Comments on: My Black Friday Disagreement

By: Dana Severance

Dana Severance — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:37:04 +0000

Kevin, I do see what you’re saying. But even with the Santa Claus / Christmas excuse, we could still argue that we’re sending the wrong message to the children. It can be difficult to convince a 12 year old hellbent on the newest video game system that spending time with their family is a better gift, but we can try, can’t we?

Tiffany, I can’t imagine spending that much time and effort trying to get a toaster for $5. It is good to spend time with your mother, that’s for sure. I’d likely try to convince her that we didn’t really need to go do all that crazy shopping. But, I hate shopping anyway. Thank you for sharing!

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:23:04 +0000

I do participate in Black Friday, however I do it for quality time with my mom. I don’t camp out, trample people, or get into shouting matches for things. It’s not worth it. I totally agree with Black Friday bringing out the worst in people so I try my best to steer clear of places inundated with crazies trying to get a toaster for $5.

I do catch some great deals for Christmas presents, but if something is gone, oh well, I’ll get it for the normal price later… no biggie:)

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:06:53 +0000

I mostly agree with you, but I can see the other side of it as well. Think of a family that is just getting by, but still wants Christmas to be special for their kids. Some of the deals on Black Friday are really good, and might allow them to purchase something for their kids that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.

While I disagree with the whole notion of teaching kids about Santa, I can imagine how difficult it would be to try to explain to a kid why Santa didn’t bring them anything but socks this year.

Personally though, you couldn’t pay me enough to go shopping today.

By: Dana Severance

Dana Severance — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:31:42 +0000

Not everyone uses credit cards for their purchases, and not everyone buys things they can’t afford… But, I do see (and agree) with your general point.

By: hubbit

hubbit — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:22:23 +0000

I’m of the firm belief that stunts such as Black Friday really display the worst of the crass wasteful disposable consumerist mentality that has overrun a nation whose denizens were once renowned for their combination of hard work, thrift, and love for function and practicality.

It’s good for the big-box stores because they get the traffic numbers to provide pricing leverage when dealing with distributors. It’s good for the credit card industry because of all the interest they get to charge. It’s bad for most of the people camping out in front of the stores, because likely as not they really don’t have the money they’re about to blow in the name of getting a deal on teh shiny.

I think of how much better a lot of that money would probably be, were it donated to organizations that help feed, clothe, and shelter those who need assistance. But I’m a cynical bastard, so don’t mind me.

By: purplehayz

purplehayz — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:06:36 +0000

Nope, I don’t do Black Friday live and in person, although I sometimes order online using discount codes if there’s something I want (today for instance I bought a few things I wanted/needed [yes, needed - they showed me the "don't loose the cable behind the table" clips I'd been looking for so I bought 'em] from ThinkGeek and used their discount code).

I’ve waited in line for hours for music act tickets many years ago; not much that I’m willing to toss away my time for.

Have fun! – Bob