Black Friday Blues
I’m going on record here to say that I hate Black Friday and the monster that it has become in 2013. The original concept wasn’t so bad….large retailers have a sale the day after Thanksgiving to stimulate the Christmas buying season. Got it. But does EVERY business really need a Black Friday “sale”? Why does a car dealership, a drug store or a company that provides online real estate education need a Black Friday event? Do they really think we’re so simple-minded that we will assume if we buy today we’re getting a steal of a deal?
Wake up people. Do you really want to risk getting trampled for a few loss-leaders that stores are pimping for the first hour? It was bad enough last year when some stores opened after midnight, but this year, they’ve stepped all over my favorite holiday and many opened on Thanksgiving. Geez! Is Thanksgiving now just a meal you eat between football quarters while waiting for the stores to open?
I love giving Christmas gifts. And I love receiving them. But the most important part of giving/receiving is the thought and love that goes into it. I think that many parents today feel compelled to provide their children with the latest tech gadgets and games, but what might be more meaningful is the gift of their time…maybe a family vacation, a project to do together like building a model plane, or a day-trip to the zoo.
A couple of years ago, my husband gave me one of my most favorite gifts, ever. It has nothing to do with technology or the hottest fashion or jewelry trend. Not that I don’t like either, but this was definitely not a retail store Black Friday item. It is a remarkable photograph* that now hangs in our entry. Every time I look at it I smile.
So Kudos to Costco. REI. and Nordstrom and the other stores who chose not to open on Thanksgiving and gave their employees a chance to enjoy the whole holiday. Stay safe if you venture out today, or maybe stay in and explore the idea of some alternate gifts that don’t require a tug-of-war with your fellow shoppers.
Happy Holidays!
*The photograph was taken on film by Don Bartletti of the L.A. Times in Mexico in 2003 as he was riding on top of a freight train documenting young people trying to escape to the U.S. The young children on the horse were racing the train, and Don captured the joy and hope of the moment. He won a Pulitzer Prize for this photo, and I’m honored to have a signed copy.
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