8 Strategies for Avoiding Black Friday Madness
It’s finally happened: Black Friday isn’t on Friday anymore, but starts Thursday night. (Actually, a couple retailers experimented with this a year or two ago, but now it’s gone more or less mainstream.) Despite employee protests, the critical commentary of cultural pundits, and the outrage of religious leaders, retailers say they are merely responding to customer demand.
And they’re probably right…sort of. I’m not honestly sure how many people came away from last year’s spending frenzy actually wishing stores opened even earlier. But I do think that we have been lured into thinking 1) that there are few things more important than getting the right gift at the best price, 2) there is no better time to do so than on Black Friday, and 3) there isn’t enough of these bargains to go around. This creates a perverse and powerful equation: huge opportunity + limited time + scarce resources = a highly competitive shopping environment. Hence, it’s not that the suggestion of an earlier shopping time is inherently attractive; rather, it’s that it plays into our fear of missing a competitive advantage. Which means all a store has to do is float the idea of an earlier start time to create an immediate demand for it.
Nor am I above getting sucked into the frenzy. I’ve spent more than my fair share of Fridays slogging across over-populated freeways to trudge through over-crowded stores in pursuit of that elusive something…gift, decoration, deal, keepsake. Who knows – that wasn’t really the idea. It was the thrill of the hunt itself that drew me onward. Indeed, for a few years a decade or so ago, we even made it a family event, meeting several siblings and their families at one of the huge outlet centers near my hometown of Lancaster, PA, so that we could go all out together.
Last year, however, we decided to sit Black Friday out. And…well…it was absolutely delightful. No headaches, no additional stress, more time to enjoy the holiday and, surprisingly, no feeling like we’d fallen behind on our Christmas preparations or (what I kind of expected) shopping-withdrawal. It was, no kidding, altogether a better way to spend the day.
But when I floated the idea with some friends recently, I was surprised at the level of resistance. Actually, it wasn’t resistance to the idea in general, but rather a sort of lack of imagination about what else one might do. Sort of a willing resignation to dedicating this day to shopping just as the previous day had been dedicated to turkey and football (and, oh yeah, giving thanks).
So in the spirit of inviting more conversation, creativity, and imagination about what else one might do on the day after Thanksgiving, here are eight strategies for avoiding the crush and rush of this high holy day of a consumer-consumption culture that, in my humble opinion, has had the wheels come off its cart in recent years. The first three are critical – that is, things to keep in mind about what’s really going on this day that might provide incentives for opting out. The final five are more creative – something you can actually do on that day with the time you’ve discovered by not trudging to the malls.
Critical
1) Crowds will be bigger than ever. According to SmartMoney.com, 53% of consumers say they plan to shop this Friday, up nearly ten percent from a year ago. That means just one thing: pandemonium. And the question you have to ask yourself is, do I really want to run into half the world today?
2) Black Friday “bargains” aren’t always what they seem. Several retailers have been offering significant deals ahead of time and others will keep cutting until Christmas (not to mention immediately after). Further, more retailers are advertising “door-buster” bargains that are released throughout the day, which means you could spend most of the day in the store waiting for that elusive and special something.
3) The lowest ticket items are often in relatively short supply, which means if the store opens at 6:00 a.m., you’ll need to get there at 4:00. If it’s opening at midnight, you’re looking at 10:00 p.m. And if it’s opening at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening, you’ll really need to get there somewhere between 4:00-6:00 p.m., sacrificing a fair amount of Thanksgiving Day, to have a realistic chance of getting whatever lured you there in the first place. And “lure” is the operative word. While there is a limited supply of deeply discounted items, there are plenty of other models of whatever you had in mind at less significant savings. (Can you say “bait and switch”?)
Creative
4) Volunteer. You’d be amazed at the demand on food pantries and homeless shelters near the holidays. Moreover, there are often lots of events like visiting folks in a nursing home, helping serve meals to those less fortunate, walking for various causes, and more that are organized for the weekend after Thanksgiving. Check the newsletter of local churches (you can usually get these online) or the website of your local television or radio stations, which often have a public service section. Few things express thanks more than giving to others, and few activities are more rewarding or put things into better perspective than giving of your time, energy, and warmth in addition to your money.
