Black Rain

Yesterday was Black Friday, the day I had been dreading for weeks. Despite having worked for four years in an industry that considers it to be the jumpstart to the holiday season, I have always had mixed feelings about the day. On one hand, it gives a huge sales boost to businesses and is very exciting from both a consumer and overall economic standpoint. But on the other hand, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it frequently highlights the worst side of humanity.

Every year there are stories of rowdy customers getting into arguments, shoving matches and even full-on fistfights, all in the name of buying TVs and toys. I saw this first hand four years ago when portable DVD players left a few customers bruised and blooded at my old job. Are they great deals? Absolutely! Are they worth fighting over? Not really.

I’d never get in a fight with someone over something I have to buy. MAYBE I’d fight over something free, but even that would have to be something huge, like a house or a car. Yeah, I’d hit someone with a baseball bat for that sh*t. But joking aside, I speak from the standpoint of someone who places little to no value on material goods. To me, a flatscreen TV, no matter how big, doesn’t matter (and if you don’t believe me, come by my apartment and check out the size of my TV).

However, I figure that to someone who doesn’t have a lot of money and values material things, they’d be more than willing to fight over unaffordable goods that are suddenly made affordable for one day only. Also, in order to get the item, you have to stand in line for hours in advance (and in the case of Best Buy and Wal-Mart, days in advance). Long lines already make people angry, but imagine waiting in line for hours for something you never get because supplies run out. Factor in a bad economy and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

The one thing corporate America knows well is that when people are bored, they shop. Give America a day off work and, after going to the movies, Americans will go to the mall to blow a few bills on random stuff. That’s why I understand why Black Friday exists. It’s not only set during a day off, but it happens when people are with friends and family and sometimes out of town, thus more likely to shop in large groups and for large quantities of stuff.

Economically, it makes sense. But from a personal standpoint, I seriously question whether or not it’s really worth it in the end. Most sales are repeated, especially when it comes to clothes. “One Time Offers” rarely exist, and if you look hard enough, you can find anything at a good price. Some stores have decent doorbusters (free gift or great discount to the first few people inside), but even those aren’t overwhelming incentives when you play the odds. Yet most consumers don’t question whether or not it’s worth it. They just wake up, shop hard, go home, and celebrate the Blu-Ray player they drop-kicked an old lady to get, completely unaware that it will be available for a comparable price in a few weeks.

This is why I’m convinced that for consumers, Black Friday isn’t really about the prices. It’s more about the environment. It’s about the struggle. It’s about the stories of success and failure. It’s about the victorious feeling from getting what you want, especially when you go gladiator on someone’s ass to get it. It’s about competition, both between businesses and between customers.

This why I hate Black Friday. And this is why I love Black Friday.


Currently Listening To: Hip Hop
Jay-Z – “Empire State of Mind”

From the album The Blueprint 3