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| Saturday, November 29, 2008 |
| Black Friday Boycott |
 The Boston Globe reports: Some people sit out the bargains altogether and according to the article, most don't appear very happy about it. But the amount of money some were spending on Christmas gifts! Call it the Black Friday Boycott.
They are the maxed-out, the debt-ridden, the recently unemployed.
And yesterday, they turned their backs on the annual tradition of lining up at stores for doorbuster deals in the wee hours after Thanksgiving. Instead, they slept late, watched movies, and played with the Wii they bought last year on Black Friday - anything to avoid spending money.
Facing waves of layoffs, mounting credit card bills, and rapidly shrinking nest eggs, anxious consumers who have worked for years to perfect the sport of bargain-hunting on Black Friday yesterday shunned the tempting deals at malls and shopping centers across Massachusetts.
"It devastates me," said Lynne Friley of Lynn, 38, who lost her job at an ambulance service this summer, fell behind on bills, and took a pay cut - about $300 less a month - at her new job as a bill collector in a lawyer's office. "This is a tradition I have been doing for as long as I can remember. But the economy has hit me very hard." |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 9:22 AM *
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| 12 Comments: |
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I am an occasional pariah for my refusal not to get drawn into these sucker feeding frenzies.
Want a more controversial example? I refuse to take part in the annual Valentine's Day wallet-draining.
Sure I take my better half out for dinner, but by doing so just a day or two after or before February 14th, we can either go to a better restaurant or we can save money and spend it on fun elsewhere.
Sometimes I cook at home, instead, too. Years of effort mean I'm a pretty good cook, and it usually goes down well. :)
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That is incredible. Seriously, you don't HAVE to spend money to have fun, tradition or not.
And feeling resentful about it, sours the mood even further because you made a CONSCIOUS decision NOT to go out and spend and get more in debt, etc..
Why not just take it with a positive light and say: Thank God I can save money this year and make my bills and put food on the table.
Instead of feeling resentful and hurt over a stupid faux holiday?
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I completely understand how difficult it is being a single parent but the kid already has a Wii and she needed to buy him a playstaton 2 too? If she was really feeling a pinch, she probably could have skipped the second video game system. Now she has to buy games for it. Also, is it me or is that a giant pan of eggs for two people?
That comment about the dollar could be read two ways. When the mall lady said the dollar weakened, it could be from the European perspective that the dollar is now up and doesn't buy as much as last yr. So for someone from Ireland, the Euro wouldn't have as much buying power.
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I wouldn't really call it a boycott. chances are that they are still paying for last year's xmas.
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"This is a tradition I have been doing for as long as I can remember."
Pathetic.
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-- They are the maxed-out, the debt-ridden, the recently unemployed.
And yesterday, they turned their backs on the annual tradition of lining up at stores for doorbuster deals in the wee hours after Thanksgiving. --
I am not maxed-out, debt-ridden, or unemployed. I turn my back on Black Friday every year. In my entire life, I have gone to early bird Black Friday sales exactly one time, it must have been 1991 or 1992. I'll bet there are far more people like me than there are of people like the ones featured in this article.
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Interesting - I wonder now that I've read these comments and others how many people purposely sit Black Friday out. I've sat it out for years mostly because I hate crowds, but this year I used it to catch up on things that will help me earn more income next year - updated some software on my computer, worked on my freelance projects, added memory to my computer. It felt good!
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I have never taken part in "Black Friday". I usually take the day after thanksgiving as a day either to hang out in my pj's reading a good book or heading out to a crowd-free museum. The idea of getting up at the crack of dawn on a day I don't have to work has never held any appeal!
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I'm still amazed when I read personal finance stories about the spendthrift ways of the American consumer. Although my income places me in the top 95th percentile and my job is relatively recession-proof, I still shop at my neighborhood Walmart, mainly out of force of habit as a 'poor' college student. I haven't upgraded my lifestyle to match my peers, nor do I plan on doing so. Bernanke is going to have to look at someone other than me to start spending our way out of recession. Reading the blog, makes me think that Bernanke cannot depend on Boston Gal and her readers either.
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I'm not a traditional Black Friday shopper, but my MIL went, and I chose not to go with her. I figure that retail is so weak that I didn't need Black Friday for bargains. And besides, those crowds are horrible.
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Depends on your definition of black friday. I did not get up early. I woke up at 10:00, hit the one place that had a 5-11am deals (Tractor Supply in a local town) so I could buy a drill I needed at a large discount. I then went to Target (after the feeding frenzy), got what I wanted (my boys, parents presents) at the cheap. I then went to Costco, spent my Christmas bonus on a new TV (which my last one was free, and 25 years old, and died last week). I replaced it with a sensible LCD. All in all, I spent about $1000 bucks, and got $500 back from my tenants, I get $300 back from my parents for my "Christmas Presents", I got a little over $1000 for the bonus, so I am ahead. All I have to do is buy the presents for the Nieces and Nephews, and I am done with my Shopping (they each get $100 savings bonds).
So yes, I went out, but now I don't have to worry about any more shopping the rest of the year. I went places that were not zoos. I got what I needed, for a good price. I did my research. I spent what I needed to spend. Now I need to save for my new windows on my new house.
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I am an occasional pariah for my refusal not to get drawn into these sucker feeding frenzies.
Want a more controversial example? I refuse to take part in the annual Valentine's Day wallet-draining.
Sure I take my better half out for dinner, but by doing so just a day or two after or before February 14th, we can either go to a better restaurant or we can save money and spend it on fun elsewhere.
Sometimes I cook at home, instead, too. Years of effort mean I'm a pretty good cook, and it usually goes down well. :)