The men were sitting on the couch with their parents unbuttoned and a full stomach. The kids were trying to sneak more dessert. And the ladies were doing their stretches in preparation for Black Friday. Yes folks, after the Thanksgiving feast commences, it is time for the Black Friday frenzy to ensue. Over the years it seems that Black Friday is infringing more and more on Thanksgiving and should really be called “Eve of what WAS Black Friday…into a whole other day.” (I don’t know how the long name will commercialize but we will see.) Target opened their doors at 8pm for shoppers, WalMart was opening at 6 PM which is the same time as Best Buy and several mall department stores like Macy’s couldn’t wait till Friday. And with sales like these you literally ha people busting through the doors for the “Door Busters.”
The National Retail Federation estimated that about 97 million Americans went shopping yesterday, Black Friday 2013. They said that this was lower than usual due to Thursday openings but still 97 M-I-L-L-I-O-N?! I would still have to say the malls were far from a ghost town. As someone who works in retail, I can tell you that Black Friday is one of the days when you stand back and observe, don’t worry about “go-backs” too much and get ready for the ladies with “the piles” who want every bargain they can get. Nobody gets between a woman and her shopping, especially on Black Friday.
Black Friday never goes without the news stories of someone being trampled, someone getting arrested for being too belligerent, lost children in the mall and anything of the sort that would make you think the malls suddenly turned into a feeding frenzy. My reaction: baffled. Is that video game consule really worth your left leg? Will your daughter live without her free gift with purchase when you buy your cosmetic kit from Macy’s?
Black Friday has not only extended earlier into Thanksgiving Thursday but with cyber sales is now walking on Cyber Monday’s territory. I got plenty of emails from retailers about Black Friday sales that would only take one click (not one long drive to one long line in a mall). Amazon had great sales and are seen as the true competitor for retailers today. I would say I would take shopping online a little bit more favorably since I can do it in my PJ’s (then again some people do their Black Friday shopping in their PJ’s too.)
Don’t get me wrong, I love to shop but I still try to avoid the malls at all costs on Black Friday. No sale (unless it was something related to Justin Timberlake, The Olsen Twins, or the Red Sox) could get me off my couch after a filling Thanksgiving meal and to the malls to face the crazy chaos I know will ensue. The lines are crazy, the people are crazy and I am just too easily distracted. I commend those who are brave enough to get the deals. I have heard stories of awesome sales that they have gotten. Black Friday expert shoppers have told me you have to be prepared with a list, map of the store and team of savvy shoppers who you can rely on. Sounds like when guys pick their Fantasy football teams.
So to all of you ladies who survived Black Friday: congratulations. I hope you got all the sales that you wanted and walked away with as few bruises as possible. I hope the “odds were ever in your favor.” To those of you who did not go shopping: do not worry, it is just the beginning of the “holiday shopping season.” And to everyone: get ready for our emails to be clogged up as we face Cyber Monday.
Sources/Photo Sources
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cl…
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/…