With the economy in a slump many people have gotten caught up in the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” madness this year. The advertisements and media hype can have you working up a storm about getting to the big box retailers to snap up the best deals. But when you step back to think about all of the trouble and strife you will receive from Black Friday, is it really worth it?
You have to wake up at 4am, and leave your house at 5pm in order to secure a spot for Thanksgiving night sales. Then you must fight your way through mobs of angry consumers who are lined to the teeth with heavy purses, menacing punches, and even plastic Wolverine claws and Nerf guns or worse yet in at least one case… real Pepper Spray.Â
If you are living in a relatively trendy neighborhood that features plenty of boutiques and independently owned, upper-tier shops, you may want to check out their sales on Black Friday in order to get the best deals. The sad fact of the matter is that if you visit these locations, they will not have many items marked down for sale anyway.
According to TechCrunch, the biggest scam that retailers use to sucker people in on Black Friday is to offer huge discounts on items that are nearly outdated or obsolete. They will put these items on steep discounts so they can get rid of them, turn profits based on large sales numbers, and then restock for next season with the newer inventory.
Your best bet for surviving the Black Friday madness is to just sleep in. After your wake up, go in the kitchen and make yourself a leftover turkey sandwich, go play a game of football with the neighborhood kids, and enjoy the rest of your weekend. The real sales start on Monday when all of the online retailers begin offering major discounts.
Is Black Friday an important part of the American economy? Yes.
Do you have to participate in it just to make our commerce systems work? No. Don’t buy into all of the hype that you see and hear because some of it is just sensationalism. You should instead try to enjoy your holiday weekend and spend time with your family and friends and look for the real sales online.
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