Hear the sound of waiting, die-hard shoppers breathing down your neck? There goes the clock, tick tock it’s 10 p.m., hands start flying, people screaming, “It’s mine!” This is when you ask yourself, is Black Friday really worth it?
Is it actually worth daring the flock of crazed shoppers, waiting in line, dealing with traffic, finding a parking space and listening to screaming kids as they start biting at your ankles? Yes, it is worth it!
Besides the insanity you might have to endure, there is a pot of gold sitting on the other side. For the minimum wage, single parent or struggling college student, Black Friday is a terrific deal.
The $1,000 Vizio LCD 60 inch television went for $633 at Walmart, saving shoppers a whopping $300. In retrospect, that is more money to spend on other necessities that are needed during this joyous season.
Some people complain that Thanksgiving should be about visiting and enjoying the company of family, that togetherness is more valuable than saving a few bucks.
This is true, however, we live in a country that thrives on consumerism. Didn’t President Franklin D. Roosevelt change the day of Thanksgiving all in the name of Christmas shopping?
According to pilgrimhall.org statistics showed that most people did not do their Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving. Business leaders feared they would lose money, especially during the Depression, so they asked Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving up one week, and he did.
So in reality, diehard, trying to save a buck or two shoppers are saving corporate behinds and are putting money back into the economy. In addition, who said families can’t eat turkey dinner a little earlier in the day?
Who wants to fall asleep with 4,000 calories of turkey, gravy and grandma’s stuffing heavy in their stomachs? What better way to burn off those calories than by shopping and saving money.
Yes, Black Friday can be a hassle and certainly the crowds are insane, but just think about that 60-inch LCD television you’ve been waiting to put in your living room, or what about your broken laptop that takes 20 minutes to load?
Fight the shopping madness all in one day instead of saving it for the day before Christmas. Instead of leaving your family on Thanksgiving to shop alone, bring them along and make it family tradition.
