BLACK FRIDAY is one crazy, clever retail gimmick. Get up at 4:00am to push your way into an overheated department store so maybe you can snag what? – the sought-after toy of the moment? REALLY?? The day after Thanksgiving IS the day to go shopping for Christmas presents according to a popular manipulative tradition dreamed up by the retail community. This day which is orchestrated to create consumer frenzy is a store’s way of making up money lost through the normally slower summer season. Add the proximity to the Christmas gift-giving holiday and you have the makings of a retail perfect storm. They hope to end up in the black and you might just end up in the red.
Personally, Black Friday holds no appeal to me and never has. I haven’t shopped in a Mall for a present or for that matter myself in a very long, long time. Of course when you live in New York City, going to a mall is not really an option but I stopped shopping for Christmas presents in a mall years ago. I like to give either really unique personalized gifts or unusual gifts. I don’t buy sweaters, hats, ties, shirts etc as gifts. I assume most people buy their own clothes, their own perfume and for the most part their own jewelry. However, jewelry is the exception to the rule; I might purchase a ring, necklace or bracelet for someone but it won’t come from a department store and it probably will be vintage.
Tomorrow, I’m going to Walmart ONLY because it seems to be the ONLY store in my area that carries an item I need, not want but actually need. It’s not a gift, it’s a repair item. Other than that one foray into a retail store, I hope to avoid the maddening crowds.
Target, Black Friday (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
Pbenjay's Blog 
I was totally with you right up until the “going to China-Mart” part. I know those fuckers have a virtual monopoly in a lot of places, but I personally would rather go without than buy something from them, even something I truly needed. They’re literally the worst of the worst. They’ve been the driving force behind every bad trend in retail for 30 years, a negative influence in industrial & labour practices and the Waltons are poster children for income inequality. They’ve got more loot than (something like) the bottom 25% of America, yet only one or two have ever raised a finger to “earn” it.
But you’ve cut through the mass hysteria and called “Black Friday” exactly what it is; a military level “Psychological Operation” cleverly designed to separate idiots from their money.
Step 1) Conspire with other retailers to create a universal day of “sales”, even if everything is marked up 40% just to offer “50% off”. Ideally, pick a day most people aren’t working. (Ie day after US Thanksgiving.)
Step 2) Create a few “must have” products, especially toys so bad parents can assuage their guilt. The media shills, even in “news” departments, will be more than willing to prostitute themselves to hype products. Hey, it beats doing their actual job.
Step 3) Arrange a phony shortage of the most hyped products. Then announce you have them at a reduced price, but “supplies are limited” (to 6).
Step 4) Tell the media there are fools at your door who’d rather spend their holiday sitting on a sidewalk in the cold than with their family. If nobody is lining up, pay some hobos. The media will be over faster than the time it takes for a Teabagger to vote against food stamps.
Step 5) Watch the desperate, mindless, sheep stampede; punching, tazering, stabbing, shooting and running over each other in their cars just to go further into debt to buy some product. The more insane it gets, the more “news” coverage it gets and the bigger next year’s turnout will be.
Step 6) After the carnage, bring out the in-demand products you were hiding and charge quadruple what you’ll be charging for them in January.
Step 7) Grow the event. Invent bullshit like Cyber Monday and then convert the holiday itself into another shopping orgy day by forcing your
employeesslaves to work the holiday. Everyone will be giving thanks that they have yet another day to shop!Me? I’m a Buy Nothing Day kind of guy. https://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd I refuse to participate in any of this mindless, consumerism, bullshit and generally just buy things I need.