Black Friday Reaches New Lows
0 Every day when I wake up, I have exciting deals waiting for me in my Google Mail inbox. Groupon, LivingSocial, and now even Amazon convince me to buy spa treatments, vacations, and restaurant fare with money I would have otherwise saved. But they present these products as gifts with a ticking time limit, causing impulse purchases and sometimes buyer’s remorse. However, the thrill of getting one of the last Groupon deals is unparalleled, and even though I am $40 poorer and am stuck doing yoga classes in the Valley, I feel like I got something special.
“This year, retailers are getting creative and a tad desperate to entice consumers out of their post-Thanksgiving food-comas and into their local gallerias”
In this instant coupon culture, consumer holidays like Black Friday become a little less appealing. Why battle aggressive moms and opportunistic tech geeks when I have deals waiting for me every day of the year? Apparently, stores realize it is going to take a lot more than a 50% off sticker to get me out of the house on this most holy Friday. This year, retailers are getting creative and a tad desperate to entice consumers out of their post-Thanksgiving food-comas and into their local gallerias.
What is worse than setting up a tent outside of Best Buy to get a discount on the new World of Warcraft? Being in your pajamas in Westfield Mall in Culver City, California while JoJo, yes JoJo, sings her one-hit-wonder. This year, Westfield Culver City is pulling out all the stops—inviting consumers to a midnight party and guaranteeing they will be the first to shop Black Friday deals. But if that isn’t enough to get you off of the couch, the first 100 people to show up will get to take a picture with pop star, JoJo. I don’t know about you, but the idea of hundreds of little girls and their mothers in their pajamas acts as an invisible force field between Black Friday and me.
Let’s be honest here: Home Depot is Lowes cool hipster brother. Given a choice, most people would rather go to Home Depot, and Lowes probably resents this. This year, they are kicking things off at 12:01 am. Lowes is promising 90% off coupons to more than 5,000 costumers at various locations. They are similarly marketing this as a “party” and I have a feeling even Home Depot loyalists will RSVP.
When I think of a raging party, I think of Wal-mart on Thanksgiving. Instead of watching the NFL game, I will watch the millions of people make the pilgrimage to Wal-mart. See what I did there? We’ve come a long way, Americans. Instead of following suit and starting their sale at midnight, the Wal-mart sale starts the day before Black Friday. Yes, on Thanksgiving Day. This may seem like cheating, but it’s Wal-mart, they do what they want to give you what you want (which is definitely a black eye while digging through the $2 DVD bin).
So, if you’re like me and spent all your money on a vacation for two to Palm Springs with no one to go with, at least you can dress down and attend a Black Friday party. Maybe you will even meet someone to take to Palm Springs!
