Ship of Fools: Black Friday

Thread: Black Friday Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :

It's all over the net, it's in the papers - it's Black Friday - as if it's a national phenomenon.
I'd never heard of Black Friday before I started working in Merthyr Tydfil - and then was told it was the last Friday before Christmas when there were lots of office/works parties, or when the men went out drinking. Why "Black" Friday? Because the drunks could be rounded up by the police in a "Black Mariah".

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

It's a celebration of sorts for merchants who sell enough stuff to bring their books into the black, and making money. And we fall for it. Every year. [Roll Eyes]

As a big supporter of Thanksgiving and family togetherness, I am very offended that so many stores open their doors on Thanksgiving Day, forcing employees to leave (or to not even attend) family gatherings.

Are we sure this doesn't belong in Hell?

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

It might yet belong in Hell. We don't do Thanksgiving on this side of the Atlantic - it would have been nice to have had a festival of gratitude, but no, we get the festival of encouraging people to spend and the police being called to shops to break up people fighting over bargains. I'm sure retailers are delighted at the enthusiasm shown.

Posted by basso (# 4228) on :

Kevin Drum, now blogging at Mother Jones, has been retelling the story of BF for a few years now. He posted it again today.

As far as I can tell, he's got the evidence for the origin of the name. We don't have to look past cupidity for the reasons we endure the chaos.

If that doesn't send the thread to the nether regions, I guess it really doesn't belong there.

Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :

Not a thread, but Eutychus has condemned in Hell for spreading to France, and we now have retailers using it as a hook to hang a sale on, any excuse will do.

Huia

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

One can choose not to participate. I ventured out for groceries late this morning and noticed that more people were out than usual, but otherwise I stay at home on Black Friday.

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

I'm finding it annoying, nonsensical and stupid as it has spread to Canada. It's being advertised like crazy. Even with Thursday and Friday being just regular work days. Thanksgiving day is the second Monday in October in Canada.

Black Friday sounds like a bizarre take on crucifixion day.

Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :

I suppose a Doppler black Wednesday will appear in Canada after Canadian Thanksgiving as soon as the merchants figure it out.

Oddly the whole super sales during the Christmas shopping season has proved a mixed blessing in recent years. A lot of consumers decided to wait for the next big sale, which they felt sure would happen before Christmas. Merchants aren't that excited at all the holiday revenue being discounted.

The next nastiness that will probably spread globally is the Chinese Singles Day. Pushed by Ali Baba over the last three years it encourages single people to buy gifts for themselves on 11/11. This year they sold 9 Billion dollars of merchandise creating quite a bulge in the delivery system.

[ 28. November 2014, 21:30: Message edited by: Palimpsest ]

Posted by Enoch (# 14322) on :

What I really resent, and I'm not the only one, is that the retailers, feeling they have to follow where A**z*n leads, have chosen to whip up a frenzy of buying, with a new name none of us have heard of before, by reference to an event in a public calendar on the other side of the world, which means nothing to any of us, and has no bearing on our lives.

In all previous years, the sales started on Boxing Day and were supposed to be about flogging off cheap the forlorn and left over presents nobody had wanted to buy. Now we have a sale presumably designed to flog off cheap the presents nobody is going to want before they even knew they didn't want them.

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

I make such a point not to shop on Black Friday, I didn't even get out of my pajamas today. Nice to do that once in a while, especially on a chilly, snowy day just after a big feast!

Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :

The stores only do it because we play their game. So don't. Certainly don't shop on Thanksgiving Day, and don't shop on Black Friday either. If we none of us go to the stores, they won't do this.

Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :

On the other hand, the stores will open because people want to shop. It is actually very convenient (if you're in the US where it's holiday), at least it would be if not for the stupidly large numbers of people egged on by over-hyped marketing.

Normally we work Monday to Friday. That leaves two days to fit in: spending time with family, going to church (if we do), going to a sports event, doing some other leisure activities, just chilling out and relaxing before going back to work on Monday. A holiday weekend gives us another day to do those things, and that leaves more time for doing some shopping.

