Why Black Friday Sucks
There are few things which clearly demonstrate the failure of our modern society more than Black Friday. Traditionally this day after Thanksgiving has become the largest shopping day of the year. I have nothing against shopping or the ability to businesses to make money, in fact I am all for capitalism and the right of individuals to run their businesses. I believe that the problem is the ever increasing commercialization of Christmas and the inability of some people to put their family above saving a few dollars.
The Greed Factor
To see this greed factor in action, you don’t have to look any further than the fact that all of the big businesses have extended their Black Friday sales into Thanksgiving day. If you show up at Walmart at 8 PM on Thanksgiving night, you will get a great deal on a great flat screen. This is the price of integrity and family time, an inexpensive television. Sad that there isn’t just one day that you can ignore all of the corporate chatter and pursue some sort of family time and interpersonal connections that don’t cost a thing.
Shoppers or Sheep?
It seems that all people today are just like sheep, being herded to the stores by the herders that run the big stores. Once one store does it, all of them feel
the need to open up, because they might miss out on some sales. Forget the fact that the people who are working for you have to be there regardless of whether or not anyone shows up. I can’t imagine the money that is going to be made in those short hours of Thanksgiving night are going to make or break Walmart’s bottom line, and you and I both know they won’t. The additional sales, might help increase their take for the season, but that will be a surplus on top of what they would have made anyway. In fact, I would wager this is a very small percentage of their holiday marketing deluge. It is not Walmart’s, or Kmarts, or Sears’ fault for this, it is the consumer who is willing to show up to spend money.
Please Leave Christmas Alone
This extension of the marketing of Christmas and the attack on the little family time we have left can be stopped really easily by simply not showing up. If there is nobody there, then the corporations that run Christmas will not pursue it, their advertising schemes will find a more natural outlet. Maybe they will see that there is money to be made in common sense, but that will never happen as long as the sheep, that is the American consumer continues to participate in this foolishness. Everyone seems to forget that this should be a season about love and not about buying more crap that nobody really needs. What is the point? What do you need?
A Dark Forecast for Christmas
The future looks dark for those who participate in this type of marketing, because before long the sales will creep up through the week, Black Friday will begin on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. There will be promotions that give you savings for visiting their stores on consecutive days during the week. Or the inevitable heavy barrage of the commercialism of Christmas will move into October, because some marketer realizes that all consumers do exactly what the advertisers tell them to. Sad. But what can we expect when the message people get every day is that more is better and even more stuff is better than that.
Boycott Black Friday
The only way to end this foolishness is to stop participation and boycott the whole mess. Stay away from the stores and ignore the marketing. The argument that you will never get that kind of deal again is foolishness, they will still give you the deals later in the season. I am not sure you know, but stores are still competing for your money right up until Christmas, there will be other sales. This will not hurt the bottom line of any business, because you will still shop and buy whatever you were going to buy anyway. The corporate world would have you believe that the entire economy is coming unpinned if the sales on Black Friday aren’t up to expectation. Don’t believe it, that is all media driven foolishness, designed to get you to buy, buy, and buy some more.
Use Your Brain and Think, Make your own Decision
If you have a brain in your head, and you can make your own decisions, then don’t participate in Black Friday in any form or fashion. For the many who will sell their integrity and in effect their soul for a cheap television at Walmart, there is really no hope for you at this time. Stuff doesn’t make you happy, it only gives you more stuff. No matter how much stuff you accumulate, it will not fill the void and emptiness you have inside.
I hope you all experience safe travel and have a happy day eating turkey, watching football and spending time with your family, I think that is what this time of year should be all about.
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