Black Friday Remorse
DIEGO LUNA| BUSINESS EDITOR | THE USD VISTA
Black Friday is an annual delight for brick-and-mortar retailers in the hopes of giving their bottom lines a boost in the year’s final weeks. Notice that I didn’t say Black Friday lasts only one day, because nowadays it doesn’t.
Black Friday sales used to begin early Friday mornings following Thanksgiving day. However, retailers have begun preparing their troops for the armies that have preparing to stampede into the stores after an extravagant Thanksgiving feast.
The only reason I would go to such events would be to walk off the excess amount of calories and carbohydrates I just ate; other than that, I wouldn’t go.
I don’t feel like seeing people being people, storming into stores, causing traffic jams, and being terrible to one another in an effort not to miss the so-called deals.
Actually, the best best deals on Black Friday are the electronics. People go to the extremes to camp outside retailers such as Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart. The bad thing is there are only a certain number of deals that everyone would like to take advantage of.
It seems as if every store in every industry is trying to get their fair share of the pie. Everyone has deals nowadays: car dealerships, real estate brokers, donut shops, and even a company that makes seven feet snowmen.
The preparation for these days has become more elaborate and extensive for the employees that work during these dreadful events.
Stores now prepare weeks and even months in advance. Sales forecasting either falls short or results in excess inventory. I wouldn’t be surprised if some stores begin preparing for Black Friday a whole year in advance. There are people might begin parking their RV’s outside the doors of retailers.
Now there’s a day for everything, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Whats next? Oh, we need to invent another shopping holiday Tuesday.
Black Friday is not the only shopping holiday but it is definitely one of the most profitable.
I’m still receiving emails from different stores asking me if I’m 100 percent sure I don’t want to take advantage of their deals. I guess the first eight emails weren’t enough reminders.