I’m reminded of a saying sent to me by a friend–
The older we get
the fewer things
seem worth waiting in line for.
Are Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales worth it?
YES, they’re worth it to the retailers.
Every year, we read reports that retailer sales for the year depend on these few days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday (and for procrastinators, Christmas Eve). This brief window is when 30% to 80% of the year’s sales occur.
NO, they’re not worth it for consumers.
Seriously, is freezing your butt during pre-dawn hours then wrestling your way to that door-buster flat-screen TV worth it?
About a month from now, you’ll have a greater selection of higher-quality TVs on year-end clearance.
As for Cyber Monday, are you being fair to your employer by spending time online during the workday? No, you can’t buy everything you want on your lunch HOUR. We all know it will take about 4 hours because the sites will run slow and you’ll keep finding more things to buy. 😉
It might almost make sense for Christians to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas in January. As for Hanukkah…what to do?
Besides, do you even need a new TV? What will you do with the one you’re watching now?
But WAIT, there’s MORE!
In all fairness, if we didn’t shop in brick and mortar stores we’d have no place to talk to a human being and be able to try out a product.
So, even though we may question the worth of Black Friday sales before Cyber Monday, physical stores serve a useful purpose in our lives.
And while I’m at it, remember there is Small Business Saturday. I believe in shopping locally. Otherwise, local stores will go out of business and instead of driving 50-miles round trip to do my shopping in town, I’ll need to drive 130 miles round trip.
My recommendations:
- Enjoy Thanksgiving. Gobble. Gobble. Oops. GOBBLED!
- Relax on Friday.
- Put off Cyber Monday.
- Then present your loved ones with Promissory Notes describing the gifts you plan to give in January.
- Celebrate Kwanzaa between Christmas and New Year. The year-end sales from your local stores will help you buy more.
Click here for more information on Black Friday deals and 13 (Funny) Reasons to Stay at Home on Black Friday.
Oops sorry for the misspelled words. Wife is having some “REM” and I hit submit.
Awwww, Don, what a sweet message. I couldn’t let all those misspelled words go through. What would people think? That you’re an overwhelmed caregiver? 😉 I did let two misspellings sneak through, though.
Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving with Marie and I love your ideas–even if it’s only to talk with our loved ones, to act silly, and / or to make them happy. Again, thank YOU for sharing.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of The Caregiver’s Voice staff and members. You have given me a lot of inspiration and hope throughout the year. The articles on TCV certainly have helped me deal with the dementia. As the above article says, is Black Friday and Cyber Monday worth it? No, not really. If you are waiting for the big screen TV wait until December when the prices are really low. Non of waht I would need, if anything, would not be worth getting up that early in the morning, standing in the cold and finally finding out the same item was on sale a month later. If you are a caregiver such as I am, use the time to do something for your loved one. Even if it’s only talk to them, act silly to make them happy or whatever you can do. God Bless The Caregiver’s Voice for helping me through this time.