Black Friday Shopping
December 1, 2009 • written by Ruby Oluoch
After consuming turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and all the other Thanksgiving delights, what do some Americans do to truly start the holiday season? Participate in Black Friday – one of the most dangerous days in retail.
Black Friday, also referred to as Bargain Friday, is regarded as the unofficial beginning to the holiday shopping season. It takes place on the Friday following Thanksgiving. It’s a day in which many retailers offer high sales and door buster deals in order to meet their remaining profit goals. Stores have been known to open as early as 5 a.m. on Black Friday with items being marked off up to 75% or more.
With promising deals and inviting prices, Black Friday shoppers are often eager and extreme in their shopping. Crowds may gather outside of a store 10 hours prior to the opening and some will even camp outside the night before. Impatient shoppers pushing and shoving each other to retrieve items is not an unusual occurrence at Black Friday sale. Stampedes and trampling have also taken place, most notably in November 2008 when a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by overzealous shoppers.
Interestingly enough, a recent survey has concluded that over 50% of Black Friday shopping is done for the own shopper’s behalf, which proposes the question of whether extreme bargain shopping tactics are responsible. Is it worth standing in the bitter cold to get that sweater you just must have, that flat screen that would fit perfectly above your fireplace for maybe 50 dollars off than you typically would? Is it worth plowing your way through other cranky morning shoppers and waiting check out lines hours long to save a little more on your purchases than you would if you waited a couple weeks?
Many consumers think not. Online shopping became a popular alternative for many shoppers this year with online sales ranging much higher than regular retail ones and understandably so. No long lines, bigger selection, customizable orders, and virtual wish lists were attractive ideas for plenty of this year’s consumers. And just in case you were too full from your Thanksgiving meal and opted out of Black Friday shopping, Cyber Monday, a web version of Black Friday, has became an unofficial holiday for season internet customers.
But those who aren’t comfortable with buying online or facing antsy holiday crowds have little to fear. Department stores and larger retails such as Nordstrom, Best Buyer, Target, Wal-mart, etc. carry on most sales all season. You may even find last-minute deals early shoppers didn’t as stores try to clear out their holiday merchandise.
What do you think is the best method of holiday shopping? Have you ever braved Black Friday crowds? Did you snag deals online this year? Is extreme consumerism a legitimate problem? Let us know what you think, and Happy Holidays!
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