At a quarter to noon crowds swarmed the mall frantically. It was a Friday like no other.
In the past, I have been the type to wake up early or even not sleep at all to take advantage of the infamous Black Friday deals.
My perspective on Black Friday has changed somewhat over the years.
I think to myself many times, “What’s the point?” Not to say there are not deals, but it always seem like stores hike up the prices of products, then reduce the price back down and add a “markdown” tag to indicate that it’s a “hot deal.”
As someone who once worked in retail, I can attest to this tactic being used. Let’s be honest, people are not looking at prices most of the time.
They are looking for the “half-off” or “buy one, get three free” specials.
This year, I almost skipped out on the deals instead of catching up on much desired sleep. I woke up at nine in the morning.
The streets were bare. It seemed everyone was already shopping.
To my surprise, I didn’t see as much road rage as I had in previous years. For the most part, people seemed calm and collected. Despite the calm, yet busy, environment, people still had that “in the zone” look, keeping their eyes peeled for the latest and greatest products.
Meanwhile, other stores around the country saw fighting amongst frantic customers.
10Connect news reported a specific incident that happened at a Walmart. Customers were fighting over a $59 TomTom GPS. Stores attempted spreading out deals throughout the store as well as staying open all day to avoid upset crowds. Needless to say, that didn’t stop all the pushing and shoving.
To add to the madness, new apps focused on Black Friday deals were released on the iPhone and Android. The TGI Black Friday app, which was featured on ABC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, was used by over 500,000 iPhone users.
The amount of preparation and time preparing for one day still perplexes me. It used to be that the day after Thanksgiving was a day to decorate or spend time together with the family at home.
Instead, many have converted it into a day of shopping. Black Friday has emerged as a ritual centralized around materialism and in an economy where sales are down and, for many, going out has become too expensive, Black Friday still remains an option, even to those who are unemployed.
Cyber Monday, also drew in a larger crowd than years before.
According to comScore Data Gem, there was a 20 percent rise in online sales for that day.
What’s next? The time to start shopping is getting earlier and earlier and people only seem to be shopping more, despite a struggling economy living out a facade of glitz and glamour.
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You realize that the “true purpose” of Black Friday IS to shop, right? Black Friday without the shopping is just Friday. The “Black” part implies that companies generating revenue and staying “in the black,” which is actually good for the economy…