5) Invite friends over for turkey sandwiches, pumpkin pie, and board games. We’ve done that a couple of times – on both the hosting and receiving ends – and it’s always a blast. Bananagrams
6) Take a long walk. This one depends on the weather, of course, and if you want to move beyond your neighborhood you’ll need to get in a car. But sometimes getting to a particularly nice walking spot – a local or regional park, for instance – makes the whole outing feel more special, kind of an adventure. Walking not only invariably makes you feel better, it also invites conversation, stimulates creative thinking, and helps work off some of the extra calories from the day before. (And if you’ve got a dog, get to a dog park and remember why you got your pet in the first place. 🙂 )
7) Do something in the kitchen and put on some Christmas music. Turn all that turkey into turkey salad, bake some bread (it’s easier than you think), bake the first batch of Christmas cookies, or make lasagna. While most families seem to have a “designated cook” – the one who reliably takes charge of household meals – there’s something about a whole day off that entices all kinds of people who don’t normally venture into the kitchen to try their hand at a “group cooking project” that folks can help with by prepping, cooking, cleaning up, and, of course, eating. (Christmas music in the background is optional, but often makes the whole process seem just a little more festive.)
8) Start your Christmas preparations (other than shopping!). Here’s the thing: you’ll enjoy your shopping way, way more if you’re not at the mall on Friday. But what a great chance to go through your Christmas card list, clean the house to get it ready for decorating, put up the Christmas lights, decide on which charities you want to donate to this year, or make a budget for your Christmas shopping. And, yes, I’m serious about the budget. Most of us, caught up in the frenzy of the moment, spend more than we want to or can afford on presents that our friends and family members probably won’t remember. It’s not that they won’t be appreciative in the moment; it’s just that a lot of presents get lost in the shuffle. So why not put helpful limits on our spending in advance, give some thought to one special gift (made or bought) rather than lots of trinkets for the important people in our lives, and plan on giving to others by setting aside some of our budget for charities. (Studies show that not only does giving to others make a difference but also is the one kind of spending that actually makes you happier.) This will likely result in spending less, enjoying it more, and creating the kind of holiday you hope for.
No doubt you have your own suggestions not just for avoiding Black Friday but also for actually reclaiming the day and enjoying it with the folks who are most important to you. If so, please share them in the comments below.
Years ago, my father-in-law started the tradition of Post-thanksgiving bowling. After just the first year, the youngest grandchil at the time, upon hearing we might not go bowling this year, immediately wailed, “We have to go bowling! It’s TRADITION!” And indeed we have been doing that ever since. That grandchild is now a sophomore in college. Whoever is gathered for the holiday, we find a place to go bowling the next day. My father-in-law succumbed to cancer in 2000, but he is always with us in spirit. We don’t spend the whole day at the bowling alley. Usually just a couple of games or a couple of hours. None of us bowl on a regular basis… in fact this is the only day of the year for me.
Then, after that – we go home, eat leftovers, and just hang out. And generally, I start a new knitting project hoping to get it done in time to give it to someone for Christmas. Sometimes that actually happens 🙂
PS – this is really easy for me b/c in general I hate all forms of shopping. I like to know what I’m looking for, find it, buy it and get out!
Fabulous story, Sharon. Thanks for sharing it!
Granted, the folks at the bowling alley are working retail just like the folks at a store where people are buy gifts, but somehow, bowling and/or going to a movie feel more like family time than shopping. We are spending money and going beyond the backyard football game. I just saw a great idea on Facebook from Nadia Bolz-Weber’s church. They hand out lunches to folks who have to work on Thanksgiving. Nice idea. Could work on Friday too, maybe.
I grew up in a family of do it yourself, so we always spent time on Christmas projects. We also had a ‘come up with a new version of a turkey sandwich’ challenge. Best long lasting version was apple, cheddar and bacon turkey sandwich.
Mmmmm. 🙂
This was wonderful and a reminder of all the reasons we are sitting today (Black Friday) out. It helps that we are in a part of Virginia where shopping is limited, bit it has been years since any of us shopped on this day.
I like your emphasis on doing other things to prepare for our Savior’s birth, but I am afraid I am much too much a traditional Lutheran to be playing Christmas music before Advent has even started. It is one of the parts of the commercialism of Christmas that bothers me the most.
A radio station I my hometown has already been playing Christmas music for two weeks, so I might be overly sensitive.
I’m all about spending Friday working on projects for Christmas (or otherwise!). This year I made a gift for my mom and a pair of pajama bottoms for myself. Today at church we had a couple 7-year-old girls (twins) bring a bag full of “Eyes of God” that they have been working on for weeks, and finished up this weekend with some friends at a sleepover. Much to my surprise, they asked if they could hand them out to people as they left worship. Delightful! What a great way to spend the day after Thanksgiving – making surprise gifts for others!