Happy Black Friday everyone! It’s that wonderful time of the year, where someone nearly knocks the wind out of you just for a pair of boots they definitely would not buy if they were not on sale. I cannot deny that I have fallen victim to the allure of a good sale, I have woken up at the crack of dawn on both Boxing Day and Black Friday countless times, for good and traumatizing experiences.
Though I cannot help but question whether or not it is even worth it. Blood-hungry shoppers have driven stores to extend their sales to weeks before and after the big day, so is there even a point in shopping on Friday? If the sale is the same all week, no sizes are left on the big day – and then retail workers are forced to show up at 6:00 a.m. for a mediocre crowd that could possibly stroll in at 9:00 a.m.
In my experience as a retail worker, I know how common it is for stores to take their newer, or more expensive merchandise off the racks for big sales days, when really, customers are coming to the store to get the discount on the expensive stuff. Imagine going to a store, just to find that item is not on sale. I know the buyers remorse all too well of realizing a week later why those jeans were 75% off – they are ugly. The previous day of chaos has turned into a month long event retailers use to get rid of their last-call merchandise. I don’t need 25% off Victoria’s Secret slippers; I need a discount on your ridiculously priced pajamas that I somehow justify buying.
It’s also completely brushed over that Canada celebrates Black Friday for absolutely no reason. We have Boxing Day and our Thanksgiving is long before America’s. I’ll admit the timeline for Black Friday makes more sense than Boxing Day, because it is before the holidays, but the fact that we have both is weird. Not to mention the fact that we do not have a long weekend for Black Friday, so everyone is expected to ditch work and school I guess? And then a full month later, Boxing Day has all the leftovers no one wanted, it’s almost sad.
I’m not voting for a Black Friday boycott, but I think companies need to seriously reconsider their game. We need to go back to just Boxing Day - or at least boxing week - and cut boxing month. Stores need to put things on sale that we actually want to buy, and host sales that are beneficial to the customer.
I will not be Black Friday shopping this year, as I have school (cue protest for a three day weekend) – and I need my education so I can actually afford to go Black Friday shopping next year. However I will be getting information from trusted sources, and obviously reporting my everlasting opinions on them. Updates soon to come!
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