Tribune photo by Scott Strazzante / November 27, 2009 Toys R Us employee Thomas Krauss, right, and manager Mike McCarthy stand by as shoppers rush into the toy store on North Western Avenue in Chicago after it opened at midnight on Black Friday.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday vs. Unemployment
Art Direction / Design • Creating Order Out of Chaos
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Just after the Thanksgiving turkey is digested, and we all sit back enjoying friends and family reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for. BAM! Here comes Black Friday & Cyber Monday. Two retail sales and promotional holiday shopping days. Or, should I say, two cleverly disguised capitalistic excuses designed to part you and your money. Just where did Black Friday & Cyber Monday come from? Well, you can click the links in this article to find out more in detail. But lets keep it simple by saying, they are marketing & promotion gimmicks used by retailers to get you to spend your hard earned cash.
I despise Black Friday & Cyber Monday because they influence consumers to do strange and crazy things on these "special" shopping days. Like getting up at 3 a.m. just to be the first ones in line at 6 a.m at their favorite retail stores. Some stores even open up as early as midnight on the Thursday before. Then, once the gates, I mean doors, are opened. Consumers have been injured, and even an employee trampled to death by frenzied shoppers madly racing in and around the stores to capture deals they may never see again until next year's Black Friday. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has come up with new guidlines on how to prevent shopping injuries on Black Friday.
And if that wasn't bad enough, Black Friday spawned it's child, Cyber Monday. So, if you prefer to shop at home or work. You can avoid the stampedes, long lines and bad attitudes, and spend your money quickly and easily in the comfort of your own home or office. There is even a website, www.cybermonday.com, that serves as an online aggregate or portal for Cyber Monday Deals. Both Black Friday & Cyber Monday are as insulting to me as an used car salesman implying that you can only get their best deal if you are willing to "buy today."
Not to mention that the U.S. is in an economic recession with an average unemployment rate of 10% and climbing. But, our friends in "retail" would have us believe they have our best interest at heart. Now, I'm not a "scrooge" who doesn't believe in the joy the holiday's can bring. Actually, Thanksgiving & Christmas are two of my favorite times of the year. But, I've seen how the undue pressure & stress that retailers, using clever marketing, can influence consumers to equate material "gifts" with love, appreciation and happiness. Far too often, the aftermath of these holidays and holiday sales can produce huge debt and depression when the bills start rolling in.
What are the real savings if we're spending money we don't have?
Will we ever get this in perspective?
Local advertising by PaperG
2 Comments
Jose Rodriguez said:
I REALLY HATE BLACK FRIDAY!!!!! I am must say that I was planning on purchasing a television this after thanksgiving sale. However, all it took was to watch videos on you tube on WAlmart Black Friday. Its really disgusting how people act like savages to get some discount on some materialistic thing think they need. People have died,crushed, and even run over because others where going crazy on getting the limited products in a store. People really need to understand that shopping and discounts really need to be checked in place. For example, walmart offer for reduced cheap tv brands are limited per store, leaving consumers to panic in the store to do things that are not acceptable. However, stores like Target and others require people to get a ticket for their purchases before the entering the store. Americans are becoming very materialisic leaving other consumers to battle for their own. Even going shopping is very stressful because everyone is fighting over stuff that has no importance. All I am saying is that I will never become a victim of black Friday, I would rather do it online, buy it for the full price, or buy nothing at all.
Steven M. Johnson said:
I agree 1000 percent Jose. We need to get a clearer perspective on what is really important. Yes, we all need certain items to live, and others to make our lives more comfortable. But, at what cost? We certainly seem to regress back into our primitive selves when we feel we're getting an unbelievable, can't pass-up, once-in-a-lifetime deal. It's sad to think how quickly we can turn into wild "animal like" people once the proverbial "meat" is thrown to us. Hopefully, in the future we can better discern our "needs" from our "wants," and stop putting selfish, materialistic acquirement before human decency.
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