Then add in the proximity to Advent, and preparing for Christmas adds to the mix. So, it's a convenient weekend with the extra time for shopping to check out the decorations and get in anything that's needed (although it is too early to put them up, you can always prepare), you've just cooked a big family meal and now you know what kitchen gadget you need to do better at Christmas and restock the non-perishable items you'll need for the next pig-out, and of course it's convenient to get in some presents.

All in all, good reasons to be shopping on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. None of which really translate very well to countries which don't have a holiday this weekend.

The stores know that they'll get extra custom this weekend for those reasons, and naturally they're going to want to cash in on the bonanza and add to their bottom line. The best way for them to do that is to shift as much stock as possible. Which means cutting prices - a small reduction in profit per item is more than compensated for by increased turn over.

Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :

Neither Thanksgiving or Black Friday are yet the custom here, and I hope that remains so. I can understand the historical basis for Thanksgiving in the US, and it's a valid feast there - but not here. Black Friday seems simply to be an excuse for retail hype.

Posted by M. (# 3291) on :

I'd never heard of it before this year and at first assumed it had something to do with leaving the ERM (But I think that was Black Wednesday, wasn't it?) I didn't realise until someone said someting at dinner last night that it was to do with the American thanksgiving.

But it was everywhere yesterday. I'll choose when I go shopping, thanks.

M.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

And don't forget folks - upcoming is Cyber Monday! This is when everyone goes 'Chistmas is when?' and starts working through everyone's wish list on Amazon.

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

I had heard of Black Friday but, like M., have only been aware of it in the UK this year. We don't get a holiday for it but people seemed to be going mad over televisions when Tesco's opened their doors at midnight. Aldi, upcoming discount competition, has rather neatly made the point that their prices are low every day - every Friday is a Black Friday and they just call it Friday. [Biased]

Nen - glad to have pretty much nailed the Christmas shopping over a week ago.

Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :

My in-box was full of 'Black Friday' offers from retailers yesterday. Today I got a newletter from my favourite wool shop ranting about how such events don't do independent shops any favours.

Posted by RuthW (# 13) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
On the other hand, the stores will open because people want to shop.

And a good number of the people who want to shop on this weekend do so because they have a limited amount of money to spend and it goes farther when the stores are heavily discounting merchandise. Rich people don't shop on Black Friday -- but poor people do (LA Times article).

Black Friday sales start earlier every year, with a lot of stores being open on Thanksgiving Day this year. We can bemoan that all we want, but there is a good reason for it: retailers serving purse-pinched people open earlier and earlier because they are competing for customers who have a fixed budget for Christmas spending.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

I only found out what 'black Friday' was a couple of weeks ago.

I went for a day out with friends in Manchester yesterday not realising this was it! (Not shopping - I don't do shopping, ever)

Anyway, I'm pleased to report all was well, we had a lovely meal followed by a pamper session and got the train home - no problems.

[Smile]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

If it was just one Black Friday of retail hell most of us could probably live with it and not go out then, etc if we didn't want to. But it isn't just one day - there are a lot of notices up in shop windows saying it's the whole weekend and into Monday i.e. three or even four days of it.

This has all the marks of becoming entrenched in a very short space of time.

Posted by swllwmzn (# 12945) on :

Up in these parts the last Friday before Christmas is known, for obvious reasons, as Black Eye Friday.

Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :

This is a recent import to the UK that we could do without.

As far as I'm concerned 'Black' Friday is another name for Good Friday - yesterday was 28th November and the feast day of Saint Juthwara.

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
And don't forget folks - upcoming is Cyber Monday ...

D. did our e-shopping last week (pressies for family in the UK from The Wine Society).

**smug grin** [Big Grin]

Posted by Magersfontein Lugg (# 18240) on :

But then I heard its Giving Tuesday - which seems a bit of a better thing to me than all this buy buy buy stuff.

Ho ho ho!

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