Yet another American holiday that comes from the origins of a horrible history. A day when many people died and others lost their fortunes. The Americans celebrate this every year with expanding leeway in both directions. This year Black Friday started at the beginning of October with advertisements for pre-block Friday sales. I suspect it will go on for another few weeks.
We try not to think of those who jumped out of buildings or lost their homes years ago.
I don’t have statistics but news coverage would have me believe that several people continue to lose their lives every year on Black Friday but not from financial loss, but instead from material loss. They get trampled at the entrance to Best Buy or Walmart.
Expansion of Black Friday over 2 or 3 months was explained as a way of avoiding the door crusher sales where injuries happen, but really it’s just a way of advertising a big sale so that people can buy their Christmas gifts at a discounted rate before the holidays rather than the now less impressive boxing day sale that Canada and England have after the holiday.
Of course, as is the way with any retail success, much of the world now celebrates Black Friday with no concept of why except to make sales in their own country rather than giving them away to United States mail order. Black Friday is everywhere. Even silly places.
Some would say it has destroyed regular sales in the months leading up to Black Friday. People don’t buy significant products in September or October anymore. If they can, they wait for the day after Thanksgiving. Or the evening of Thanksgiving if they don’t like football.
It’s become a little bit of a problem for some stores because they want to advertise Black Friday prices and say the lowest price of the year, but then on the actual day of Black Friday they have to come up with additional sales or people are upset. If you’re going to line up at 6:00 a.m. I’m in front of the store on Black Friday they had better offer you something better than what they had in the coupon flyer all week.
I didn’t receive my big cheque before today so I won’t be buying any large screen TVs or washing machines. My usual animal feeding is unchanged by the memory of a stock market crash in the past. There is no black pop you to wear and no moment of silence. The news will be filled with crazed shoppers and no mention of those who lost their lives due to our fictional financial system.
To those financial planners and stock market analysis that cowardly jumped out of windows rather than face the wrath of their loyal customers rather than telling them the horrific truth that their life savings vanished in a moment. My parents were quite affected by this and in turn I suppose if I think about it my inheritance. I’m glad they didn’t jump out of windows
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