Black Friday

[fan-of-fans]

This may be too new or too dreaded of a topic. But when I hear about Black Friday I always wonder how and when it started. From searching I have heard about the origin of the day and that it is usually the first day of the beginning of the season.

But as one who never really shopped on that day, when exactly did it get as crazy as it is now? The first time I really heard much about the day was in 2004 or 2005. It seemed like 2007 or 2008 was when it really got crazy with stores opening earlier and people getting hurt.

But I must have been living in a bubble because I never really heard about people camping out or recall getting lots of sale ads before about 2005 or so.

So was I really out of it or is that when it really started to pick up?

Interestingly, it seemed like the numbers are slowing down each year. Must be the rise of internet shopping.

And for the record, I have never gotten up early in the morning to shop on Black Friday. I prefer to sleep late and go out later in the day if I need anything. I see no rush to buy anything, when sales go all through Christmas with less traffic in the stores. We've all stopped giving gifts for the most part and if we do give cash or gift cards instead. I tried to use discernment in picking gifts that it would be something they would actually use, but it's difficult.

 

[rp2813]

Here in the Bay Area, the mobs didn't develop like they have in the past.  Reports are that high numbers of people observed "Green Friday" instead and enjoyed themselves outdoors and at state parks, all of which offered free admission.

 

That's not to say that there were no incidents of altercations.  TV news reported on the scenes at the few malls that did get mobbed.  Everybody they interviewed while standing in line fit the average Walmart shopper profile perfectly.   To them, Thanksgiving Day served as nothing more than a signal to let the shopping madness begin.  SMH.

 

[foraloysius]

And then suddenly the madness appears on this side of the ocean. I got lots of emails from chains that organised a black friday. But we don't even celebrate Thanksgiving!!

 

[vacerator]

is the day

after Christmas boxing day like in the UK?

 

[washman]

It is also the day that a lot of retailers go "in the black" with regard to profits.

With a 12-15% gross margin for many retailers, Black friday can mean the difference between a lousy quarter and one that makes Wall Street dance a jig.

 

[foraloysius]

Boxing Day

Yes, sort of. We don't had the tradition of the Christmas Box, but Christmas is a two day feast here, just like Easter and Pentacost.

 

[petek]

There's a lot of Black Friday spill over in Canada but I think Boxing Day is still "the day".  Of course now they stretch it to Boxing week, Boxing Month,  Boxing Day in July... All crap.  I looked online and thru all the flyers and really there isn't much of any deals and there didn't seem to be as many door crashers either like they used to have. 

 

[lordkenmore]

I've never really done Black Friday that I can think of. Gift giving has faded, but when I did do gifts, it was "sometime in December" when I'd actually shop...

In recent years, I've been cranky, and made a point of avoiding shopping on Black Friday past groceries.

Yesterday, however, I did go through a local Marshalls. I wasn't seriously shopping, but I ended up in the area, and had time to kill. So I went in to see A) how crazy it was, and B) look at cookware which I like doing. Surprisingly, the place wasn't that bad. It might have been busier than usual on a Friday, but if I hadn't known it was Black Friday, I'd probably wouldn't have guessed "today must be Black Friday."

Interestingly, some stores in my area are actually closed on Black Friday. They are, of course, small, local stores.

 

[yogitunes]

my first thought of Black Friday, well in reality, of stores starting sales on Thanksgiving Thursday was appalling, in that they can't give up that all mighty dollar for one day to close....

then this past Thanksgiving, it hit me.....all my guests wanted to eat and leave early to hit the sales Thursday night.....

which worked out great, they came, they ate, and booked out by 5pm....I cleaned up and sat back by 7pm watching TV.....

the benefit, they didn't hang around all day into the late evening hours....

there is a silver lining to every dark cloud!

it is amazing over the years, to watch how many fools flock to stores, or even camp out overnight, for that miniscule 5% savings.....I have yet to see where it has even been a beyond fantastic sale worth going to that extreme for!

you can see that any given day in the Lay-a-way line....theres a group of people who shouldn't reproduce!

 

[perc-o-prince]

When I was in retail in the '80's, we store managers always referred to it as Black Friday because that was the day our freedom and associated sanity ended.

Chuck

 

[mieleforever]

Here in South Africa, we don't realy cellebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving, however the stores here are now also going for the Black Friday deals, and I have seen on television also people sleeping outside of the stores to get first to the deals.

We on the other hand choose to stay away from it all, as it is a buying frenzy and one does kind of get caught up in it all and sometimes, well most of the times buy things that are not needed just because is was on special.

 

[vacerator]

Good margins

are good for anyone with a 401k or invested in the markets. Last decade, we had little regulating before Dodd Frank passed in 2011.
Wall street dances every day it is open, Some days up, some down. It's the long term that matters.
It's scary to think the financial shape this nation and the world would be in had ultra conservatives who opposed every economic stimulus and bail out had majority vote and rule last decade.
Live long, and prosper.

 

[grwasher_expert]

Here in Greece, last year was the first time that a few stores went onto Black friday sales, but there wasn't so much advertising so very few people knew about it and the stores weren't crowded at all.This year,Black friday took place in the vast majority of retail stores and there was too much advertising, so we had that frenzy for the first time, especially in the electronic and gadget stores.

 

[vacerator]

Greece needs

good margins especially!

 

[dustin92]

Ugh... I work retail... Enough said. I actually had a customer tell me on Friday they'd fire me if they could, because I wouldn't give them a Thursday only sale price on Friday! Go right ahead, make my day. Worked 2-8:30 on Thanksgiving and 2-9 on black Friday.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

No one mentioned anything about shopping T'giving Day. But one aunt has a tradition of leaving at 7:30am Black Friday to meet friends for breakfast. She didn't give details but there's a second floor restaurant at which they reserve a particular table from which they can have a leisurely breakfast while watching the hordes below them work themselves into a shopping frenzy. They may or may not do some shopping after breakfast.

Jim

 

[vacerator]

Our kids

did shop Thanksgiving evening. Daughter got a new baby monitor for the nursery they'll need in spring. Son got a 48 inch led smart tv.