Black Friday as a symptom of a diseased culture

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
Some retailers are opening their doors at 4 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving for Black Friday sales.

Thanksgiving.

Is it a symptom of a diseased culture that retailers schedule sales less than 24 hours after people wake up to celebrate a holiday based entirely on giving thanks?

Has materialism completely subverted even this single day dedicated to gratefulness?

How do we expect people to express their gratitude when their minds are preoccupied with the stuff they'll be buying after waking up before sunrise?

Is anyone else frustrated by Black Friday? Does anyone else think scheduling the biggest shopping day of the year after a holiday intended for reflection and gratitude is ironic at best and sinister at worst?

Or am I just being paranoid?
 
Excellent observation. I hadn't thought about that, but I think you're completely right. I didn't like black friday before, but now I think I like it even less.

You could always participate in Buy Nothing Day. The Adbusters folks are pretty fringe extremists, but every now and then they hit an issue right on the nose.
 
kraniac said:
Excellent observation. I hadn't thought about that, but I think you're completely right. I didn't like black friday before, but now I think I like it even less.

You could always participate in Buy Nothing Day. The Adbusters folks are pretty fringe extremists, but every now and then they hit an issue right on the nose.
Click to expand...

When is Buy nothing day?
 
I agree with all the above but just to throw out a counterpoint. One could look at it as a 2nd day of thanksgiving. Its a day where all the retailers give there thanks to their customers by offering a-once-a-year-massive sales on popular items.
 
lol, i totally agree with you. It seems that people take a break with the "norm" on Thanksgiving, reflect for that day, and then go back into the schedual with a bang.

if it helps at all, some stores near me are opening at midnight and people who come in PJ's will get an extra bonus! WOO! :p :p
 
Tek please respond to my following Dilema:

My mom, hates getting gifts on her birthday and christmas. there was one year where me n dad got a ton of stuff together but she thought we had forgotten her on her birthday and all hell broke loose in the house for over 2 weeks... my dad has prostate cancer and will be in bed after a brochoscopy this w-f and then try to get up to go to the apple cup saturday. (apple cup is rival game UW vs WSU). my mom has been wanting a portable dvd player for 2 years. theres a 10" one at target for $84. me n dad will go 50-50 on it. Is it wrong of me to go out early and get that at target on BF when we can afford it and keep mommy happy?

theres a common phrase in this world: If momma aint happy, nobodies happy.
 
Atown said:
Tek please respond to my following Dilema:

My mom, hates getting gifts on her birthday and christmas. there was one year where me n dad got a ton of stuff together but she thought we had forgotten her on her birthday and all hell broke loose in the house for over 2 weeks... my dad has prostate cancer and will be in bed after a brochoscopy this w-f and then try to get up to go to the apple cup saturday. (apple cup is rival game UW vs WSU). my mom has been wanting a portable dvd player for 2 years. theres a 10" one at target for $84. me n dad will go 50-50 on it. Is it wrong of me to go out early and get that at target on BF when we can afford it and keep mommy happy?

theres a common phrase in this world: If momma aint happy, nobodies happy.
Click to expand...

He isn't targeting people who shop during BF but rather the fact that retailers use it as a main attraction and subtract from the holiday.
 
buy, buy, Buy, BUY!!!!!! sez the retaliers

Tek7 said:
Or am I just being paranoid?
Click to expand...

No you aren't "Charlie Brown" :p

In 1939 U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt shifted the day of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to one week earlier. Retail merchants had petitioned the president to make the change to allow for an extra week of shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many Americans objected to the change in their holiday customs and continued to celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month. Roosevelt’s political opponents in Congress also opposed the break with tradition and dubbed the early holiday “Franksgiving.” In May 1941 Roosevelt admitted that he had made a mistake and signed a bill that established the fourth Thursday of November as the national Thanksgiving holiday, which it has been ever since.
Click to expand...

The source for the above quote http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761569242
Yet another reason I don't like Roosevelt (although Truman is one of the few Democrats I do like).
 
Personally, I think you're being a tad paranoid.

We live in a capitalistic society - as such, the accumulation of wealth by businesses/persons is a driving force of said society. Businesses have realized that people are:
  1. often off the day after Thanksgiving
  2. want to start their Christmas shopping
It's neither an ill nor a good thing, it just is.

Actually, scratch that. As a capitalist, I have to say that it is a good thing. It stimulates the economy, and there have been years when the sales my parents (as business owners) did on Black Friday were solely responsible for us actually keeping our house, not to mention being able to have things like a Christmas.
 
ewoksrule said:
I agree with all the above but just to throw out a counterpoint. One could look at it as a 2nd day of thanksgiving. Its a day where all the retailers give there thanks to their customers by offering a-once-a-year-massive sales on popular items.
Click to expand...

