If you shop on Black Friday...

...then you're part of the problem.

A little over 3 years ago I moved to Seattle and rented out my house. I was tired of all the stuff I had accumulated over the years so I opened up the house and either gave away or sold everything for pennies on the dollar. Afterward, I stored what I needed to set up household and any meaningful items in a 10X13 storage unit and left. I never missed any of it. Now that I'm back I am extremely careful about what I drag home. I love to repurpose things (except shoes and other unmentionables) and love shopping for mid-century items that I need to set up house keeping. So it comes very easy to avoid Black Friday. And I couldn't agree more with this blogger. I have never shopped on Black Friday and refuse to buy into the commercialization and frenzy. This guy writes what I have been feeling for a very long time. Besides, making soy candles and framing my grandmother's doilies for gifts is so much more rewarding and meaningful.

"I admit, it’s easy for me to forgo Black Thanksgiving. Stay home, eat food, and drink beer, or wait in long lines at dreary shopping malls, fighting with strangers over half priced Blu-ray players? Not exactly a tough decision in my book. But even if I stumbled into some demented parallel dimension where the prospect of shuffling like a dead-eyed zombie through Target on Thanksgiving suddenly seemed appealing to me, I’d still pass. If for no other reason, this reason is reason enough: I’m not going to force some single mom to ring up my worthless purchases instead of enjoying Thanksgiving with her children."

http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/11/17/ ... e-problem/

All true. And I guarantee these same people who complain about others having to work, are the same ones moving with the rest of the herd to grab a better deal on stuff they could buy at another time. If Black Fridays becamme a bust, retailers would pick another day to entice shoppers.

But the power of a good deal is stronger than the power of uniting and friends families it seems. But that's ok, these people can stay connected through Facebook and they're smart phones (that they buy on Black Friday)

Some good points above but if I can replace a washer on it last legs at a 30% discount I will shop on Black Friday.

Hm-m-m......this "event" has always been a NON event for me.....I tend to shop AFTER Christmas
and all THRU the year (for gifts)....if I see something that is "just perfect" for someone I pick it
up then. Do NOT like crowds and congestion,so I pretty much hibernate during the "holiday
hysteria".....it just seems all too kinetic.

I will admit that I will make an occasional exception...I try to support our locally owned businesses up here along the 285 corridor. But then again, I've never walked into a feeding frenzy up here and it's fun running into friends and neighbors!

Even though I choose not to shop on thankgiving, I don't see an issue here that is not created many other days. I am often open the day after, and have worked myself, given up time with family because otherwise my business may not do as well and I may have to let one of those workers go....

I am curious if those that are critical of thankgiving or black friday (named so because it is a traditional shopping day when retailers make their first profit in the year) have ever purchased something on Sunday, another widely recognized relaxation days. Do you let people have a day of rest in the week.

I do not see an issue with being open on the day after thanksgiving or the day of. We do not lived in a forced work society. To pretend that the employer can make someone work on those days only traps the employee more.

We used to have laws against working on sundays, holidays etc. Many of these laws have been repealed or excepted because the people wanted it so. I have stores open on Sundays in states that used to have strict blue laws, these are often my busiest days.

In the days of the internet, you must understand that if these businesses are closed, they may loose that business today and potentially forever to the internet stores. Esp small businesses.

So keep up your fight, the end result is less local options and less of peoples' local kids being able to find local jobs. The end result is less families together on the holidays and more of your kids working far off in California or unemployed (and now back at home penniless for the holidays).

Individuals can work this out. Most small employers give the option or work themselves on these days, as I do. People who work for large employers....well they shouldn't....you will likely get little respect and fewer options.

Some need the money and would rather work and celebrate another day. There are a number of Jehovah Witnesses who intentionally work on holidays so that other workers may have the day off.

I don't shop either Thanksgiving or Black Friday but I don't have a problem with those who choose to take advantage of the sales and stimulate the economy.

To each his own I guess. I never shop black Friday, but then I hate crowds, I will do without, or pay a higher price before I will subject myself to the frenzy. I understand though that for many people it is as much a game as it is a necessity to get the Super deal. I've done my share of working holidays over the years, never thought that working a holiday was particularly onerous..... We would just adjust the holiday celebrations. For years we celebrated the holidays a day early or a day late because my daughter, a paramedic, worked every holiday. She was single and took the shifts so others with families could have the day off. Our holiday meals, we're no less enjoyable because they came a day late, and she loved the extra pay.

Holidays are just an arbitrary date..... Its the gathering of family and friends that make the celebration.

I seldom shop at a store on Black Friday, but if I did in the past it was when there were no lines. But I am targeting something at the local Staples which is on sale for 3 days, and I doubt there will be a line there. And it's not for me anyway.

For me, Black Friday is all about internet sales. No crowds on the internet.

archer wrote: To each his own I guess. I never shop black Friday, but then I hate crowds, I will do without, or pay a higher price before I will subject myself to the frenzy. I understand though that for many people it is as much a game as it is a necessity to get the Super deal. I've done my share of working holidays over the years, never thought that working a holiday was particularly onerous..... We would just adjust the holiday celebrations. For years we celebrated the holidays a day early or a day late because my daughter, a paramedic, worked every holiday. She was single and took the shifts so others with families could have the day off. Our holiday meals, we're no less enjoyable because they came a day late, and she loved the extra pay.

Holidays are just an arbitrary date..... Its the gathering of family and friends that make the celebration.

With my family being spread out from Alaska to Oregon,I elected to work the holidays (the
the DOUBLE time on the paycheck was welcome).....never considered it a hardship, just figured
that if someone wanted to be with their family, I could accommodate that....WIN WIN for
everyone.