This is an interesting situation. It involves the manipulation of the buying public, it utilizes the illusion of low prices, it preys on the insecurity of the holiday shopper, as she and he goes into debt, and translates to huge profits for huge retailers.
Today is
Black Friday. It is called
Black Friday because today's retail profits are said to pull the stores "out of the red" and into the "black." They are saying that until today's madness, stores were losing money and operating in the red.
Baloney!It's all a sham! Phony as can be - and we only have ourselves to blame! We no longer shop local. Instead, we shop at the national stores. You know, the "Big Box" stores that sit in the big shopping centers and malls. Ask yourself this, "When a store pays more than $100,000 a month in rent, should I expect a low price?" Of course not! Who ultimately pays for the overhead? You do, bunky.Here's the remedy.
Shop local. I recently bought a set of tires for my car. I bought from a small "Ma and Pa" tire store. I know the owners, they know me. They were there when I ordered the tires. They were there the next day when the tires were installed. They appreciated my business and I appreciated knowing that my money was not going to a giant corporation in another state (or country.) This is something that is lost. Consumers caring about their local retailers and vice-versa. This is an old fashioned concept.
The way that things are headed, we will become nameless, faceless consumers, shopping at mega stores owned by nameless, faceless people who live "out of town" who hire part time clerks, with little or no benefits, who know (or care) little or nothing about the store and are counting the hours until they can pick up their minimum wage paychecks!
My advice is to shop local. Buy from your neighbors, you know, people who would never ask you to wake up at 2 in the morning to save 50% on a toy that has a 300% markup. Or (my favorite) an advertised special which has suddenly become "sold out!"Black Friday? A great time to spend with your family, to catch up on sleep, watch an old movie on TV, eat a turkey sandwich, and to shop local!