Having worked for 4 years at the corporate offices of Saks' department store division, I can tell you that "giving thanks" is the LAST thing on (Big Box) retailer's minds on Black Friday. It's all about their chance to finally break even for the year, to surpass sales goals, and most importantly, beat the competition. It's amazingly aggressive, and retailers really don't give a flip about the customers other than wanting to get them in the store. ETA: I just saw Kidan's post above, smaller businesses may be different... although I don't see how small businesses are able to keep up with the crazy discounts that the big guys do now).

I really feel for the employees and management within the stores on that day. I can tell you for a fact that many times salaried management are IN THE STORE on Thanksgiving Day getting it prepped for Black Friday. It's also a mandatory workday for almost every retail employee, which means less time with their families at a time when their relatives are all at home/in-town.

Then add into that the violence and bad attitudes that are exhibited on that day. I'll never forget going to Target on Black Friday as a child and watching a lady trying to steal CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS out of our buggy. My dad asked her nicely to give them as they were ones that we had selected and they were in our buggy, and she yelled at him and erm, gestured quite rudely. I've seen kids and elderly folks pushed, shoved, and nearly trampled in the mess, and I've seen police/mall security need to be called because of altercations. In the words of that great philosopher Linus: "Christmas is not just getting too commercial, it's getting too dangerous".

And yes, I think Charlie Brown Christmas is the BEST Christmas Special ever. :)
 
Last edited:
Doesn't bother me at all, in fact I charish it! Think of all the great stuff I can buy for half the price! I love it when big stores move in near me, I used to have to drive 35-40 minutes to go to Wal-Mart, now I only drive about 15-20!
 
I think it's a sign of diseased culture from a religious standpoint, but a genius decision from a capitalistic standpoint. I think it's more of the former in my mind because of all the stories i heard last year with the Tickle Me Elmo, some lady punched out another one just to get it...disturbing says I.
 
Maybe not DISEASED but messed up, or a confused culture...i think saying we are a diseased country is being a little harsh...we are messed up though.
 
moxie said:
Having worked for 4 years at the corporate offices of Saks' department store division, I can tell you that "giving thanks" is the LAST thing on (Big Box) retailer's minds on Black Friday. It's all about their chance to finally break even for the year, to surpass sales goals, and most importantly, beat the competition. It's amazingly aggressive, and retailers really don't give a flip about the customers other than wanting to get them in the store. ETA: I just saw Kidan's post above, smaller businesses may be different... although I don't see how small businesses are able to keep up with the crazy discounts that the big guys do now).
Click to expand...
Amusingly enough, I now work for SAKS in their IT department.

And small businesses aren't able to keep upp with the crazy discounts - in fact a lot of them don't do it at all. But if a small shop is located in a mall or shopping center, the foot traffic attracted by the big box outlets spills over to them.
 
Kidan said:
Amusingly enough, I now work for SAKS in their IT department.

And small businesses aren't able to keep up with the crazy discounts - in fact a lot of them don't do it at all. But if a small shop is located in a mall or shopping center, the foot traffic attracted by the big box outlets spills over to them.
Click to expand...

My local comic shop has a sale.
 
Tek7 said:
Some retailers are opening their doors at 4 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving for Black Friday sales.

Thanksgiving.

Is it a symptom of a diseased culture that retailers schedule sales less than 24 hours after people wake up to celebrate a holiday based entirely on giving thanks?

Has materialism completely subverted even this single day dedicated to gratefulness?

How do we expect people to express their gratitude when their minds are preoccupied with the stuff they'll be buying after waking up before sunrise?

Is anyone else frustrated by Black Friday? Does anyone else think scheduling the biggest shopping day of the year after a holiday intended for reflection and gratitude is ironic at best and sinister at worst?

Or am I just being paranoid?
Click to expand...

I think you are being cynical given the quandry you find yourself in. How you choose to celebrate this National Day of Thanksgiving is entirely upto you. If your neighbor wishes to celebrate it by worrying about getting to the store for a 4am opening, let them. As others have pointed out, there is a great deal of wealth being traded on this friday, I'm sure some stores are greedily trying to soak up many a hard workers salary while others are relying on this day to provide income that will provide the meat and potatoes for ensuing year.
 
For the record, Black Friday isn't the biggest shopping day of the year. That honor is still held by the Sunday before Christmas.
 
I thought that it was in this order: Day after Christmas (Giftcard day!), Sunday before Christmas, and Day after Thanksgiving
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top