to purchase just as much during the regular holiday season. Entry into all Minnesota State Parks will be free of charge on Black Friday. How wonderful is that? Instead of starting off the Holiday season with material possessions, you can hike with your family free of charge! Just what the holidays are all about—quality family time.
With this lovely extended break for Thanksgiving, you will not find me in any big box store combing the shelves for a “deal.” Instead, I will be pulling out the holiday decorations, listening to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, while visions of sugarplums dance in my head. And if you do choose to partake in Black Friday, may the odds be ever in your favor.