The blackest of Fridays

Chalk another one up for what is quite possibly the most insane day on the calendar. Perhaps this victim spent his last day on this Earth with his family and friends celebrating a holiday that values being with the ones you love, only to be killed early the very next morning amidst a throng of shoppers whose motto seemed to be “every man for himself.”

While there’s also my sneaking hunch that the so-far unidentified man’s family will be receiving solicitations from the trial lawyers who wish to pick Wal-Mart’s deep pockets by claiming negligence, the sadder truth is that the incident on Long Island only serves to prove my contention that the holidays are rapidly spinning out of hand – all over whatever heavily discounted item these shoppers were looking for. (They took the retailing term “doorbusters” literally and the unfortunate worker was apparently trampled or crushed by the surge of customers, along with four others who were also injured.)

To put it mildly, I’m a typical guy who doesn’t like shopping*. I’ve never had the desire to drag my tryptophan-addled behind out of bed at 3 a.m. the morning after Thanksgiving just to buy a $49 DVD player or whatever loss leader was being sold “first come, first served…while supplies last” at the local Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, or wherever.

What’s also confusing to me is that I thought the economy was in the tank and mall traffic was down. Somehow I’m not completely surprised that retailers would have good traffic when they sell items the public wants at prices they’re willing to pay. But now people have become accustomed to the idea of buying their big-ticket items on Black Friday then waiting out retailers in a bizarre Chinese auction of sorts to see who blinks first – will the retailer slash the price before Christmas or wait until afterward?

Retailers aren’t stupid, though. By limiting the quantity of these loss leaders they’re drawing people to the stores like flies to a chicken farm but not losing a whole lot on the particular item the shoppers are seeking. If 200 people are trying to break into a store that has only 80 of whatever hot item they’re after, you’ll have 120 disappointed shoppers who will be too late to get to the next store for Plan B. If half of those unfortunate enough to not get the prime mover stay regardless and buy other, more profitably priced items while those who bought the loss leader also stock up on stuff, then the loss leader is well worth it. The Long Island shoppers certainly sensed this and wanted to jump the gun as much as they could, with tragic results.

There was another item mentioned on today’s ABC Radio news that brought back memories and may have been the pioneering “must-have” item to start this retailing trend. It was 25 years ago that Cabbage Patch dolls came on the market and hopeful parents swamped stores looking to buy one. In those pre-eBay days the aftermarket bidding was pretty fierce as well – surely some entrepreneurs who put ads in their local paper made a princely sum from parents who couldn’t bear to not have a Cabbage Patch doll under the tree for their little girl. This year there doesn’t seem to be that sort of item; instead shoppers are simply being price-conscious. Unfortunately in this morning’s instance they were far less conscious of being kind to their fellow man.

If you were one of those who was standing outside the local retailer at 4:30 in the morning, well, I hope you got what you came to get. Just spend the time you saved in getting your gifts early thinking about what this holiday season really means.

*There is one exception. I can spend hours at a used CD store, and part of my agenda whenever I return to Ohio is a stop of one of The Exchange’s stores. But I still wouldn’t wake up at 3 a.m. to get to one.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

2 thoughts on “The blackest of Fridays”

  1. I was at Arundel Mills Mall earlier today and I had a hard time finding a place to park. Me too thought that the economy was in the tanker last time I checked. I didn’t buy anything so I just went to the movies. The 3:35 showing of Australia was a full house with holiday shoppers in tow.

    I pray for the family of the person who lost his life for what?. So a materialist moron, could get a DVD player for $50? All he was doing was to make a living for himself and his family. This goes to show that many people in this country really lost the concept of what the holiday season is really about—family.

    I love shopping as much as the next female but sometimes it isn’t worth all the trouble. We all should be thankful that we have our health and our loved ones still in our lives.

    Retailers should reexam their black Friday practices. It really doesn’t make any sense for people to get out of bed at 2 am just to camp out for a DVD player. Io the retailers out there, I enjoy sleeping at 2 am not even a new computer or a pair of earrings would entice me to interupt my beauty sleep.

  2. Michael, There used to be a store in the White Marlin Mall in West O.C. that sold used CDs. Didn’t know if you were aware of it. I’m not sure but I think it’s still there.

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