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There are several reasons I am not excited about Black Friday
I want to hear other's opinions and thoughts too please.
First, the lifestyle of non-materialism /getting rid of clutter/ practically giving things away to just not have to house them anymore has finally caught up with all of us. We have been on a gradual decline of Christmas materialism through the years, and now have manifested itself in a "What do we need? NOTHING!" mindset for Christmas.
Last year, the best gifts we gave were not purchased on Black Friday. The most gifts to which people seemed most thankful were honey baked ham/turkey dinners which were mailed to friends and relatives across the country. One website, one click to pay, and done.
Second, the inflation and shortages have left us not thinking of much of what we need. SO we took a long look, realizing that our washer and dryer, 9 1/2 years old and both on the last leg, ( in fact I am surprised the dryer still works at all) led us to seek out newer ones. The ones we have are the cheap ones that the builder put in when we bought the house. We went to Lowes, picked out what we wanted, with extended warranty, and will supposedly get them around Dec 15.
Third, last year, with Covid, we went out, masked gloved and all and found very little then to get for people. Everyone here plus the Mother in Law who visits have all the socks and shirts that they need. Anything that is not edible, wearable or usable is already on it's way out anyway.
So what should we buy? more junk that no one needs?
BUT let me get to my final point. Black Friday is Exciting. And I have mentioned before some decades long SPITE that go with it. Sadly, now, I am not engaging in that. One of the people who I would text photos of black Friday to just because he hated it has developed some cardiac issues and probably would not appreciate anything stressful. One other is bedridden in hospice care. The rest have come to expect that I will be out shopping and a few, very few, b=very very few, cannot stand the idea of others shopping at 5 AM on Friday morning. But they know I will. So SPITE is not an issue anymore.
Fun is, and again, it is fun to go look for bargains, but last year, we spent well under $200 and over half of that went to charity. In fact, probably anything we get, short of a Kohl's sweater for the MIL is for charity.
And I will have fun gathering items for charity, but overall, I am just not excited about seeking material goods at 5AM after what guarantees to be a long day of drinking wine.
I have never participated in Black Friday except when I worked retail. I have never enjoyed the pushing crowds and the "madness".
But that being said, is Black Friday even a "thing" this year or even for the past couple of years. It seems to me that companies are starting their so-called Black Fridays early, and with so many deals available for computer, it would seem to me that Black Fridays are almost becoming extinct. Am I mistaken about that?
I never cared for it either. You get better sales during the year.
Same here. BF is no big deal anymore. The same or similar or even better deals are offered weekly afterwards until at least the end of January. And with the cargo containers stuck in ports you'll probably be seeing unloaded super deals by March next year. Those containers are costing their buyers, the retailers, a ton of money and they'll need to recoup that money as fast as they can.
Never once in my life have I shopped on Black Friday. There is not a single deal or sale that would make it worth it for me to deal with massive crowds of people. Prices are so competitive online that all year is Black Friday. Who needs i? I would much rather relax the day after Thanksgiving than getting up and wasting my day amongst lunatic sale hunters.
I'm trying to get at least some of my Christmas shopping done before Black Friday. I think stores are going to be a madhouse that day especially with the threat of supply chain issues looming..
I've already been seeing a major uptick in shopping around my area.
I tried Black Friday twice. One year I went to my local Macy's (not at main mall) at Midnight and bought flannel sheets dirt cheap. One year I ordered a new laptop on Black Friday (from the comfort of my living room). Oh, wait, I needed to buy a printer suddenly and I went to Best Buy not cluing into the fact that it was Black Friday (that was an eye opener). I'm old, so, I have managed to largely avoid dealing with it.
I noticed giving Sees candy or anything that is consumable (so, you are not creating clutter in someone else's house) go over well these days. Also, a gift card (especially just a plain old Visa gift card so the person is not stuck having to maybe even spend some of their own money in order to use the card). Often times I buy my friends fancy L'Occitaine (which is also consumable) -- it's hard to go wrong with Sees candy and L'Occitaine (especially now that Sees has a low sugar option). You can get Sees gift cards at Costco (25% discount).
Really, as adults, get togethers and dinners and barbecues are a better way to socialize than gift giving. Christmas was tremendously fun as a kid...
We don't give a lot of gifts. I hand make cards to send to special friends, and make cookies for the neighbors.
I stay home on Black Friday, it's been at least 30 years since I braved the sales.
I've heard that much of the "great deals" offered on BF are inferior merchandise. Doesn't make me want to buy.
I was kind of shocked a few years ago, coming home from thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house, to see people were already mobbing Walmart. Not even waiting for Friday!
My big plan for Black Friday is driving home from my brother's house 1-1/2 hours away. Traffic shouldn't be bad, except near the outlet mall.
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